College reassures performing arts students over Melton courses

Applications are being invited by Loughborough College Group for the IGNITE Performing Arts Academy studies based at the 340-seat Melton Theatre, on Asfordby Road, starting in September.

It comes at a time when the college group has put the campus and theatre site up for sale for £3.5M, with bids sought from developers as well as community groups interested in retaining it as an educational and cultural venue.

Performing arts courses have been guaranteed to continue at the college until at least the end of this year and it was recently announced that theatre bookings would be extended until July 2027.

Loughborough College Group and Melton Borough Council announced in November they were working together on setting up a Cultural Hub, which would include teaching space and an area for small-scale performances and productions, as an alternative venue should Melton Theatre be lost to the town.

Work has yet to start on the Cultural Hub and a number of parents have contacted the Melton Times to say they are concerned about their children signing up for the performing arts course with the possibility that students will be relocated away from the theatre and college campus during their studies and the potential that the hub will not be ready when the course has to be moved to a new location.

Access All Areas, a Melton-based careers guidance service, also voiced concerns on the situation saying there was no clear course information for local young people interested in going into the performing arts.

In response to the worries expressed on the performing arts courses, a spokesperson for Loughborough College Group told the Melton Times: ”Students remain at the centre of everything we do.

"Should there be any changes to course locations, disruption will be kept to a minimum, and any students affected will be fully consulted throughout the process.

"We have reassured students that they will continue to receive the high standard of academic and pastoral support they expect from Loughborough College Group.”

Access All Areas is concerned the college group is promoting its IGNITE Performing Arts Academy with no mention of the possibility that students may have to relocate from the theatre at some stage.

The service’s Roma Frisby said: “There is considerable ambiguity around the performance arts programs as offered by the Loughborough College Group at the Asfordby Road Melton campus.

"We have been contacted by parents asking if the college and more specifically the theatre provision, will be operational for the duration of their children’s study programme.”

Access All Areas say they contacted Melton Borough Council about the Cultural Hub partnership with the college group but were told there is nothing formal in place.

The council told the Melton Times it was unable to comment on courses run by the college group.

Loughborough College Group told us in April that ‘multiple bids’ had been received for the campus and theatre site.