Morley Response to Government Funding Announcement Regarding KCC

Morley College London welcomes the recent announcement from the Department for Education (DfE), in supporting the planned merger with Kensington and Chelsea College by investing in education and skills provision in North Kensington and Chelsea.

The support, which was announced on Monday 22 July, will enable Morley College London and Kensington and Chelsea College to continue to work towards a merger in which Kensington and Chelsea College joins Morley. As one college with three centres, the merged college will ensure the needs of local communities are met by a responsive and growing curriculum offer.

Dr Andrew Gower, Principal of Morley, said: “In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, we recognise and respect the longstanding special significance of the college centre at Wornington Road for local residents. We are committed to ensuring the centres at North Kensington, Chelsea and Waterloo reflect the needs of the communities they serve.”

The next steps in working towards merger will include undertaking comprehensive due diligence, as well as consultation with the stakeholder communities of both colleges.

Dr Gower continues: “We encourage all our stakeholders to engage with us through the consultation and beyond, working together to realise our vision for ambitions to be inspired and achieved through learning.”

About Morley College London

Morley College London is one of the UK’s leading centres for adult education and was founded in 1889, as a place of learning to raise the aspirations and broaden the cultural horizons of people living in deprived communities in and around Waterloo.

Morley College London is one of nine specialist, designated adult education colleges in England, and specialises in visual and performing arts, culture, and applied sciences. Morley has a student population of approximately 11,000 and has satellite centres in Stockwell and Rotherhithe.

As London has grown and evolved, so Morley has developed its courses to remain relevant to the needs of the local population, while remaining true to the principles of its altruistic founders. Morley College London continues to sustain the founding mission in its commitment to community learning, and as confirmed by Ofsted in the recent (2019) inspection, “Managers are strongly committed to ensuring that the college fulfills its mission to empower individuals and strengthen the community.”

For press enquiries contact: Qasim Kazmi, Head of Marketing and Communications, Morley College London, qasim.kazmi@morleycollege.ac.uk.

Morley College London response to recent government funding announcement to support the recovery of Kensington and Chelsea College, including the merger with Morley.

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