K College
{{Short description|College in Kent, England}}
{{Redirect|West Kent College|the college established in 2014|West Kent College (2014)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox school
| name = K College
| image =
| image_size =
| coordinates = {{coord|51.186944|0.264722|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| motto =
| established = April 2010
| closed = 31 July 2014
| type = Further Education, Higher Education
| religious_affiliation =
| president =
| head_label = Interim Principal
| head =
| r_head_label =
| r_head =
| chair_label =
| chair =
| founder =
| address =
| city = Ashford, Dover, Folkestone, Tonbridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells
| county = Kent
| country = England
| postcode =
| local_authority = Kent County Council
| ofsted = yes
| dfeno = 886/8016
| urn = 130727
| staff =
| enrolment =
| gender = Mixed
| lower_age = 16
| upper_age = 99
| houses =
| colours =
| publication =
| free_label_1 = Patron
| free_1 = Lord Mayhew of Twysden
| free_label_2 =
| free_2 =
| free_label_3 =
| free_3 =
| website = {{url|www.kcollege.ac.uk/}}
([https://web.archive.org/web/20140516191947/https://www.kcollege.ac.uk archived])
}}
K College, also known as South & West Kent College, was an English college of Further Education and Higher Education with facilities across Kent, formed in April 2010, by the merger of South Kent College with West Kent College. In 2014 it was split again, between Hadlow College and East Kent College, with West Kent College being reestablished and the campus in Ashford becoming Ashford College.
The Interim Principal was Phil Frier and the Patron was Lord Mayhew of Twysden.
History
K College was formed in April 2010 by the merger of South Kent College with West Kent College.{{cite news |author=Chris Price |url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/college-was-in-a-perfect-21190/ |title=K College had 'a perfect storm' of financial and leadership issues reveal Hadlow College and East Kent College, who have formally taken over the sites |website=Kent Online |date=1 August 2014 }} The college had campuses in Ashford, Dover, Folkestone, Tonbridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells and at one point had more than 25,000 students. {{As of|2013|03}}, when the decision was taken to split it, the college had approximately 15,000 students and more than 1,100 staff.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-21783224 |title=K College to split Kent campuses after review |publisher=BBC News |date=14 March 2013 }}
The college sustained a large amount of debt,Private Eye no 1355 p. 31. after which the principal, Bill Fearon,{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-19884276 |title=K College principal Bill Fearon resigns |publisher=BBC News |date=9 October 2012 }} and some members of the Board of Governors resigned, and the Skills Funding Agency recommended it be sold.{{cite news |author=Jamie Weir| url=http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/everything_will_be_ok_1_3719684 | title=Everything will be oK |website=Kent News |publisher=KOS Media |date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811113656/http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/everything_will_be_ok_1_3719684 |archive-date=11 August 2014 }} The college received an "inadequate" grading by Ofsted in December 2013,{{cite news |author=Rebecca Cooney |url=https://feweek.co.uk/2014/02/20/end-in-sight-for-k-college-sale-saga/ |title=End in sight for K College sale saga |newspaper=FE Week |date=20 February 2014 }}{{cite news |author=Jude Burke |url=https://feweek.co.uk/2017/03/31/ofsted-watch-requires-improvement-for-k-college-successor/ |title=Ofsted watch: 'Requires improvement' for K College successor |newspaper=FE Week |date=31 March 2017 }} and from 1 August 2014 it was again split into two units:
- Hadlow College Group formally acquired K College Group; it took over the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells campuses as West Kent College and Ashford campus as Ashford College.
- East Kent College took over Folkestone and Dover.{{cite news |author=Jude Burke |url=https://feweek.co.uk/2016/11/12/k-college-rescuer-in-merger-talks-with-neighbour/ |title=K College rescuer East Kent College in merger talks with neighbour |newspaper=FE Week |date=12 November 2016 }}
In July 2014 prior to Hadlow College managing the Ashford, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells campuses, K College announced that there would be up to 127 redundancies of those not transferred under TUPE to East Kent College.{{cite news |author=Frank Foster |url=http://www.courier.co.uk/Union-arms-controversial-K-College-announces-127/story-21455268-detail/story.html | title=Union up in arms after controversial K College announces 127 further redundancies | newspaper=Kent & Sussex Courier |date=12 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903101538/http://www.courier.co.uk/Union-arms-controversial-K-College-announces-127/story-21455268-detail/story.html |archive-date=3 September 2014 }} Therefore other, more creative means were found by EKC in order to shed staff and axe courses. Months of chaos at Dover and Folkestone ensued. However, East Kent College expanded offerings and recruited additional staff for the Folkestone and Dover campuses after the takeover.
Courses
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2018}}
K College offered Higher Education courses in conjunction with the College’s partner universities: Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Greenwich and University of Kent.
The main campus in Tonbridge taught a large number of A-level and vocational courses including apprenticeships. It also ran teacher training courses, including additional teaching courses on deaf issues and dyslexia, and TUC courses and had a Professional Development Centre. The college also ran a construction-orientated teaching centre based at the Construction Crafts & Engineering Centre on North Farm Industrial Estate in Tunbridge Wells.
Alumni of West Kent College
- Mark Sargeant — chef{{cite news |author=Kerstin Kühn |url=https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/339110/mark-sargeant-talk-of-the-town |title=Mark Sargeant – Talk of the town |newspaper=The Caterer |date=1 July 2011 }}
- Hazel Crowney — actress, model{{cite news |author=C. Cromie |url=http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Ex-Tunbridge-wells-schoolgirl-Bollywood-beauty/article-1153636-detail/article.html |title=Ex-Tunbridge Wells schoolgirl now Bollywood beauty |website=This is Kent |date=12 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129220728/http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Ex-Tunbridge-wells-schoolgirl-Bollywood-beauty/article-1153636-detail/article.html |archive-date=29 November 2010}}
- The Duchess of Edinburgh (née Sophie Rhys-Jones){{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/06/99/royal_wedding/363946.stm |title=PR girl turns princess |publisher=BBC News |date=11 June 1999 }}
- Jilly Goolden — TV presenter & wine connoisseur{{cite web |url=http://hadlowalumni.org/about-us/ |title=About Us |website=Hadlow Alumni |access-date=30 January 2018 }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://kcollege.ac.uk/ College homepage] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140516191947/https://www.kcollege.ac.uk archived] at the Wayback Machine on 16 May 2014)
{{Tonbridge}}
{{Royal Tunbridge Wells}}
{{Folkestone}}
{{Ashford}}
{{Universities and colleges in South East England}}
Category:Higher education colleges in England
Category:Further education colleges in Kent
Category:University of Greenwich
Category:Folkestone and Hythe District
Category:Tonbridge and Malling
Category:Borough of Tunbridge Wells
Category:Educational institutions established in 2010
Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2014