Department for Education

Liverpool City Region

Area Review

Final report

January 2017

Contents

Background 4

The needs of the Liverpool City Region area 5

Demographics and the economy 5

Patterns of employment and future growth 9

LEP priorities 12

Feedback from LEPs, employers, local authorities, students and staff 13

The quantity and quality of current provision 16

Performance of schools at Key Stage 4 17

Schools with sixth-forms 17

The further education and sixth-form colleges 18

The current offer in the colleges 20

Quality of provision and financial sustainability of colleges 21

Higher education in further education 22

Provision for students with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and high

needs 23

Apprenticeships and apprenticeship providers 24

Land based provision 25

The need for change 26

The key areas for change 28

Initial options raised during visits to colleges 28

Criteria for evaluating options and use of sector benchmarks 30

Assessment criteria 30

FE sector benchmarks 30

Recommendations agreed by the steering group 31

Birkenhead Sixth Form College 32

Carmel College 33

Knowsley Community College and St Helens College 33

City of Liverpool College 34

Hugh Baird College, South Sefton College, Southport College and King George V Sixth

Form College 35

Riverside College 36

Wirral Metropolitan College 37

Apprenticeship Growth Plan 38

Prospectus of advanced and higher level technical skills 38

Sector-facing provision that meets employer needs 39

Institute of Technology 39

Needs of SEND post-16 learners 40

Entry routes for learners with low level skills 40

Careers hub 41

Enhanced post-16 options 42

Strategic planning and oversight group 42

Conclusions from this review 43

Next steps 45

Background

In July 2015, the government announced a rolling programme of around 40 local area

reviews, to be completed by March 2017, covering all general further education and sixth-

form colleges in England.

The reviews are designed to ensure that colleges are financially stable into the longer-term,

that they are run efficiently, and are well-positioned to meet the present and future needs of

individual students and the demands of employers. Students in colleges have high

expectations about standards of teaching and learning and the extent to which their learning

prepares them to progress further, to higher education or directly into employment.

The Liverpool City Region is served by 7 general further education colleges (Hugh Baird,

Wirral Metropolitan, Southport, City of Liverpool, Riverside, St Helens and Knowsley

Community College) and 3 sixth-form colleges (Birkenhead, Carmel and King George V).

Additionally, South Sefton College requested and received support from the steering group

to be included within the process.

As an area with a devolution agreement (signed in November 2015) the local area review

steering group was chaired by Councillor Ian Maher (Liverpool City Region Combined

Authority Portfolio Holder for Employment and Skills). The steering group met on 6

occasions between May 2016 and October 2016, and additional informal meetings also took

place to consider and develop options in greater detail. Membership of the steering group

comprised each college’s chair of governors and principal, representatives from Liverpool

City Region Combined Authority (The Combined Authority), Liverpool City Region Local

Enterprise Partnership (The LEP), Liverpool City Council, Halton Metropolitan Borough

Council, the Archdiocese of Liverpool, the Regional Schools Commissioner, and

representatives from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), the Education Funding Agency

(EFA), and the Department for Education (DfE).

Visits to colleges and support throughout the process were provided by staff from the

Further Education (FE) and Sixth Form College Commissioners’ teams. The Joint Area

Review Delivery Unit (JARDU) provided the project management, administrative support

and developed supporting materials and papers used by the steering group in accordance

with the national process. Additional lines of enquiry and consultations with local

stakeholders including employers, schools and universities were led by the Combined

Authority in conjunction with the LEP.

The needs of the Liverpool City Region area

Demographics and the economy

Liverpool City Region area review covers the footprint of the Combined Authority and

comprises the 6 local authority areas of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton, and

Wirral. The total population is 1.5 million

. The area is illustrated on the map below:

1 ONS Local Authority Profiles – see data annex – Local socio-economic data.

The table below provides a snapshot of key demographic and economic data

, which has

acted as a starting point for this review.

Liverpool

St Helens

Sefton

Knowsley

Wirral

Halton

Great Britain

Total population

(2015)

478,600

177,600

273,700

147,200

320,900

126,500

63,258,400

Population aged

16 to 64

68.5%

62%

60.3%

63.7%

60.5%

63.1%

63.3%

% with higher

education

qualifications

30.6%

26.2%

31.2%

22.5%

32.2%

22.3%

37.1%

Those formally

qualified to level

67.6%

71.1%

74.1%

65.6%

74.8%

70.3%

73.6%

Gross weekly

pay £ of

residents

£480.80

£479.10

£473.70

£475.50

£518.60

£480.60

£529.00

Gross weekly

pay £ by

workplace

£506.30

£443.80

£463.70

£505.10

£500.40

£530.40

£528.50

Out-of-work

benefit claimants

3.3% 2.8% 2.5% 3.2% 2.0% 2.7% 1.8%

% of main

benefit claimants

14.7%

12.3%

11.4%

15.16%

12.3%

12.2%

8.7%

Jobs density

0.80

0.62

0.61

0.71

0.57

0.75

0.82

2 ONS Local Authority Profiles – see data annex – Local socio-economic data. Please note that ONS update the data set on a regular

basis and that the data included relates to the point at which the report was written.

3 Percentages relate to those aged 16 to 64

4 Job density relates to the level of jobs per resident aged 16 64. For example, a job density of 1.0 would mean that there is one job for

every resident aged 16-64. The job density for the North West as a whole is 0.78, which is slightly below the national average.

Total workplace

units:

Average

for the

North

West

Micro

78.4%

79.5%

82.1%

78.6%

82.8%

76.9%

79.72%

Small

16.6%

16.4%

14.6%

16.4%

14.4%

18.0%

16.07%

Medium

4.2%

3.6%

3.0%

4.1%

2.5%

4.5%

3.65%

Large

0.7%

0.4%

0.3%

0.8%

0.4%

0.6%

0.53%

The key points to note are:

• of the population of Liverpool City Region, almost a third live in Liverpool, whilst

Halton has the smallest population. Liverpool’s working age population is high at

68.5%, compared to the national average, whilst the other local authority areas are

much closer to, or lower than, the average. This is consistent with the pattern for

cities across the country

• the population of young people aged 16 to 19 is an important indicator for the future

shape of the labour market and demand for skills provision. Local analysis of Office

for National Statistics (ONS) population data shows that there has been a 7% fall in

the number of 16 to 19 year olds over the last 15 years. This trend is expected to

continue, with a further reduction of 12% in the next 5 years, taking the cohort down

to around 64,000 (from around 80,000 in 2001)

• this anticipated reduction, combined with the regional and national trends for an

ageing workforce, is likely to have a long-term impact on the working age population

and the potential for a tightening in the labour market. This trend may also have

implications for the structures and finances of the further education sector within this

time period

• the number of out of work benefits claimants, as a proportion of the population, is

high across all 6 local authorities, in comparison to the national average. In Liverpool

and Knowsley it is almost double the national rate. The proportion of main benefits

claimants is also high and again particularly so in Liverpool and Knowsley. The rate

of sickness benefits being claimed in the City Region is the highest of any area in the

country

5 Micro-businesses have a total of 1 to 9 workers; small businesses have 10 to 49 workers; medium have 50 to 249; large have 250+

(2015 data).

6 Liverpool City Region Skills for Growth Priorities

7 ONS Local Authority Profiles

• Wirral has above the national average percentage of residents qualified to level 2,

whilst the other areas fall below the average. Compared to the national average, a

low percentage of residents have higher level qualifications

• weekly wages of residents are lower than average. Based on workplace location

Halton has the highest weekly wages, above the national average and significantly

higher than the other local authorities in Liverpool City Region

• job density is higher in Liverpool than in the other areas within the City Region (0.8

jobs per resident), but this is still slightly below the national average. St Helens,

Sefton and Wirral have particularly low numbers of jobs in comparison to their

population

• the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

show that Liverpool City Region ranks as the

most deprived of the 39 LEP areas in England. The area has the highest ranking of

relative deprivation for income, employment and health deprivation and disability. It

also ranks highly for deprivation in terms of education, crime and living environment

• at local authority level, Liverpool and Knowsley are ranked in the 10 most deprived

areas in the country. Of Liverpool City Region’s 989 neighbourhoods, over 30% are

within the most deprived 10% nationally. The pattern by neighbourhood across

Liverpool City Region is illustrated overleaf

. The overall assessment of deprivation

across the Liverpool City Region is influenced by concentrated pockets of high

relative deprivation within areas throughout the Liverpool City Region. The Liverpool

City Region has 16 areas in the most 100 deprived across all of England; 8 of which

are in Liverpool, 4 are in Wirral, and 2 each are in Knowsley and in St. Helen’s.

