23 MAY 2016

The Area Reviews – An Update

As you know (and may have read on our explanative blog last year), the government has set forth a directive that mandates that all Colleges undergo an Area Review process, intended to weed out smaller institutions that may be providing substandard education services.

As you know (and may have read on our explanative blog last year), the government has set forth a directive that mandates that all Colleges undergo an Area Review process, intended to weed out smaller institutions that may be providing substandard education services. This has been a controversial policy, and while it is intended to result in “fewer, larger, more resilient and efficient providers” across the country, some worry that it could homogenise the post-16 education system and force many valuable Colleges to close.

What is the Area Review process hoping to achieve?

The Area Review process will assess all of the post-16 provision in each area of the country, and then make a series of recommendations. These are meant to increase productivity and keep the College system on task and under budget in order to fall within the currently tight fiscal requirements of the Conservative government. Some Colleges will be forced to close while others will be advised to merge together in order to keep the system as cost efficient as possible.

A Hesitant Start

Back in early January, FE Week revealed that wave 1 of the Area Reviews was running behind schedule. According to the government’s guidance, reviews in Birmingham and Solihull, Greater Manchester, and Sheffield City region, which began in early September, ought to have been wrapping up in February. However in January they appeared to be barely half-way through the process. A BIS spokesperson then confirmed they only expected the first areas “to be moving to analysis of options and recommendations over the next month or two.” So the Government’s advised "typical timescale" of three to four months per review was proved overly optimistic.

An Explanation

On 18th March FE Commissioner Sir David Collins wrote to FE providers to give an update on the progress of the Area Reviews. Although asserting the Area Reviews had so far been “a remarkably smooth process with corporations engaging fully in the new collaborative approach to provision” he conceded: “Wave 1 has taken longer in some cases to come to a conclusion than was hoped, complicated by the devolution agenda and the fact that some of the more difficult areas were included. Communications within Colleges with staff, unions and students as to the process and the benefits for learners and employers has been variable and could clearly be improved.” He added that “the long-standing unsustainable debt positions of a few Colleges have created delays while new solutions have been sought”. Dr Collins did single out Boards of Governors at Colleges, local enterprise partnerships and local authorities for praise in his letter as “Without their hard work and commitment relatively little would have been achieved.”

Updates from around the country

Warwickshire 

Area Reviews are currently coming to a close in Warwickshire, and the results have caused major changes to be proposed. In Coventry, Dr. David Collins has recommended a three-way merger for the local Coventry College, Henley College, and Hereward College. While this move will certainly save money for the area, critics such as University and College Union’s head of FE, Andrew Harden claim that “too many College mergers are being put forward to solve financial issues brought about by government funding cuts, or to pre-empt the outcomes of area reviews.”

Tees Valley

Similarly, in the Tees Valley review aftermath, three separate mergers have been recommended, involving the Middlesbrough College and Redcar and Cleveland College; Darlington College and Stockton Riverside College; and Hartlepool College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College. Local officials seem more optimistic about this move than in Coventry, but time will tell more about the outcomes.

North Yorkshire

After the Area Review in North Yorkshire and Stockton, a move has already been made to merge two local Colleges, Prior Pursglove College in North Yorkshire and Stockton Sixth Form College in Stockton-on-Tees. This has already been implemented (as of May 1), with more local mergers planned over the summer months.

Views of the Area Review Process 

As you know, there has been some heated debate and strong critique of the Area Review Process, with many claiming that the procedure feels far too rushed and has been poorly organised. The Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA) decided against proposing a policy of “sector-wide non-compliance,” but the very fact that this was even debated should alert you to the strife in the industry.

Your View of Area Reviews

What are your views of the Area Reviews and how they are progressing? Let us know in the comment section below.