Shrewsbury's college merger given the green light
A merger between two of the county's largest colleges has been given the go-ahead by Government and will take place next month.
The merger of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and Shrewsbury College will create 'Shrewsbury Colleges Group' and will officially take place on July 31.
Alison Jackson, chair of the shadow governing body for the merged colleges, said: "Shrewsbury is an outstanding town in which to learn and develop potential, and the excellent local schools and colleges have much to be proud of.
"It is great news that the governors of both Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and Shrewsbury College have decided to enter into a merger which gives us the strongest future basis to deliver high-quality post-16 education and training for the area.
"Each college will continue to have its own distinct identity because consultation has told us that these are valued, but we will also make adjustments where they will give students a better experience and better outcomes.
"The current principals of both colleges have shown strong leadership throughout this complex process and have now taken separate decisions to move on to other challenges.
"This creates an opportunity for a new role of CEO/principal of the Group, with a clear remit to develop both the academic and vocational curriculum and to build an outstanding college for the benefit of the area."
The newly formed group will create Shropshire's largest combined A Level and vocational education provider.
Following a period of public consultation and financial and legal due diligence, the merger decision was supported by the area review team and endorsed by the secretary of state for education.
