Chichester College merger to benefit thousands of students

The merger with Central Sussex College, which will now be known as Crawley College, was announced on Monday. Together around 25,000 pupils will received the ‘highest standards of education’ across a plethora of courses.

Chichester principal Shelagh Legrave OBE has been appointed chief executive officer for the group and is joined by Kieran Stigant, named chairman of the corporation.

Mrs Legrave said: “We are delighted to be coming together to form a dynamic group of colleges and businesses focused on championing excellence in teaching and learning.

“Our students at all of the group’s campuses will be at the heart of everything we do as we strive to ensure we are giving them the very best education and experience that we can.

“The group will also offer increased opportunities to students – as well as employers and communities in Sussex, giving them a greater access to a wide range of courses at many different levels.”

Chichester College has enjoyed incredible success under Mrs Legrave. It was rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2014 and leads a wide-range of top courses, which include academic, industry, computing and engineering and apprenticeships.

Vicki Illingworth steps up from assistant principal at Chichester to become Crawley College’s new principal, with Andrew Green named executive principal at Chichester.

Mr Stigant said: “I am thrilled to be part of the new group and excited for the future, which will see increased learning opportunities for students across Sussex.

“We are looking forward to working in partnership with local businesses and organisations to ensure we are able to deliver a diverse and employer-led curriculum that meets their skills and workforce requirements.”

The group covers four main sites – Chichester College, Crawley College, Brinsbury (a land-based campus) and Horsham Training Centre. It also has an extensive portfolio of successful commercial businesses which operate alongside the colleges.

The merger has been welcomed by West Sussex County Council and Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership.

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