Derby steps in as specialist osteopathy college closes

The University of Derby has agreed to take on stranded students after a training college for osteopaths announced it was closing after 70 years.

On February 25, the College of Osteopaths announced it will cease all operations at the end of the month, shutting its higher education courses with immediate effect.

Derby had previously validated the degrees of the provider and has agreed that current students will be able to continue their studies with the university.

The Office for Students (OfS) said it was working with those affected to consider their options, with students also able to transfer to other providers.

Founded in 1948, the college offered flexible training leading to a bachelor of osteopathy degree, with lectures taking place at weekends at its sites in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

In 2023, 29 students successfully completed the course, according to its financial accounts for that year, which added that this was almost double the number who successfully completed in 2022.

But its most recent accounts show income from student fees and clinics run by the college was down in 2024 to £831,023 from £995,216 the year before and the college only recruited to its Stoke campus because the south east site was not seen as viable.

A statement posted on the college’s website offered no reason for the closure but thanked staff past and present “for their enthusiasm, hard work and commitment to our students”.

The OfS said that for students based in Stoke, their teaching will continue at Derby’s campus and the university was looking at ways to continue delivery in Hertfordshire for those based there.

Clinics run by the college for members of the local community “may have to close”, the OfS added and Derby was “working with the General Osteopathic Council to identify suitable alternative locations for students to complete the clinical placement aspects of their award”.

The OfS’ work on protecting students in the event of provider closure has been under scrutiny of late, with some claiming the sector needs a “special administration regime” that better outlines the process and what should happen to students.

Complaints have also increased amid the current financial difficulties being experienced across the sector, with students saying they have not received the education that was promised or were left in the lurch by closures and redundancies.

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator said it was aware of the closure of the College of Osteopaths.

“We understand that this is a very difficult and upsetting situation for students and staff,” a statement said, adding that students could make complaints if dissatisfied with the support offered to them.

“Before doing this, students should first raise their concerns with the University of Derby,” the OIA said.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com