Stephenson College and Brooksby Melton College reveal plans to merge

Two Leicestershire colleges which cater for more than 7,000 students have revealed plans to merge.

Brooksby Melton College, which has campuses in Melton and Brooksby, and Stephenson College, in Coalville, are set to join forces by February 2020.

The colleges were both rated 'good' by Ofsted at their last inspections, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

In a joint statement, the colleges said the merger "represents an exciting opportunity to sustain and enhance our colleges’ education and training provision for our students, employers and the communities we serve into the foreseeable future".

The statement added: "We look forward to working together and will provide further updates throughout the period towards the 1st of February 2020.”

Will any staff lose their jobs?

Asked whether any staff would be losing their jobs as a result of the merger, a spokeswoman for Brooksby Melton College said: "There may be some redundancies if there's duplication in the role.

"However, both colleges currently run relatively lean in terms of staff members."

A spokeswoman for Brooksby Melton said nothing had yet been decided about what the new college would be called.

Stephenson College, previously Coalville Technical College, has a modern campus which was completed in 2005.

'The most important decision our corporation will take'

Principal and chief executive Dr Nigel Leigh OBE said: “This is the most important decision our corporation will take and we are delighted to have found a partner with the same values and passion for learning, who complements the curriculum and resources we have at Stephenson College.”

Brooksby Melton College is an independent, vocational college which specialises in agricultural and performing arts courses.

It has recently undergone a £27.7 million investment across both of its campuses in catering, sports and other facilities.

Principal and chief executive Dawn Whitemore said both colleges were "really excited" about the opportunity the merger would provide for students and staff.

She added: "Our learners are always at the heart of all decisions, so I would like to reassure existing and future students that this is an incredibly positive move that will benefit all learners.”

Stephenson College has 5725 students and Brooksby Melton College has about 1,500.

They cater for students aged 16 and over, dealing in both further education and higher education.

Pupil numbers are expected to increase after the merger.

Both colleges will continue to accept applications from students for the coming academic year.

Courses for current students and those already enrolled for September will continue as normal.