College may need to return funds after probe

The Sheffield College could be forced to pay back part of its funding amid an investigation into allegations of maladministration.

An external audit is under way looking into the college's provision for people learning English as a foreign language.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) provides £11.6m each year for adult skills at the college and launched an investigation last year into potential fraud after it was flagged up by auditors, however no fraud has been found at this time.

The college said it had put money aside "as a contingency measure" but declined to specify the amount "as the audit is ongoing".

SYMCA launched an investigation into the college's English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision in July 2025.

In November that year, SYMCA published its auditors' annual report which said: "The investigation was into claims of maladministration and fraud in relation to The Sheffield College's adult ESOL delivery."

SYMCA auditors said they had taken action as part of a routine "fraud response plan".

South Yorkshire Police said the force was not investigating at this time.

The college confirmed an investigation had taken place after concerns were raised about "some achievement claims and associated certification for ESOL students in 2023/24".

In February 2026, the college admitted it would see "a significant fall in the national performance tables" for ESOL.

A month later data from the Department for Education showed the college's Level 1 regulated ESOL achievement rate had fallen from 81.3% in 2023-24 to 28.4% in 2024-25.

The college's entry-level regulated ESOL achievement rate fell from 92.4% to 57.8%.

Chief executive and principal Angela Foulkes confirmed they had "found some unsatisfactory practice and identified maladministration".

Action had been taken through a "rigorous quality process" and the college's executive team had established a performance improvement board.

The college is expecting the external audit to be completed by the end of the 2026/2027 financial year, with a potential for any repayments to be phased.

A college spokesperson said: "Money has been put aside as a contingency measure should the college be required to repay any adult skills funding on conclusion of an ongoing external audit.

"As the audit is ongoing, it would be premature to conclude whether any funding will need to be repaid and we will not be making any further comment at this stage."

SYMCA said it would not comment further as investigations were ongoing.

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