Leeds City College
Encyclopedia
Leeds City College is the largest Further education
establishment in the City of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
, with around 57,000 students, 2,300 staff and an annual turnover of £78 million. It officially opened on 1 April 2009. The College was granted official status in January 2009 and was formed from three large colleges, Park Lane College, Leeds Thomas Danby College
and Leeds College of Technology
. The college is a member of the 157 Group
of 28 high performing state sixth form college
s and colleges of further education.
On 1 August 2011 the college expanded further with the merger of the three sites of Joseph Priestley College
in Rothwell
, Beeston
and Morley
. On the same day it also became the owner of a newly re-constituted Leeds College of Music
which will maintain a level of independence as a wholly owned company of the City College.
With the three colleges offering many similar courses, one of the major advantages of having a unified education institution in the city is that duplication of courses is eliminated and the provision of centralised services to learners.
, had allocated a capital grant to help fund the merger. Although no actual figure was published, an article that appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post
in December 2006 spoke of up to £200 million being made available.
However, news hit the headlines in spring 2009 of a serious and unexpected financial deficit within their national Building Colleges for the Future program, from where the grant would normally have been allocated. This has cast doubts on how just how much money (if any) will be made available for this merger, and when it would be released.
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
establishment in the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with around 57,000 students, 2,300 staff and an annual turnover of £78 million. It officially opened on 1 April 2009. The College was granted official status in January 2009 and was formed from three large colleges, Park Lane College, Leeds Thomas Danby College
Leeds Thomas Danby
Leeds Thomas Danby was a further education college in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England offering courses for 16-18 year-olds and adults. The college was named after the first Mayor of Leeds, Captain Thomas Danby of Farnley...
and Leeds College of Technology
Leeds College of Technology
Leeds College of Technology was a further education college in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. With a strong technical bias, the College supported the computing, engineering, social care and transport industries...
. The college is a member of the 157 Group
157 Group
The 157 Group is a group of 28 colleges of further education in England. The group was established in 2006 with an aim of promoting and maintaining high standards of education and management for this type of college...
of 28 high performing state sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
s and colleges of further education.
On 1 August 2011 the college expanded further with the merger of the three sites of Joseph Priestley College
Joseph Priestley College
Joseph Priestley College was a further education college founded in 1955 serving the communities of South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was named after Joseph Priestley, the famous scientist and co-discoverer of oxygen who was born nearby...
in Rothwell
Rothwell, West Yorkshire
Rothwell is a market town on the River Dolphin in the south east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, situated between Oulton to the east, Belle Isle to the west, Woodlesford to the north east and Robin Hood to the south west. Swillington, Methley and Kippax are located...
, Beeston
Beeston, Leeds
Beeston is a suburb Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located about 2 miles south of the city centre. The area is separated from surrounding areas to the north, east and west by the M621 motorway....
and Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
. On the same day it also became the owner of a newly re-constituted Leeds College of Music
Leeds College of Music
Leeds College of Music, located in Leeds’ Quarry Hill cultural quarter, is the largest music college in the United Kingdom, with over 1,000 full-time and 1,000 part-time students. The college is best known for its leading role in jazz education and started one of the first jazz degrees in Europe...
which will maintain a level of independence as a wholly owned company of the City College.
Sites
The existing five sites of the former three colleges will continue in use, and they have been named as follows:- Thomas Danby Campus, former Leeds Thomas DanbyLeeds Thomas DanbyLeeds Thomas Danby was a further education college in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England offering courses for 16-18 year-olds and adults. The college was named after the first Mayor of Leeds, Captain Thomas Danby of Farnley...
site, with specialist provision in catering and hospitality - Technology Campus, former Leeds College of TechnologyLeeds College of TechnologyLeeds College of Technology was a further education college in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. With a strong technical bias, the College supported the computing, engineering, social care and transport industries...
site, with specialist provision in electrical & engineering crafts and computing - Park Lane Campus, former Park Lane College LeedsPark Lane College LeedsPark Lane College Leeds was the largest further education college in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and provided further, higher and adult education to over 45,000 students. It operated out of over 40 sites across Leeds. On 1 April 2009 Park Lane College merged with Leeds Thomas Danby and the...
site, with specialist provision in business training courses - Horsforth Campus, former Park Lane College Horsforth site
- Keighley Campus, former Park Lane College Keighley site, with specialist provision in trade/construction programmes
- Joseph Priestley Campus, former Joseph Priestley CollegeJoseph Priestley CollegeJoseph Priestley College was a further education college founded in 1955 serving the communities of South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was named after Joseph Priestley, the famous scientist and co-discoverer of oxygen who was born nearby...
MorleyMorley, West YorkshireMorley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
site. With sites also in RothwellRothwell, West YorkshireRothwell is a market town on the River Dolphin in the south east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, situated between Oulton to the east, Belle Isle to the west, Woodlesford to the north east and Robin Hood to the south west. Swillington, Methley and Kippax are located...
and Beeston.
Reasons for merger
The decision to merge the three colleges was agreed by the three institutions involved with the joint aim being:
"...to raise achievement levels in Leeds and Keighley, offer more courses to suit the needs of everyone from school leavers to employers, and enhance our facilities to be amongst the best in the country".
With the three colleges offering many similar courses, one of the major advantages of having a unified education institution in the city is that duplication of courses is eliminated and the provision of centralised services to learners.
Timeline
According to the Leeds College Merger website, the Secretary of State gave official approval of the merger in January 2009 with the three colleges being dissolved on 31 March 2009. From 1 April 2009, Leeds City College would come into force with a new identity and from then on, publicity campaigns would run to extend the awareness of the new college. New students will be enrolled to the new Leeds City College from September 2009.Funding for the merger
It was assumed that the primary funding body for Further Education in England, The Learning and Skills CouncilLearning and Skills Council
The Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
, had allocated a capital grant to help fund the merger. Although no actual figure was published, an article that appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post
Yorkshire Evening Post
The Yorkshire Evening Post is a daily evening publication published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in December 2006 spoke of up to £200 million being made available.
However, news hit the headlines in spring 2009 of a serious and unexpected financial deficit within their national Building Colleges for the Future program, from where the grant would normally have been allocated. This has cast doubts on how just how much money (if any) will be made available for this merger, and when it would be released.
See also
- Park Lane College LeedsPark Lane College LeedsPark Lane College Leeds was the largest further education college in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and provided further, higher and adult education to over 45,000 students. It operated out of over 40 sites across Leeds. On 1 April 2009 Park Lane College merged with Leeds Thomas Danby and the...
- Leeds Thomas DanbyLeeds Thomas DanbyLeeds Thomas Danby was a further education college in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England offering courses for 16-18 year-olds and adults. The college was named after the first Mayor of Leeds, Captain Thomas Danby of Farnley...
- Leeds College of TechnologyLeeds College of TechnologyLeeds College of Technology was a further education college in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. With a strong technical bias, the College supported the computing, engineering, social care and transport industries...
- Joseph Priestley CollegeJoseph Priestley CollegeJoseph Priestley College was a further education college founded in 1955 serving the communities of South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was named after Joseph Priestley, the famous scientist and co-discoverer of oxygen who was born nearby...