Croydon has commissioned an independent review of CALAT, reporting to Cabinet in October. Most classes leave the Clocktower for Thornton Heath that month.

Croydon Council has commissioned an outside agency to review the future of its adult learning service, and the options will go to Cabinet in October. In the same month, most CALAT classes move out of the Croydon Clocktower to Thornton Heath.

The council set this out on a page published on its own website, Looking to the future of adult learning in Croydon. It is the first published account of what is happening to Croydon Adult Learning and Training.

What the council has said

The page gives the reason for the review in one sentence: “As part of our work to support the Council’s priorities and long-term financial sustainability, we are reviewing the future of Croydon Adult Learning and Training (CALAT) to ensure it continues to deliver the greatest benefit for residents and communities.”

On who is doing it and what happens next:

  • “We are now working with independent agency Mime, to carry out a review of our CALAT service and to provide recommendations on options for the future of the service.”
  • “Once complete, Mime will provide an evidence-based assessment of the service, and all options, including risks and mitigations, for a future model.”
  • “The options and recommendations for a future model will be presented to Cabinet in October who will make a decision on the next steps for the future model of the service.”

The council says demand has shifted towards “digital, technical and employability skills, alongside more flexible learning opportunities that lead directly to employment, career progression or further study”. It says it remains committed to “people learning English, adults with additional learning needs, parents returning to work, people looking to retrain, and those who have been out of employment for some time”.

What the page does not give is a date for the Cabinet meeting, the terms of reference for the review, what it costs, or any public consultation. “All options” is the council’s own phrase, and it is not narrowed anywhere on the page.

Executive Mayor Jason Perry addressed it in his weekly newsletter on 4 September. “We know how much CALAT means to many residents,” he wrote. “We need to protect the service for years to come whilst adapting to the evolving needs of both learners and employers.” He added: “Courses will continue and we remain focused on protecting and developing the learning opportunities residents value.” (Croydon Council, 4 September 2026)

Classes leave the Clocktower in October

The relocation is the part that changes something for learners this term.

  • The majority of CALAT classes move from the Croydon Clocktower to Strand House in Thornton Heath during October 2026. The council’s page spells it “Stand House”; Strand House on Zion Road, CR7 8RG, is the address Ofsted holds for the service, and CALAT already advertises courses there.
  • “A smaller teaching footprint will be retained in central Croydon for courses that require a central location and to maintain accessibility for learners.”
  • Learners due to attend classes at the Clocktower will be contacted “with location details for classes over the coming weeks”.
  • Timetables will be reviewed “to allow sufficient time to travel between venues where required”.

Strand House is on Zion Road, about a mile and a half north of the Clocktower in a straight line. If your course moves, check the journey before term rather than on the day: our Croydon roadworks and travel page covers current closures and rail changes, and parking in Croydon covers the town centre restrictions.

A separate decision, taken by the Executive Mayor and published on 1 September, approved relocating the borough’s CCTV control room out of Strand House to Bernard Weatherill House, with expenditure of up to £1.846m from the capital programme. (Croydon Council decision register, ref 2789)

What is being reviewed

CALAT is run by the council, not by a college. Ofsted inspects it as part of Croydon London Borough Council, under reference number 53112.

Its last full inspection ran from 14 to 17 November 2023. The service was rated Good overall and Good in all six areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, adult learning programmes, and apprenticeships. That repeated the Good it held at the previous inspection. (Ofsted, Croydon London Borough Council)

The inspection report describes a service with three main teaching sites plus community venues, and counts who was studying at the time:

  • 1,025 learners on English for speakers of other languages courses, from pre-entry level to level 2
  • 177 learners on digital skills courses
  • 107 learners on independent living courses
  • 79 learners on functional skills and GCSE English and maths
  • fewer than five apprentices
Bar chart of CALAT learner numbers at the November 2023 Ofsted inspection: 1,025 on English for speakers of other languages, 177 on digital skills, 107 on independent living, and 79 on functional skills and GCSE English and maths.
English for speakers of other languages is by far the biggest part of the service. Graphic by Croydon Today.

Inspectors wrote that “learners and apprentices greatly improve their confidence and independence”, giving the examples of ESOL learners learning how to make doctor’s appointments and join local libraries, and independent living learners learning budgeting and cooking. (Ofsted inspection report, published 3 January 2024)

When the council announced that Good rating in January 2024, the Mayor said: “It is important to me that Croydon becomes a place where residents can upskill and have the resources and qualifications to access job opportunities.” (Croydon Council, 5 January 2024)

What it means for you

If you are enrolled on a CALAT course this term, your teaching continues. The council says courses will continue and that it will write to Clocktower learners with their new location. If you have not heard by the end of September and your class is at the Clocktower, the enrolment team is the place to chase it.

If your class moves to Thornton Heath, the practical question is the journey, not the building. Ask specifically whether your timetable has been adjusted, because the council has said it will review timetables where learners have to travel between venues.

If you want to influence the outcome, the decision point is the Cabinet meeting in October. No consultation has been announced, and the review is being carried out by an outside agency rather than through a public process, so the Cabinet agenda is where the options become visible. Croydon publishes agendas and reports on its democracy site ahead of meetings.

If you are choosing a course for January, enrol on the basis of what is published now. The review covers the future model of the service, not this term’s timetable, and the council has not said that any course is ending.