8 Index of Multiple Deprivation – see data annex: Deprivation

9 Map provided by LCR Combined Authority. The map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance

Survey on behalf of the controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown

Like many areas of the country the City Region has an ageing population and also has a

long standing skills gap which widens at level 3, level 4 and above.

Young people in the City Region are more likely to go to college at age 16 than nationally

and less likely to go to university at age 18

Patterns of employment and future growth

Liverpool City Region has a £28.3 billion economy, with output increasing by 8.4% in the 5

years up to 2014. Gross value added (GVA) per head in the Liverpool City Region is

currently around £4,000 lower than the average across Local Enterprise Partnership

areas

10 Liverpool City Region Skills for Growth Priorities

11 Liverpool City Region Growth Strategy 2016

In order to capitalise on its geographical location and existing industrial strengths, the

Liverpool City Region has a number of priority growth sectors:

• advanced manufacturing and manufacturing

• creative and digital

• financial and professional

• health and life sciences

• low carbon and energy

• maritime and logistics

• visitor economy.

A series of employer led Skills for Growth Agreements have been published over the past 4

years, setting out current and future skills needs in the above sectors.

The geographical centres for the priority growth sectors are illustrated in the map below

12 Liverpool City Region Skills for Growth Priorities

The City Region also recognises the importance of high volume employment sectors, such

as:

• health and care services

• wider services sector

• sales related roles

• IT support roles.

Achieving growth in sectors of higher skill, higher value and higher pay will contribute to an

overall improvement in productivity and improvement in GVA per head. Recent forecasts

suggest the potential for 100,000 additional jobs in the Liverpool City Region by 2040, which

could increase GVA to more than £50 billion

The map below illustrates travel to work patterns. More than 85% of residents work in the

Liverpool City Region and a further 10% of employed residents work in nearby Cheshire,

Warrington or West Lancashire.

13 Building our Future, Liverpool City Region Growth Strategy, June 2016

LEP priorities

Based on feedback from businesses, business networks, colleges and training providers,

the following have been identified as generic skills priorities for Liverpool City Region for

2015 to 16.

• customer service for staff working in frontline customer service roles: this continues

to be identified by the visitor economy board and is critical for the City Region

• science, technology and mathematics at all levels: there is a need for all residents to

have a sound basis in mathematics and an increasing need at technician, graduate

and postgraduate for general science and specific technology skills

• practical logistics: with the logistics developments linked to the Liverpool 2 container

terminal, there is an increasing need for entry level warehouse skills (e.g. pickers and

packers) and drivers of heavy goods vehicles

• digital skills, to ensure that residents can use technology and to build upon the higher

level expertise in the City Region, based around SciTech Daresbury science and

innovation campus and Enterprise Zone and the cluster at the Baltic Triangle in

Liverpool in particular

• project management, which underpins good business practice and particularly

construction sectors

• leadership and management across all levels and particularly for small and medium

enterprises

• underpinning employability skills that enable residents to contribute in the workplace

(for example team working and literacy).

These are in addition to the detailed sector specific skills priorities which have been set out

in the Skills for Growth Agreements. Based upon projections of growth and replacement

demand in 2015 to 16 the key areas for focus are as follows

• intermediate and advanced apprenticeships in engineering manufacture,

warehousing and storage, logistics operations, and construction

• advanced and higher apprenticeships in engineering manufacture, electrical trades,

polymer processing, and metal processing and allied operations

• level 3 technical skills in engineering technician, welding roles, and for electricians,

marine staff

• digital and technology solutions professionals.

14 Liverpool City Region Skills for Growth Priorities 2015/16

Feedback from LEPs, employers, local authorities, students and

staff

Analysis of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) Employer Skills Survey

2015 shows that around one in 5 job vacancies in the Liverpool City Region is due to a skills

shortage

. The survey also highlights local employers’ commitment to addressing skills

shortages, with almost 3 in 4 Liverpool City Region respondents providing some form of

training for staff in the 12 months preceding the survey. This is a significantly higher

proportion than other areas of the country.

The key challenge presented to colleges by the Combined Authority and LEP is how to

ensure provision remains demand led and better able to support employers with current and

future skills needs.

A series of consultation events was held with employers over the course of the review

period culminating with a business engagement event hosted by the LEP, with 48

businesses and organisations attending. This provided an opportunity for businesses to

feedback their views on the lines of enquiry for the review and the broader skills landscape.

Key messages were as follows:

• general agreement from employers that providers and colleges should specialise

their curriculum offer but recognition that core employability skills provision including

English, maths and digital must be accessible for those with low or no skills to deliver

growth ambitions so should also be part of the offer across all providers

• staff within training organisations working to deliver programmes relating to specific

sectors (in particular the identified growth sectors) should ensure that, through a

variety of mechanisms, they keep up to speed with industry standards and norms as

well as innovation in their relevant sector

• careers advice in schools needs to be revolutionised, aside from some examples of

good and effective practice, this is an area of significant concern for employers

• the pace of curriculum change and curriculum flexibility needs to be accelerated to

keep pace with industry – particularly within creative and digital

• the area review should ensure equality and diversity impact assessment is

undertaken in relation to productivity gains

• the leadership skills of new and first line managers need to be improved to ensure

that leadership skills and capabilities are sound at every level within our businesses

• young people must be much more actively engaged in changing and re-shaping the

skills landscape in the City Region

15 UKCES Employer Skills Survey 2015

• businesses must and will take ownership and leadership of reform of the skills

agenda and landscape in the City Region

• a step change is needed to move the skills agenda from one that is supply led to one

that is demand led.

The Combined Authority facilitated meetings with the 6 constituent local authorities during

the area review process. This feedback identified the need for:

• closer engagement between the Combined Authority, local authorities and colleges in

curriculum planning

• provision which encourages participation and reduces travel time and costs,

particularly for NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training) and

unemployed adults

• reduced travel to learn distances for learners with special educational needs and

disability (SEND) and improved progression routes to employment and other skills for

this group

• skills capital investment that results in a greater proportion of learning supporting

priority sectors

• collaboration to enable stronger joint planning of progression routes between schools

and colleges particularly for A level provision

• increases in the number of residents qualified to level 3 and level 4+ and increased

delivery of higher and degree level apprenticeships

• increased capacity of local colleges and providers to deliver apprenticeships,

contributing to the national target of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020.

Feedback from Jobcentre Plus representatives identified the following priorities and issues:

• college provision needs to better align to the Department for Work and Pensions’

(DWP) skills conditionality process by widening the accessibility of the offer to allow

for more roll-on and roll-off programmes and the all year round availability of adult

provision

• gaps in adult provision occur towards the end of the academic year as colleges await

notification of future funding allocations and this impacts particularly on employer

demand led provision such as the sector based work academy model

• there is a lack of recognition for the scale and volume of intensive help required by

claimants with the lowest levels of employability, in particular, basic skills provision,

pre-ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), (claimants who are not literate

in their first language) and ESOL provision

• a number of colleges have withdrawn business engagement teams that were

supporting unemployed people and this has impacted on the availability of employer

demand led skills

• the policy focus for many colleges has shifted to higher level skills provision, at level

3 and above, this does not reflect the skills needed for the majority of claimants DWP

engage with locally.

Entry level, pre-employment and low level skills needs

Through their work with stakeholders as part of the review, the Combined Authority

identified a need to ensure the availability of entry routes to learners with low level skills and

re-engaging learners to progress into further learning or work whilst supporting employers.

This includes confidence in mathematics, written and spoken English, digital skills and

focused employability provision.

The availability of entitlement provision remains a priority for local colleges as a means to

address low level skills needs. The area review lines of enquiry and interactions with

Jobcentre Plus reported that greater volumes of entry level year round provision are

required to support skills conditionality and pre-employment provision, associated with

sector based work academies. A more co-ordinated plan of accessible local provision at

entry level (either through community learning, through local authorities, local colleges or

other providers) is required, along with co-ordinated progression pathways to higher level

skills, if the City Region is to reduce the proportion of residents with no or low qualifications

and match national averages

Feedback from students and staff

As part of each area review there was engagement with students coordinated by the

National Union of Students. Where the NUS submitted a report on the views of students

these are available on NUS connect. The City Region intends to take these forward in the

implementation phase, aiming to ensure that students have a high quality teaching and

learning experience.

