Sheffield College announces plan to close Peaks Campus

The college has announced that from September 2023 it will no longer ‘deliver teaching and learning provision’ at its campus on Waterthorpe Greenway.

Around 300 students are based at Peaks Campus, which offers games design, health and social care, high needs, public services and science courses, apprenticeships and the Prince’s Trust programme.

Subject to a stakeholder consultation process, it is anticipated that the majority of Peaks Campus courses will continue and move to the college’s City Campus on Granville Road.

The stakeholder consultation process, which started yesterday, will involve staff, students, parents and carers and community organisations including civic and business leaders.

The consultation aims to seek views on the impact of the college’s decision and its planned changes for Peaks Campus.

Alongside this, the college is also running a second formal consultation process with trade unions and Peaks Campus staff whose jobs are directly affected.

Sheffield College is consulting with 13 staff permanently based at Peaks Campus who are most affected by the plans, and approximately 70 staff who work regularly at Peaks Campus.

The college said it is committed to minimising any potential redundancies and, wherever possible, staff will be given the option to relocate from Peaks Campus.

Angela Foulkes, Chief Executive and Principal, The Sheffield College, said: “To ensure that we maintain high quality and sustainable education and training for our students, local communities and employers, we regularly review our course offer, facilities and estate.

“It is vital that our estate is sustainable and has a long-term future to enhance the student experience and meet future skills needs. Peaks Campus is significantly underutilised which is costly to maintain and run.

“The situation is compounded by a tough financial climate for the further education sector nationally including a reduction in funding in real terms and surging energy costs.”

She explained: “We understand this will be unsettling news for our Peaks Campus based staff and students, and we will do everything we can to support them.

“We are also committed to working with partner organisations in the city to find a long term sustainable solution for use of the site.”

The college’s decision follows an internal review of the estate, which found that Peaks Campus is significantly underutilised and costly to maintain and run.

Student recruitment at Peaks Campus has declined with more students wanting to study at City Campus. Around 85 per cent of college students from the local area travel to the College’s other sites to study, particularly City Campus.

In 2014/15 there were 776 students studying at Peaks. By 2019/20 this had dropped by more than half to 380.

Currently, there are around 300 students at the campus.

Most of the courses delivered at Peaks Campus are already offered at other campuses.

Peaks Campus students and applicants will be supported with the move and receive support with travel costs and journey planning plus bespoke transport arrangements where required.