Letter: Post 16 education must be preserved as colleges merge

We do, indeed, welcome the fact that there will be no requirement for students or teachers to move between Shrewsbury and Telford for their education. However, we continue to have concerns and I would like to clarify our position further.

The reasons behind the merger of the sixth form colleges with the FE colleges is financial. The Coalition Government cut funding for post 16 education by 14 per cent and the current government is cutting it by eight per cent. Our colleges have already experienced horrific cuts. There have been redundancies, pay cuts, increases in teacher workload and courses have been cancelled. Class sizes are rising. We want all this to stop.

We have been pleased to see the community expressing their views on the merger. The Government's area review took no account of the views of students, parents and the community. This is just wrong.

Local colleges should be accountable to the communities that they serve. We are now campaigning that the new corporations (governing bodies) of the newly merged colleges include a strong elected student, parent and community voice.

It is important that we continue to provide an excellent education for our young people and for adults. The recent controversial comments by Lucy Allan MP have resulted in a Facebook page "Junior Doctors of Telford" where people have recounted their experience of living and being educated in Telford. The positive experiences of young people educated at New College and TCAT are numerous. There are as many positive stories that could be told by ex-students of Shrewsbury Sixth Form and Shrewsbury Colleges.

We want to preserve what is good about the four colleges and restore what has already been lost. A level provision at New College Telford should be restored to its former glory. Language A levels should be back on the curriculum. There must be no further cuts. Special needs provision must be protected and enhanced at all four colleges.

We will continue to campaign on these issues. We will also, of course, also seek to protect the terms and conditions and jobs of our union members. There must be enough teachers and support staff to deliver the quality of education that both Shrewsbury and Telford deserve.

Jean Evanson, NUT Shropshire Division Secretary