The colleges that took part in the review took primary responsibility for ensuring that their

staff and union representatives had an opportunity to provide input throughout the review,

which the steering group took into account. The Further Education Commissioner held

meetings with staff union representatives prior to some of the steering group meetings to

enable them to feed their views into the review.

16 FE and Skills Learner Participation

The quantity and quality of current provision

The steering group considered information provided by each local authority about

population projections, focusing on the changes in the number and needs of young people

aged 16+.

In the Liverpool City Region the number of young people aged 16 to 18 has declined over

recent years and is forecast to continue to do so until 2020 (an 8% decrease is forecast

from 2016 to 2020)

. This reduction is likely to have a long-term impact on the working age

population, the labour market and the FE sector. Colleges need to be cautious in their plans

for growth in 16 to 18 student numbers over the next 4 years. The population of young

people is then predicted to grow, reaching a similar level to the current population by 2024

and continuing to rise.

17 ONS sub-national population projections – see data annex: Population projections

14,000

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

2020 2021 2022

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029

2030

Population Change

Age 16

Age 17

Age 18

Performance of schools at Key Stage 4

The recent trend in GCSE pass rates for school pupils completing year 11 across the 6 local

authorities is illustrated below

The performance of schools at year 11 is below the national average in 5 of the 6 local

authority areas. Whilst several areas are fairly close to the national average, Knowsley and

Liverpool are significantly below with 37% and 49% respectively. These are the areas with

high multiple deprivation. In contrast, Wirral has a strong record of GCSE performance, with

results consistently above the national average

Schools with sixth-forms

Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on

general further education and sixth-form colleges in order to ensure there is a high quality

and financially resilient set of colleges in each area of England. Schools with sixth-forms

have the opportunity to seek to opt in to a review if the local steering group agrees.

The underpinning analysis for the review included current post-16 provision in the area

made by schools with sixth-forms. Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities

have had the opportunity to identify any issues with school sixth-form provision, and feed

these into the review. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners to take account of the

analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.

18 School Key Stage 4 results – see data annex. Local authority and total (state-funded sector) figures covering achievements in state-

funded schools only.

19 In 2013/14, a change in how the GCSE performance of schools was defined led to a drop in the overall numbers of students achieving

5 GCSEs A*-C, including English and maths.

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

% young people achieving

Five GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths

England State-funded Total

Halton

Knowsley

Liverpool

Sefton

St. Helens

Wirral

There are currently 72 funded schools with sixth-forms in the review area, including 35 local

authority maintained and 37 academies. In addition, there are 22 special schools in the area

designated for post 16 provision. Most school pupils in the age range 16 to 18 are enrolled

on A level courses.

Overall funded student numbers in mainstream school sixth-forms increased by 2% in the 3

years 2013 to 2014 to 2015 to 2016 with a total of 14,867 young people funded in a

mainstream sixth-form setting in 2015 to 2016

. School sixth-forms in the area vary in size

but, using as a guide, for illustration purposes only, the application threshold of 200 for new

school sixth-forms in academies, there are 37 school sixth-forms (including local authority

maintained and academies but excluding special schools) that were funded below that

figure in 2015 to 2016.

The further education and sixth-form colleges

Seven general further education colleges, 3 sixth-form colleges and one local authority

maintained 16 to 19 school participated in this review.

• Birkenhead Sixth Form College

• Carmel Sixth Form College

• King George V College

• Hugh Baird College

• Knowsley Community College

• City of Liverpool College

• Riverside College

• Southport College

• South Sefton College

• St Helens College

• Wirral Metropolitan College.

20 EFA allocations – see data annex: 16 to 19 funding.

The location of the colleges is shown below:

Part of the area review process involved a visit to each college by specialist further

education and sixth-form college advisers who report to their respective commissioners.

The advisers met with governors, senior managers and staff, and reviewed a wide range of

documents and data relating to each college’s current range and quality of provision, their

track record in attracting students, and their overall financial health. Through a data sharing

protocol between members of the steering group, the information from each of these visits

was shared with colleges and has informed the evidence base to the steering group for this

review.

The current offer in the colleges

The 3 sixth-form colleges offer a wide range of A levels, each covering 30 to 40 subjects

and South Sefton College offer a range of approximately 20 subjects. Riverside College and

City of Liverpool College also offer a broad range of A level subjects. St Helens College has

recently introduced A level provision, whilst Knowsley Community College and Hugh Baird

College have recently removed their A level provision to focus on other areas.

The sixth-form colleges also offer some technical education provision, mainly at level 3.

Birkenhead Sixth Form College, King George V College and South Sefton College offer

mixed programmes of technical education alongside A levels.

The 7 general further education colleges offer a broad range of technical provision for young

people and adults including foundation learning, maths and English, apprenticeships for 16-

18 and adults and some higher education provision.

The highest volumes of technical courses offered are in the following areas:

• languages, literature and culture of the British Isles

• mathematics and statistics

• science

• health and social care

• business management

• service enterprises

• craft and creative arts and design

• building and construction

• administration.

Areas of specialism include St Helens College and Knowsley Community College’s

Northern Logistics Academy. Hugh Baird’s higher education (HE) offer includes visual

merchandising and festival management and the college is developing a specialism around

maritime engineering and recently launched the Port Academy. Riverside College offers a

unique programme, developed in partnership with an NHS trust, for patient support

assistants.

Quality of provision and financial sustainability of colleges

The following table provides a summary of the size and quality in each of the colleges:

College

Most recent

overall Ofsted

grade

EFA

allocations

(2015 to

16)

SFA

allocations

(2015 to

16)

Total college

income

(2014 to

2015)

Birkenhead Sixth Form

College

Good

(December

2012)

£6,125,754

£ 188,101

£7,279,000

Carmel Sixth Form

College

Outstanding

(July 2007)

£8,735,281

£9,573

£10,406,000

City of Liverpool College

Requires

improvement

(November

2015)

£15,869,592

£12,005,912

£63,827,000

Hugh Baird College

Good

(February

2015)

£8,996,431

£3,906,715

£19,159,000

King George V College

Requires

improvement

(December

2015)

£4,006,447

£1,341

£4,859,000

Knowsley College

Requires

improvement

(March 2016)

£8,422,862

£4,282,715

£14,926,000

Riverside College

Good

(September

2015)

£13,374,873

£3,737,258

£22,293,000

21 Ofsted – see data annex: College inspection reports

22 EFA allocations – see data annex: 16 to 19 funding

23 SFA allocations – see data annex: Adult funding

24 College accounts academic year 2014 to 2015 data – see data annex: College accounts

Southport College

Good

(April 2016)

£6,577,251

£2,155,526

£11,904,000

South Sefton College

Good

(September

2011)

£2,626,116

£0

£2,626,116

St Helens College

Good

(February

2014)

£10,198,032

£5,363,247

£25,791,000

Wirral Metropolitan

College

Requires

improvement

(December

2015)

£9,045,099

£5,603,838

£22,184,000

Where a college was subject to a financial notice of concern or a financial notice to improve

this was a factor which was taken into account in the assessment of options for structural

change in the review. King George V College is subject to a notice to improve from the

Education Funding Agency. Knowsley College and City of Liverpool College are both

subject to financial notices of concern issued by the Skills Funding Agency.

Overall, the condition of college buildings is relatively good across most colleges. Some

colleges have higher average space per student than others, but this does not necessarily

indicate being over-spaced. Each college has unique circumstances and constraints

regarding estates. The area review has highlighted issues for individual colleges to

consider, along with some instances where rationalisation or further investment might be

considered further during implementation.

Higher education in further education

Progression of young people to higher education across Liverpool City Region is variable. In

Knowsley, Halton and Liverpool less than 28% of young residents participate in higher

education (HE) and in St Helens the figure is 31%. In Sefton and Wirral over 35% of young

25 South Sefton College was re-inspected just after the review and was assessed as requires improvement

26 HEFCE POLAR 3 – see data annex: Higher education progression

residents progress to HE, which is above the 32% average for the north-west and the

national average of 32.6% for the United Kingdom

The University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University offer a large proportion of

the higher education in the area and have substantial numbers of students from the

Liverpool City Region. Both offer a broad range of subjects. The other higher education

institutions within the area are Liverpool Hope University, which again offers a broad range

of subjects, and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, which offers specialist provision.

Edge Hill University and the University of Chester are based close to the Liverpool City

Region in Lancashire and Cheshire respectively. Edge Hill in particular draws a high

number of students from within the City Region.

