The government kicked off the post-16 area review programme in July 2015 and has conducted 37 reviews across England, involving 330 colleges. For some governors and principals, the process has been a series of evening meetings involving lot of data and discussion about other people’s problems. But for many, it has been a chance to reflect on their position and move forward with plans for change.
Since the start of 2016, there have already been 16 college mergers and two sixth form college academy conversions. Over the next 12 months, there could well be another 30 mergers and 10 conversions. Area reviews had a role in galvanising action in colleges and in removing obstacles placed in the way of mergers in the years before 2015.
Haphazard, underfunded and led by institutions
Partly because England is larger, this is a bigger restructure than the recent college merger programmes in Scotland or Wales but, as is typical in the English education system, it has been haphazard, underfunded and led by institutions. Colleges will be paying for much of the restructuring themselves from future efficiency savings. There is some support from government but generally only as a loan.
The area review programme was invented at great speed in the weeks after the 2015 general election and could soon fade. There may well be new ministers after the June election and there is, or will be, new leadership in key agencies overseeing colleges, including Ofsted, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA) and Office for Students (OfS). It would be a mistake, though, for government to fail to build on its recent area review experience.
The first lesson is about finance. Area reviews were supposed to create a financially sustainable college sector, but a consultancy programme couldn’t do this on its own. The 2015 spending review made some budgets a little more predictable but the government needs a sensible approach to funding so that colleges can plan confidently, employ the right staff and respond to employer and student needs.
A good time to review who intervenes
Regulation is a related issue. Area reviews exposed the fact that there are several different agencies involved in overseeing the finance and performance of colleges but did not result in any rationalisation. Now that we have a single Department for Education (DfE) and a merged funding agency, it would be a good time to review who intervenes when, and with what result.
Finally there is a point about the wider area review system. The reviews focused on 330 colleges but left more than 2,000 school sixth forms, 48 UTCs and 1,000 training providers untouched. There are growing financial pressures on the school system yet DfE fails to give a lead on school sixth forms. Its own research on A Level class sizes exposes the problem. Copying the entire national college programme across to the school sector would be a step too far, but we now know how quickly government can set up targeted reviews when it wants to so why delay on something so clearly needed?
Julian Gravatt is deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC). He will speak on the current college landscape and college finance at AoC’s Finance Conference on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 May at Jury’s Inn, Hinkley Island.
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