Liverpool college cancels A-level courses, leaving students shocked on GCSE results day
Students arriving at the City of Liverpool College to enrol on A-level courses were told their places had been cancelled on the same day they
Students arriving at the City of Liverpool College to enrol on A-level courses were told their places had been cancelled on the same day they collected their GCSE results. The decision has left families angry and staff describing the timing as “callous”.
The college said it will scrap its A-level provision for the 2026/27 academic year, affecting an estimated 80 to 90 students. Those already in the second year of their A-levels will be allowed to finish, but first-year entrants have been told to look elsewhere.
‘Devastated’ on results day
Frankie Tibbles, an English lecturer at the college, said staff were informed on Wednesday and only then told students the next day. He said young people had come in expecting to start the next stage of their education after picking up results from school.
“This college has been a safe haven for students who have maybe not en…” he said, cutting off as the BBC report on the dispute noted the depth of feeling around the move.
Parents said they felt “heartbroken” and “let down” after learning their children’s A-level places had been pulled. One mother, Laura Coughlin, said her daughter had spent six hours in the enrolment queue before the news landed.
The timing has sharpened the backlash. GCSE results day is already a pressure point for teenagers weighing next steps. For some of those affected, the college had been the plan. In some cases, they had even received offers.
Why the college says it changed course
Principal and chief executive Elaine Bowker said keeping A-level courses running was no longer viable. The college said falling applicant numbers, poor results and rising demand for technical and vocational courses all fed into the decision.
It added that every student affected would be supported in finding an alternative route, including other courses and providers.
The move also points to a wider shift in post-16 education. Colleges across England and many other countries have faced pressure to balance academic routes with practical training as students and employers put more weight on technical qualifications. In Liverpool, the college says the numbers no longer add up.
What happens next
For now, the immediate task is placement and damage control. Students who expected to start A-levels this autumn must find another option fast, while the college works through the fallout from a decision staff say came without warning.
That leaves one group untouched: those already part-way through their A-levels, who will be allowed to complete the second year. Everyone else is starting over, on a day that should have been about results, relief and plans. Instead, many walked out with neither.