All 7 general FE colleges in the area offer HE provision. St Helens College is an established

HE provider and has the greatest share of the HE provision across the colleges, focusing

particularly on subjects within engineering technology and creative arts and design. Carmel

College is the only one of the sixth-form colleges to deliver significant numbers of HE

provision, offering a range of science and engineering qualifications through university

partners.

Provision for students with special educational needs and

disability (SEND) and high needs

In 2015 to 2016, the EFA funded 615 post-16 places across the 6 local authorities in

colleges, special schools and specialist post 16 institutions. Colleges delivered 475 funded

places between them. The colleges delivering the highest numbers of funded places are

Knowsley Community College and Riverside College. Of the sixth-form colleges,

Birkenhead have the highest number of funded high needs places.

During the review, local authorities emphasised the importance of reducing travel to learn

distances for learners with special educational needs and disability, increasing progression

into employment and other skills. They also highlighted the need for colleges to plan for

provision to support an increasing numbers of learners with social and emotional

behavioural issues.

The steering group acknowledged that structural changes taking place as a result of the

review should not disadvantage post-16 students with SEND or high needs.

27 Derived from HEFCE POLAR 3 – see data annex: Higher education progression

28 EFA Allocations – see data annex: 16 to 19 funding: High needs

Apprenticeships and apprenticeship providers

In 2014 to 2015, the colleges within the review delivered 6,900 apprenticeship starts. City of

Liverpool College, Knowsley Community College and Wirral Metropolitan College had the

largest contracts for apprenticeships, each with around 1,400 starts. Other providers (26 in

total) in the area delivered a total of 28,130 apprenticeship starts. This includes a large

number delivered outside of the area, with over a third with First4Skills, a subsidiary of City

of Liverpool College.

The most popular apprenticeship frameworks delivered in Liverpool City Region are health,

public service and care and business, administration and law. These made up over 60% of

apprenticeship starts in the area in 2014 to 2015.

Current activity within local colleges of general and further education makes up only 17% of

all apprenticeship starts in the Liverpool City Region. These starts tend to be from existing

traditional markets with a narrow range of frameworks being delivered predominantly to

SMEs

. City Region apprenticeship starts in arts, media and publishing and science and

mathematics, are less than 1% of all frameworks delivered. This pattern may change in

2017, with the introduction of the apprenticeship levy

The apprenticeship reforms offer the potential to increase the volume, breadth and level of

apprenticeships in the City Region. This will require a wider diversity of apprenticeship

delivery to capitalise on new markets with large levy paying employers, the public sector

and delivery at higher and degree apprenticeship levels.

29 Numbers of apprenticeships by provider and LA – see data annex: Apprenticeships

30 Numbers of apprenticeships by Local Authority and subject sector - see data annex: Apprenticeships

31 Apprenticeship levy and how it will work on gov.uk

Land based provision

Landex, the sector organisation that represents a significant number of colleges which

deliver land based provision, has prepared a report for steering groups on the mix and

balance of land based provision across the country, the key deliverers of this and the

importance of that provision to the sector and the economic development of the country.

The strategic importance of the industry environmentally to food and water security in the

future is set out. The land based and agri-tech industries have an ageing workforce and an

increasing need for workers who can apply scientific and technological skills in a land based

environment. And, while agriculture and land based engineering have relatively small

provider bases compared to their significance to the industries they serve, there may be risk

with loss of provision in either area.

Nationally, apprenticeships in the land based sector have been slow to grow and there is a

low rate of progression to level 4 and above among students who go into employment in the

sector after completing a level 2 or level 3 programme.

St Helens College is the largest provider of land based provision offering horticulture and

forestry and animal care and veterinary science provision. Hugh Baird College and Wirral

Metropolitan College also offer courses in these subject areas. Myerscough College, based

in Lancashire, is the main provider of land based aims in the area overall, with a specialist

land based centre in Croxteth Park in Liverpool, which has recently been awarded skills

capital funding by Liverpool City Region.

The need for change

Area reviews are intended to ensure that the further education sector has a strong and

sustainable future – in terms of efficiency of operation, quality of provision, and the

responsiveness of courses to the needs of individuals and employers.

At the start of the review the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority set out the criteria

for success and priorities for change to provision in the area, in alignment with the purpose

of the area reviews:

An offer that meets the area’s educational and economic needs:

• proposals using labour market intelligence and future skills requirements that better

deliver the higher level and technical skills required by the City Region’s growth

sectors

• proposals with a strong role for employers and learners both in shaping the

curriculum to meet future needs or supporting delivery – embedding work

experience, technical education, enterprise skills and knowledge transfer

• provision which integrates timely, quality careers education, information, advice and

guidance linking to the emergent Liverpool City Region careers hub

• proposals which are focused on outcomes, not only qualifications, reducing the

number of NEETs and increasing English and maths attainment by age 19 as well as

employment opportunities

• proposals that support an integrated approach to skills, employment and provision

• proposals that support innovation, the development of new qualifications and reforms

already underway (i.e. qualifications and apprenticeship standards).

Sufficient access to high quality and relevant education training for all:

• providing choices and access to level 2 and 3 and below provision (including English

and maths) within each area of the City Region (a presence in each district),

recognising travel to learn patterns

• proposals with clear pathways for progression to further/higher education or into

employment and to develop higher level skills to drive up productivity

• strong collaboration between institutions and employers to ensure there are

seamless progression routes for people across geographies, linking in particular with

schools around technical education options

• strong academic post-16 offer, distinct from general FE, with more young people

taking and succeeding in STEM subjects at level 3

• ensuring that there is sufficient provision for adults and learners with special

educational needs and disabilities.

Providers with strong reputations and greater specialisation:

• provision of specialist higher level provision, working closely with employers, at

specific sites

• remove unnecessary duplication in provision (both at local level and across the City

Region specifically for level 3+)

• proposals built on the existing strengths of institutions as demonstrated through

volumes delivered, success rates, Ofsted grading and learner and employer ratings

• greater specialisation focused on level 3+ provision including the opportunity for one

or more Institutes of Technology in the City Region

• focus on growing provision in key City Region sectors where skills shortages are

emerging and impacting on growth including opportunities for degree apprenticeships

• demonstrating and delivering clearer progression routes to further education or

skilled employment.

Provision which reflects changes in government funding priorities and future

demand:

• proposals that deliver significantly more 16-18 apprenticeships, with a focus on level

3 and above apprenticeships in the City Region’s key economic sectors

• growing the number of level 3 and above apprenticeships for those already in

employment

• proposals that support the reforms of apprenticeship standards and the introduction

of new trailblazer provision

• increasing employment rates by supporting progression into work

• reducing reliance on public funding by growing provision funded through adult loans,

the apprenticeship levy and direct employer investment.

Institutions which are financially viable, sustainable, resilient and efficient, and

deliver maximum value for public investment:

• greater efficiency against the key cost drivers, at least meeting national benchmarks

set out by the FE Commissioner

• make more efficient use of the land, buildings and technology in line with ‘one public

estate’ – allowing delivery in a varied range of the whole public estate

• proposals with strong leadership arrangements, with reduced overheads and back

office costs and flexibility to support different models in different places

• creating the right infrastructure for the future, for learners and the economy, rather

than protecting any one existing institution

• proposals which promote greater collaboration across HE, FE, schools and other

approved training organisations including the voluntary sector.

The key areas for change

The key issues in relation to this review, and deliberated during steering group meetings,

were:

• strengthening the colleges’ offer in priority sectors through increasing specialisation

to meet the demand from employers for higher level technical skills

• the need for improved planning of curriculum, in collaboration with the Combined

Authority, to ensure colleges, local community learning providers and others are

delivering the right balance and mix of provision in response to the needs of learners

and businesses

• delivering a more coherent collaborative approach within the post-16 FE sector to

meet the needs of learners with special educational needs and disability

• developing a more joined up approach to skills delivery across the City Region

including entry level, employability and apprenticeships to support local residents into

work and to progress in work

• widening the breadth of the apprenticeship offer by growing the colleges’ market

share and responding to government policy changes such as the introduction of levy

and new standards

• achieving a step change in careers advice in schools, ensuring the full range of

choices are sufficiently well described

• resolving the weak financial position of King George V College following a significant

decline in student numbers, and seeking to ensure that all colleges in the Liverpool

City Region are on a strong, sustainable financial footing

• providing opportunities for academisation of sixth-form colleges and the benefits that

would accrue.

