A cash-strapped land-based college in Dorset is considering a merger to secure its long-term survival.
Kingston Maurward College is in discussions to join Weymouth College off the back of a recent FE commissioner-led review.
A joint statement from the principals involved said the plan is for each college to “retain its own identity”, but under a larger corporate structure which will “make both colleges and the group more financially resilient”. The pair are aiming for a merger date of August 2024.
Kingston Maurward College has been put in and out of formal government intervention multiple times since 2015 for deteriorating financial performance. The land-based college, which is set in 750 acres of farmland, parkland, gardens and a conservation area near Dorchester, suffered a big hit to its commercial income during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.