Initial options raised during visits to colleges

During their visits, advisers reported that all colleges had given considerable thought to

potential strategic options in advance of the review. In some cases, this meant informal

discussions with neighbouring colleges and stakeholders to canvas views and to assess the

potential level of support for change.

The types of options discussed were:

• formal structural change (mergers or federations) which, if well planned and carefully

managed, were considered to have the potential to improve financial viability,

address quality issues, and retain a good choice of subjects and options for students.

Options raised at an early stage included a merger between St Helens College and

Knowsley Community College which at the start of the review was already at a formal

consultation stage. The 3 colleges in Sefton were considering a possible merger with

the 16-18 school, South Sefton College, beginning with 2 two-way mergers

• sharing services or finance, HR, IT and data across the colleges. City of Liverpool

College proposed a shared service offer, building on their existing SharEd model to

offer shared services across colleges in the area

• the establishment of a new apprenticeships hub model across all Liverpool City

Region providers as a one-stop shop for employers and prospective apprentices

• discussion between colleges about the case for specialisation and rationalisation of

the curriculum, to enable efficiencies of scale, improve the quality and clarity of the

offer to employers and focus on the skills priorities of the region

• the case for remaining stand-alone if a college could demonstrate long-term financial

sustainability. From an early stage this was the preferred option of 3 of the FE

colleges (City of Liverpool, Riverside and Wirral Metropolitan Colleges)

• conversion to an academy. This option is available primarily but not exclusively to

sixth-form colleges. By becoming an academy, a college is able to develop

partnerships more easily with other schools in the area. In order to be approved,

academisation proposals must be able to demonstrate how they will lead to strong

links with schools, whether through joining or establishing a multi-academy trust (with

other academies) or as a single academy trust collaborating with other schools in the

area. Like other academies, sixth-form colleges which become academies would be

eligible to receive reimbursement of their non-business VAT and would be classified

as public sector bodies. Academising and becoming part of a multi-academy trust

was considered as an option by Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Carmel College and

King George V College, with Carmel College also considering forming a single

academy trust.

Criteria for evaluating options and use of sector

benchmarks

Assessment criteria

In each area review, 4 nationally-agreed criteria are used for the process of assessment.

These are:

• meets the needs of current and future students and employers

• is feasible and generates financial sustainability

• raises quality and relevance of provision, including better outcomes

• achieves appropriate specialisation

FE sector benchmarks

To support rigorous assessment of proposals, particularly options leading to major structural

change, DfE have developed a series of sector ‘quality and financial indicators and related

criteria’.

Financial benchmarks relate to delivering operating surpluses of 3% to 5%, ensuring

borrowings stay below 40% of annual income (the maximum threshold set for affordability),

staff costs of no more than 65% of total income (FE sector average) and a current ratio

greater than 1. Financial plans were assessed for each option, including colleges seeking to

stand alone, prior to consideration by the local steering group.

A number of other indicators are also taken into account by the steering group. These relate

to the impact of proposed changes on quality of provision, on teaching efficiency, and how

they actively support growth in apprenticeships and work at levels 4 and 5. Within

proposals, overall levels of provision for high needs students should be maintained. New

strategic plans need to be supported by the Combined Authority, LEP and local authorities.

Colleges may also need to review their senior staffing and their governance to ensure that

they have the required skills, and the capacity to implement rapid change.

The assessment of options indicated that, based on the information available to the area

review steering group, the colleges would move towards the benchmarks and indicators

through successful implementation of options, and that the protected characteristics groups,

including high needs students, would retain at least equal access to learning. More detail

about these benchmarks is contained in area review guidance Annex F

(revised March

2016).

32 Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions: updated guidance on area reviews Annex F, Pages 49-53

Recommendations agreed by the steering group

Sixteen recommendations were agreed by the steering group at their meeting in October

2016. These were:

• Birkenhead Sixth Form College to convert to an academy and join a multi-academy

trust (MAT)

• Carmel College to convert to an academy within a single academy trust (SAT)

• Knowsley Community College and St Helens College to merge

• City of Liverpool College to remain stand-alone

• Mergers of Hugh Baird College and South Sefton College, and Southport College

and King George V Sixth Form College, leading to the creation of a single Sefton

College

• Riverside College to remain stand-alone

• Wirral Metropolitan College to remain stand-alone

• the Combined Authority to commission an apprenticeships growth plan to drive

forward targets for an expansion of the breadth and volume of apprenticeships

• colleges to collaborate to develop a 2017 to 2018 prospectus of advanced and higher

level technical skills to support employer and learner choice and to inform gaps in

provision

• the Combined Authority to recognise and celebrate local excellence in sector-facing

provision that meets employer needs and offers high quality pathway partnerships to

learning

• the Combined Authority to explore options for specialist Institutes of Technology in

light of opportunities afforded by the Single Growth Strategy

• the Combined Authority and colleges to collaborate to address the needs of SEND

post-16 learners in the Liverpool City Region

• general FE Colleges, Jobcentre Plus and community learning providers (including

local authorities) to collaboratively plan to deliver more cohesive and accessible entry

routes for learners with low level skills

• the Combined Authority to establish a careers hub to bring cohesion and better

alignment with growth opportunities to the provision of careers information

• Liverpool City Region Directors of Children’s Services and the Regional Schools

Commissioner to work together to understand how the post-16 options available in

the area can be enhanced

• a strategic planning and oversight group chaired by the Combined Authority to

monitor the delivery of the recommendations within this report to ensure that the

needs of learners and employers remain at the forefront.

Those options for college mergers and other structural change are subject to completion of

due diligence processes.

Each of the options is now outlined in more detail:

Birkenhead Sixth Form College

The preferred option is for the college to academise and sit within Wirral Academy Trust

(WAT) which is a designated MAT established by the college which already sponsors a

school. This will allow the successful characteristics of the sixth-form college to be retained

while enabling cost efficiencies to be achieved.

It is proposed that the college should aim to academise by 1 March 2017.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, academisation will retain the specialist

A level provision and applied BTEC programmes and continue to support high level 2

achievement in English and maths for both young people and adults. The college has

significant STEM provision which is key to future growth in priority sectors. Strong

links with local universities will continue to be built on to ensure high levels of

progression to level 4, with 70% already being first generation university entrants.

The college will continue to work closely with employers on areas such as entry

requirements, work experience and curriculum initiatives. Increased volumes of work

experience opportunities with appropriate access to information advice and guidance

will enable a greater number of students to progress into work and training through

higher and degree apprenticeships. The college has expanded its provision to

students with learning difficulties or disabilities and will maintain this offer as part of

joint area planning to meet higher volumes of learners with special educational needs

and disability and those with emotional and behavioural issues

• with regard to financial sustainability, the college is dependent on growth in learner

numbers to ensure the benchmarks are met. The main savings would be generated

through efficiencies and economies of scale as shared services (in areas such as

finance, HR, IT, marketing) are developed across the trust, as well as the removal of

VAT costs. Restructuring Facility would be sought if a VAT repayment was required

on recent capital projects. The potential for a shared services arrangement with

Wirral Metropolitan College has been assessed but is not considered to have the

potential to generate sufficient savings to justify the reconfiguration. The 2 colleges

will continue to collaborate on local planning and sharing best practice

• in respect of quality of provision, the college was assessed as good by Ofsted at its

most recent inspection. Leaders and teachers across the MAT will share skills and

provide mutual support and professional development to maintain and improve

quality. Curriculum development and the offer will also benefit from input by different

members as the trust grows

• the college’s specialisms are in A level provision for 16-18 students. The college

should continue to work with the local Director of Children’s Services to help plan the

levels of provision needed in future years. Both colleges within the Wirral have

developed a complementary curriculum which avoids unhelpful duplication.

Carmel College

The college has concluded, after considering other options, that its preferred option is

academisation within a SAT. If the application is not successful, or further information

indicated that it would not be in the best interests of the college, the college would continue

as a stand-alone sixth-form college. The Catholic Education Service continues to be in

dialogue with the Department for Education regarding academisation.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, around a third of students study STEM

subjects which are key to future growth in priority sectors. Current collaboration with

schools in the diocese to improve performance would remain viable if the financial

benefits of academisation were realised. English for speakers of other languages and

SEND provision can be grown further in response to demand. For all options,

increases in SEND provision need to be incorporated into a joint SEND plan across

the City Region.

• with regard to the financial position, the college has strong solvency but will need to

make savings to ensure it achieves the benchmarks. Academisation would provide

VAT savings. The college may be required to break a loan agreement which would

incur additional costs for which Restructuring Facility support would be requested

• in respect of quality of provision, the college was rated outstanding by Ofsted at its

most recent inspection in 2007

• the college’s specialisms are in A level provision for 16-18 students. The college will

continue to offer provision complementary to St Helens and Knowsley Colleges, but

has stated that additional A level provision in the area may duplicate provision with

no guarantee of improvement in outcomes. St Helens and Knowsley College have

discussed re-introducing A level provision in Knowsley. Carmel College’s

assumptions on learner volumes will need to incorporate any changes to current

levels of provision locally.

Knowsley Community College and St Helens College

Knowsley Community College and St Helens College to merge.

Following the completion of a Structure and Prospects Appraisal by each college, both

decided that the other college was their preferred merger partner.

The merged college will have a single corporation, with an overall CEO, but each will retain

their own local identity and branding, with local leadership from a principal and senior

leadership team. A joint steering group is already working on the merger arrangements.

The colleges will merge under a model B arrangement with one college being dissolved into

the other. The aim is to complete the merger in early 2017.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, the merged college will improve options

for expanding and broadening provision, whilst maintaining their local identity. It

would enable the employer offer to be strengthened beyond the 800 employers which

the colleges work with already, including significant apprenticeship provision of over

2,000 apprentices which the new college plans to increase by 50% by 2020,

including higher and degree apprenticeships. Commitments to increase

apprenticeship volumes are welcome for all options and should reflect appropriate

milestones as part of a City Region apprenticeship growth plan. The aim would also

be to further develop the HE offer, and enhance progression opportunities. Initial

consultations have indicated support from local stakeholders including employers

and the LAs with whom they will continue to work with closely. The merged college

could grow SEND provision and build on current initiatives such as the supported

internship programme. The college would also consider offering A level provision and

expanding HE in Knowsley

• with regard to financial sustainability, whilst operating performance, borrowing and

solvency ratios are all below benchmark at first, all are planned to improve in the

period up to 2019 to 2020. Economies of scale and improved efficiency would bring

cost savings of over £1.2 million, sufficient to generate the benchmark surplus of 3%

of annual turnover.

• in respect of quality of provision, Knowsley was graded requires improvement by

Ofsted at its last inspection and St Helens was good. Outcomes improved at

Knowsley in 2015 to 2016 and performance is strong in apprenticeships and

engineering. The merger will provide opportunities to share best practice and

enhance opportunities for staff. Both colleges face a challenge on English and maths

(a common finding from the review) and this will be a priority for investment by the

new college. Specialisms across the 2 colleges include STEM, health and social

care, business and management, logistics, HE, employability programmes, high

needs and specialist employer provision such as air cabin crew, all of which have the

potential for development and expansion. Support for capital investment would

enable more development of specialist facilities in Combined Authority priority areas.

City of Liverpool College

As the largest in the City Region, the college’s preferred option is to continue to stand-alone

and progress its 5 year development plan, taking further opportunities to improve efficiency.

The college put forward options for the establishment of an apprenticeship hub for the City

Region as a whole and development of the shared services centre into a shared services

model with other providers. While there was insufficient support from other colleges for

these to be progressed within the review, the college remains open to discussions and

ideas for taking them forward. The area review apprenticeships working group supports the

expansion of the City Region’s existing independent apprenticeship hub and incorporating

independent brokerage of skills and apprenticeships within its services.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, there will be a continued focus on the

priority sectors of visitor economy, construction, STEM, digital skills and health and

social care. There are plans for growth in apprenticeships, for which they are already

the largest provider in the City Region (over 11,000 apprentices across the group

with a plan to double this by 2020), with 45% at level 3 or above. Sixty four percent of

HE students already come from deprived areas and the college plan further

development of progression routes to higher level skills. The college has strong

relationships with the city council, employers (particularly through First4Skills) and

other stakeholders. Provision for NEET, workless and SEND students will continue to

be priorities. As part of the Combined Authority’s area review meetings, local

authorities called for collaborative planning with community learning providers to

ensure access to skills for unemployed learners and those with low skills levels with

more localised access points for learners. The college’s SEND provision and plans

will need to be reflected as part of a joint plan across the City Region to address

needs and the accessibility of provision

• with regard to financial sustainability, the college delivered a deficit in 2015 to 2016

but plans to return a surplus in 2016 to 2017 with a significant increase in income and

efficiency savings in non-pay costs. The shared services centre delivers around £1

million in savings per annum across the group

• in respect of quality of provision, the college’s most recent judgement by Ofsted was

requires improvement. However, success rates have improved over the last 3 years

with further increases expected in 2015 to 2016, placing the college in the high

quartile of performance for general further education colleges

• The college’s specialisms include STEM for which it has secured funding to support

the development of a new centre. The college has also bid for funding to support a

new digital academy. Other specialist areas include IT and digital, refrigeration

engineering, dental technician foundation degrees and a Royal Academy of Culinary

Arts Specialist Chef programme.

Hugh Baird College, South Sefton College, Southport College

and King George V Sixth Form College

Mergers of Hugh Baird College and South Sefton College, and Southport College and King

George V Sixth Form College, leading to the creation of a single Sefton College.

The 4 colleges are proposing a two-stage merger, with the first stage addressing weak

recruitment issues in the north and south of the borough of Sefton, and the second creating

a sustainable structure for the long-term future.

Hugh Baird College and South Sefton College is planned to be a type B merger involving

the transfer of property, rights and future liabilities of South Sefton (an LA maintained 16 to

18 school) to Hugh Baird College. The support of Sefton Council is critical to the success of

this merger which is unique in bringing together a foundation school with a general further

education college. Southport College and King George V College (KGV) is also planned to

be a type B merger involving the transfer of the property, rights and liabilities of KGV to

Southport and the subsequent dissolution of the KGV Corporation.

The second stage bringing together the 2 merged colleges is likely to involve the creation of

a new governing board and a new management structure.

It is planned that the first stage mergers will be completed by August 2017 with the single

Sefton College in place by August 2018.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, a comprehensive transport strategy will

be developed to enable access for all potential students in the borough, including a

return bus route between Hugh Baird College and South Sefton College, aimed at

increasing the numbers of school leavers choosing to study locally, rather than

accessing provision outside Sefton. The focus on growing level 3 numbers will

support growth in skills for priority sectors such as the visitor economy, engineering,

IT and digital, and health and social care. A “Sefton offer” is planned for HE,

providing local progression routes and increasing higher level skills in priority sectors,

including development of higher level apprenticeships. Apprenticeships overall would

be a target growth market for the new college, with the current Sefton-based colleges

sharing less than 10%. There will be opportunities for Southport College and Hugh

Baird College to share best practice in growing apprenticeships

• with regard to financial sustainability, solvency for the merged college should be

strong, but while improving the group is not forecasting a surplus before 2020 to

2021, given the time required to build learner numbers. The Southport College/KGV

merger is likely to need financial support to cover immediate operating deficits, as

well as investment by Southport College in improved facilities. Only a small level of

staffing reductions may be possible given the strategy to grow provision but there will

be savings through shared procurement and service level agreements. There will be

scope to develop these further when the Sefton College is launched in full

• in respect of quality of provision, all the colleges were graded good by Ofsted at the

time of the review

, apart from KGV which was graded as requires improvement.

KGV’s quality improvement plan is built around 10 targets which include a focus on

improving success rates in key areas. Quality improvement is seen as a key element

in reducing the outward migration of students from Sefton

• specialisms will be developed further as a result of the 4 way merger, enabling the

new college to meet key Liverpool City Region priorities, but successful growth is

underpinned by the strategy to become high performing in A level provision.

Riverside College

Riverside College was formed in 2006 following the merger of Widnes and Runcorn Sixth

Form College and Halton College to create a single college serving the borough of Halton,

33 South Sefton College was re-inspected just after the review and was assessed as requires improvement

with centres in Kingsway and Halton. Following a review of options to merge or share

services, the college has decided that remaining stand-alone is the most appropriate option

going forward.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, a significant proportion of students

followed a STEM subject in 2014 to 2015 which is key to future growth in priority

sectors. Apprenticeship provision has grown by almost 500 since 2010 to 2011 with a

further 200 expected by 2019 to 2020 to bring the total to nearly 900. In HE provision,

a further 3 foundation degrees are to be offered in partnership with Staffordshire

University from 2016 to 2017. Staffordshire University have mapped many of their

foundation degrees to higher and degree apprenticeships. Further growth is aimed in

adult learner loan provision and bespoke courses for employers. Provision for young

people with SEND needs has grown over recent years and the college has capacity

for a further 50 places

• with regard to financial sustainability, the college has a strong balance sheet and all

benchmarks are met. Current 16-18 recruitment is up on 2014 to 2015 by 324, 93

ahead of target. Growth of 35 students per year is forecast to 2019 to 2020. Growth

is also planned in HE but further reductions are planned in the adult budget.

Significant curriculum, staffing and other rationalisation took place from 2010 to 2011

which have strengthened the college’s financial position

• in respect of quality of provision, the latest Ofsted inspection judged the college to be

good. The college’s quality improvement plan is aimed at achieving an outstanding

rating by 2018 to 2019

• the college’s specialisms are mainly in STEM and in support of this work has

commenced on a £4.5 million IDEA (innovation, design, engineering, applications)

centre at Cronton. The college is a leading provider of advanced manufacturing

training and is working with a major employer in rail to develop new programmes.

Wirral Metropolitan College

With the growth in 16-18 provision achieved over the last 3 years, and a relatively stable

financial position, the college is confident that it has a sustainable future as stand-alone.

The college has also agreed a governance structure with the University of Chester to

develop their partnership further.

• in terms of meeting current and future needs, the college will generate further growth

and progression to higher level pathways, including apprenticeships, through the

partnership with University of Chester. Growth in apprenticeship delivery will be built

on and further partnerships will be developed with employers in response to local

inward investment

• the college and Birkenhead Sixth Form College will continue to offer a

complementary curriculum within Wirral and will be collaborating on a 14 to 19

strategy with the LA, with a focus on raising achievement in English and maths. The

college has increased its capacity to provide more specialist provision for high needs

learners

• as regards financial sustainability, the college has a strong balance sheet and good

solvency but the move into surplus is dependent on growth in overall income. Levels

of debt are low and cash reserves are reasonable. The focus for future savings will

be on improving the income to staff cost ratio. There may also be potential for

development of shared services and facilities with the University of Chester

• in respect of quality of provision, the most recent Ofsted inspection outcome was

requires improvement and the college is implementing its post-inspection action plan

and has evidence of positive impact such as in apprenticeship success rates. English

and maths achievement remains a particular challenge

• the college’s specialisms are in construction and engineering and there is also a new

health campus being developed in partnership with University of Chester.

Apprenticeship Growth Plan

The Combined Authority to commission an apprenticeships growth plan to drive forward

targets for an expansion of the breadth and volume of apprenticeships.

National apprenticeships reforms, including the levy, require a strategic approach to ensure

that the Liverpool City Region can maintain and grow its apprenticeship offer. The

development of an apprenticeships growth plan will support this process and will ensure

provision reflects changes in government funding priorities, future demands and the

Liverpool City Region’s contribution to national targets.

The Combined Authority will draw up proposals to work with employers, colleges and other

providers to ensure there is a comprehensive apprenticeship offer that meets the needs of

the City Region. As a contributor to the apprenticeships growth plan, general further

education colleges will commit to grow their volume of apprenticeship starts up to degree

level. This will include agreeing a set of targets within the growth plan, with the aspiration of

achieving a 50% increase in starts by all colleges by 2019 to 2020. The exploitation of new

markets in response to the levy will also be a feature of the plan.

To support the apprenticeships growth plan the Combined Authority will refocus the existing

apprenticeships hub to take a more strategic and coherent approach to offering advice to

employers on apprenticeship reforms, including utilisation of the new digital service,

maximising levy spend and developing new standards.

Prospectus of advanced and higher level technical skills

Colleges to collaborate to develop a 2017 to 2018 prospectus of advanced and higher level

technical skills to support employer and learner choice and to inform gaps in provision.

National policy reforms on apprenticeships, post-16 skills plan and the Higher Education

White Paper will all influence the future options for specialisation.

Employer feedback suggests that having a single market place where employers can view

the full range of higher level and technical skills provision available within the City Region,

including pathways to degree level study, will help them become more informed consumers.

The development of the prospectus will be integrated within the Combined Authority’s wider

labour market information capacity building programme of work.

Sector-facing provision that meets employer needs

The Combined Authority to recognise and celebrate local excellence in sector-facing

provision that meets employer needs and offers high quality pathway partnerships to

learning.

College mergers as a result of this review may eventually lead to some rationalisation and

specialisation of provision without further intervention. The Combined Authority will work in

close partnership with colleges and providers to ensure the curriculum offer collectively

meets the needs of Liverpool City Region learners and employers and that where

excellence in servicing these groups exists it is easily recognisable.

This approach will support the Liverpool City Region growth strategy ambition for skills

‘pathway partnerships’ involving employers and providers for each of the priority sectors.

Longer term, recognised excellence in provision will be used to inform and shape the

Combined Authority’s approach to the commissioning of the adult education budget.

Institute of Technology

The Combined Authority to explore options for specialist Institutes of Technology in light of

opportunities afforded by the Single Growth Strategy.

There is scope to build on existing sector strengths to provide greater collaboration in the

specialist higher level curriculum areas, and potentially the opportunity for an Institute of

Technology to complement the general FE colleges, sixth-form colleges and the newly

converting 16-19 academies offer.

Sectors currently identified for consideration for any potential new specialist institution

afforded by the Single Growth Strategy are: advanced manufacturing including rail

maintenance, digital and creative skills; and the prospect of a Skills Factory concept at

Daresbury and maritime and logistics to support international trade.

The Combined Authority will also consider specialisation through its skills capital investment

programme.

Needs of SEND post-16 learners

The Combined Authority and colleges to collaborate to address the needs of SEND post-16

learners in the Liverpool City Region.

Three key strategic challenges relating to the provision of special educational needs and

disability provision and other additional needs across the City Region have been identified.

Firstly, ensuring there is sufficient provision of entry and level 1 learning for NEETs and

unemployed adults with ‘low level’ additional needs that is accessible and delivered close to

their homes. Secondly, ensuring those learners with additional support needs primarily

related to their behaviour are being catered for, with FE colleges accessing additional

support payments through EFA and SFA funding routes to support this, where available.

Thirdly, ensuring those learners with more complex needs have the appropriate additional

support, including from the commissioning authorities, or amendments made to their

learning environment.

In support of this, Liverpool City Region local authorities will explore the development of a

joint commissioning approach to SEND post-16 learning to seek to address variations in, for

example, levels of funding for learning support costs and a more collaborative approach to

travel arrangements as a way of addressing these challenges.

There will be a collaborative and integrated school and post-16 plan to ensure that routes

are accessible, inclusive and sufficiently flexible to be adapted for individual needs. In

particular, there is a need for joint work between FE Colleges, sixth-form colleges, the newly

converting 16-19 academies and the Combined Authority to expand provision for an

increasing cohort of learners within the City Region with social and emotional behavioural

issues.

Aligned to this there is a clear need for more specialist provision (with dedicated specialist

resources) within the existing FE college environment to support the progression of young

people from special schools into a specialist FE setting. For example, this could include the

provision of learning co-located within the FE college environment, delivered by staff from

special schools and / or the feasibility of establishing new provision to directly address

capacity issues.

The Combined Authority would support proposals of this nature through its skills capital

investment programme.

Entry routes for learners with low level skills

General FE Colleges, Jobcentre Plus and community learning providers (including local

authorities) to collaboratively plan to deliver more cohesive and accessible entry routes for

learners with low level skills.

There is a need to widen access to and the availability of entry routes to learners with low

level skills and re-engage learners to progress into further learning or work whilst supporting

employer’s needs to ensure labour demand meets supply. This includes confidence in

mathematics, written and spoken English, digital and employability skills: these are

transformational skills that can make a huge difference to the lives and employment

prospects of Liverpool City Region residents and better collaboration across the provider

base will help to secure better access and outcomes for learners and communities.

Additional lines of enquiry undertaken through the review process have detailed the need

for action to address English and maths delivery and staffing continuous professional

development (CPD) and recruitment.

Careers hub

The Combined Authority to establish a careers hub to bring cohesion and better alignment

with growth opportunities to the provision of careers information.

Currently schools, colleges and training providers all have a statutory responsibility for

delivering independent careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) to their learners.

Ofsted have the role in ensuring that this duty is delivered in an effective way that supports

the best interests of the learner in their next steps. The Careers and Enterprise Company,

the National Careers Service and the DWP all fund national programmes, delivered by local

partners, that aim to support schools in delivering careers IAG and enterprise duties. There

are also a range of commercial providers in the market who are able to supply independent

careers advice and guidance support to schools and colleges.

The feedback from stakeholders indicated a failure in the market in terms of the perceived

impartiality of careers advice and guidance being provided and the quality and local

relevance of materials being used.

The Combined Authority will in collaboration with stakeholders develop its capacity to co-

ordinate the provision of local careers and labour market information within a careers hub

model. This approach will help bring cohesion to the market place and a consistency to the

offer. It will also promote the provision of a full range of post-16 pathways information

(academic and technical) to enable young people and their parents to make informed

choices about the most appropriate option from age 16 to enable them to fulfil their

potential.

Additionally, the Combined Authority is keen to develop some pilot programmes with

schools to support teacher CPD; these pilots will bring together industry workers with

teachers to develop a series of lesson plans that can be used with students to bring

everyday business practices into English, maths and IT learning.

Enhanced post-16 options

Liverpool City Region Directors of Children’s Services and the Regional Schools

Commissioner will work together to understand how the post-16 options available in the

area can be enhanced, including in Knowsley following the closure of the sixth form at

Halewood Academy. The impact of post-16 provision (including A level) on meeting the

skills needs of the Liverpool City Region is currently affected negatively by gaps in the

scope and breadth of academic study programmes offered across the post-16 sector and

variations in the quality of the offer.

Strategic planning and oversight group

A strategic planning and oversight group chaired by the Combined Authority to monitor the

delivery of the recommendations within this report to ensure that the needs of learners and

employers remain at the forefront.

The Combined Authority will form an implementation group with stakeholders to provide

strategic leadership and oversight to the implementation of the review recommendations,

building on the partnerships created to date. This will strengthen the accountability of the

general further education colleges, sixth-form colleges and the newly created 16 to 19

academies for the delivery of skills and education outcomes that meet the economic and

social needs of the Liverpool City Region. It will also progress joint work with the Regional

Schools Commissioner aligned to the recommendation on wider post-16 options.

The Combined Authority will through an annual planning cycle, and the development of local

outcome agreements and delivery agreements with the Merseyside Colleges Association,

ensure that the curriculum is planned and commissioned to meet the City Region’s

requirements and to avoid any unnecessary duplication and competition. This approach will

require a stronger input from employers to articulate local labour market demand, current

and future skills requirements to shape the curriculum plans. It also means employers

collaborating with the general FE colleges, sixth-form colleges and newly converting 16 to

19 academies to embed work experience, technical education and innovative scholarship

models to support technical and academic skills pathways from pre-16 education to post-16

training and into sustainable employment.

The Combined Authority will also ask for a commitment from individual corporation boards

to commit fully to engage with student governors, representative bodies and individual

learners on the implementation of proposals post area review.

Conclusions from this review

The purpose of area reviews is to put colleges on a stronger financial footing whilst also

enabling them to better meet the economic and educational needs of students and

employers for the long-term.

Throughout the review, colleges have worked closely with the Combined Authority, LEP,

local authorities and the review team, sharing detailed information about their performance

and processes. Each local steering group member has been in a position to offer ideas for

change, and make comments and assessments about others’ proposals and plans for their

area. The review team is grateful for the positive approach taken by all the local

stakeholders involved in the review.

The issues arising from the area review, summarised in ‘The need for change’, will be

addressed through:

• strengthening the colleges’ offer in priority sectors through increasing specialisation

to meet the demand from employers for higher level technical skills

the recognition of high quality pathway partnerships to learning for sector-facing

provision that meets employer needs and the exploration of options for specialist

Institutes of Technology to complement the current offer, supported if necessary by

access to the skills capital investment fund, will encourage greater specialisation to

meet the demands of employers

• the need for improved planning of curriculum, in collaboration with the Combined

Authority, to ensure colleges, local community learning providers and others are

delivering the right balance and mix of provision in response to the needs of learners

and businesses

the formation of the strategic planning and oversight group, collaboration across all

providers on the delivery of entry level (including English, maths and digital), lower

level skills and employability provision will support this agenda. An annual dialogue

with colleges underpinned by the development of local outcome agreements and

delivery agreements with all colleges, community learning providers and others will

support an efficient skills system that is responsive to the needs of the City Region’s

businesses and helps learners achieve their potential

• delivering a more coherent, collaborative approach within the post-16 FE sector to

meet the needs of the Liverpool City Region’s special educational needs learners

collaboration by local authorities and other stakeholders will help to strategically align

the needs of the area bringing a more collaborative and integrated school and post-

16 planning approach to delivery of SEND learning including potential new models of

delivery

• developing a more joined up approach to skills delivery across the City Region

including entry level, employability and apprenticeships to support local residents into

work and to progress in work

the Combined Authority will through the strategic planning and oversight group bring

together the needs of key stakeholders such as employers, Jobcentre Plus and

community groups to ensure that all learning providers deliver a more integrated

employment and skills offer to residents. This will include connecting more readily to

local employers to support current and future skills requirements

• widening the breadth of the apprenticeship offer by growing the colleges’ market

share and responding to government policy changes such as the introduction of the

levy and new standards

by developing an apprenticeships growth plan, the Combined Authority will be able to

work strategically and collaboratively across the provider base towards an agreed set

of actions and targets. This will include agreeing local delivery aspirations for

colleges and other providers on apprenticeship delivery to ensure the City Region is

well placed to respond to government policy changes such as the introduction of levy

and new standards

• achieving a step change in careers advice in schools, ensuring the full range of

choices are sufficiently well described

the development of the careers hub including supporting materials will help to

improve the impartiality of the offer and bring closer alignment to employer needs

• resolving the weak financial position of King George V College following a significant

decline in student numbers, and seeking to ensure that all colleges in Liverpool City

Region are on a strong, sustainable financial footing

the merger between King George V College with Southport College in the first

instance and moving towards a single Sefton College in the longer term will create a

much larger institution that is more resilient to cohort changes and will benefit from

economies of scale and other cost savings. Similar benefits will accrue to Hugh Baird

College, South Sefton Sixth Form College, Knowsley Community College and St

Helens College as a result of their mergers, bringing greater stability to the college

infrastructure

• providing opportunities for academisation of sixth-form colleges and the benefits that

would accrue

the recommendations for Carmel and Birkenhead Sixth Form colleges to convert to

academies will enable them to take advantage of the benefits of this approach and to

offer more dedicated support to partner schools in the area.

Next steps

The agreed recommendations will now be taken forward through recognised structural

change processes, including due diligence and consultation.

Proposals for merger, sixth-form college conversion to academies, or ministerial approval,

for example of a change in name, will now need intensive work by all parties involved to

realise the benefits identified. Colleges will want to give consideration to making timely

applications for support from the Restructuring Facility, where they can demonstrate that the

changes cannot be funded through other sources. Colleges exploring academy conversion

will be subject to the application process and agreement by the Sixth Form College

Commissioner and the Regional Schools Commissioner.

Primary responsibility for implementation of recommendations relating to individual colleges

rests with those institutions. However, it will be important to understand how progress is

going in the round in each area and each set of area review recommendations will be

formally monitored at both national and local levels.

As the guidance produced for LEPs and local authorities sets out, all those involved in the

local steering group will be expected to play their full part in ensuring that changes happen

within the timescale agreed. In this context the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is

expected to retain its focus on driving changes, and assessing how implementation of

recommendations is contributing to local economic performance.

It has been agreed that the local strategic planning and oversight group will be established

by the end of November 2016 and a plan of work will be developed to give oversight to the

recommendations. This group will focus on the needs of learners and employers and ensure

that new curriculum developments are collaboratively and appropriately planned.

The EFA and SFA, with oversight from the FE Commissioner and Sixth Form College

Commissioner, will also be monitoring progress across all areas.

A national evaluation of the area review process will be undertaken to assess the benefits

brought about through implementation of options. It will include quantitative measures

relating to the economy, to educational performance, to progression, to other measures of

quality, and to financial sustainability. This analysis will also take account of the views of

colleges, local authorities, LEPs, students and employers about how well colleges are

responding to the challenges of helping address local skills gaps and shortages, and the

education and training needs of individuals.

This publication (not including logos) is licensed under the terms of the Open Government

Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. Where we have identified any third party

concerned.

To view this licence:

visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3

email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

write to Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London, TW9 4DU

About this publication:

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Reference: DFE-00011-2017

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