Business & Technology
UK college in administration with 5,600 students in limbo
The online learning platform Oxbridge Home Learning made 11 of the 25 employees redundant in the weeks before administrators were called late last year.
Oxbridge Ltd, trading as Oxbridge Home Learning, offered online GCSE, A-Level and BTEC courses but effectively ceased trading in September.
In a new administrator’s report published this month, it was revealed that 432 unsecured claims have been made against the company totalling £596,000.
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It is understood some of these claims are made by students and would be put at the back of the queue in receiving, if any, money back.
In their latest report, the administrators also revealed there are “a number of potential avenues for further investigation and enquiries” that have been identified, but would not elaborate.
What’s more, the business and certain assets of the company were sold in October to Birmingham-based Home Learning Ltd, the new report says.
The transaction was completed in December, and mostly included the intellectual property of Oxbridge worth almost £55,000.
This is a company with Matthew Jones as the director, the same director as Oxbridge Ltd, Companies House documents show.
Administrators at Forvis Mazars LLP said the wheels started to come off the business when in 2024 a government-funded scheme no longer fitted with what Oxbridge provided resulting in it losing its most profitable work.
“Due to this, the vocational courses became unprofitable but this matter was not identified in a timely manner,” joint administrator Rebecca Jane Dacre said.
External funding was found from third parties to help increase cashflow, but Oxbridge was unable to maintain the loan repayments of £97,000 per month.
During this time, the cashflow difficulties resulted in “significant rent arrears accruing”, the administrator added, which resulted in the termination of the contract in August.
“Further loan facilities were terminated in July 2025, with pressure increasing for immediate repayment,” Ms Dacre said.
“Critical creditors, who provided exam results, were threatening to withdraw due to the significant arrears and threatening to issue a winding up petition.”
The BBC reported one 17-year-old student from Banbury who said it is “very stressful” for students applying for university.
Student Amelia, whose surname was not disclosed, said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen next because I had a whole plan of what was going to happen with university. But obviously universities require A-level grades.”
The business has debts of £2,561,715 – although this could be higher with the pupils – owed to tutors, companies and HMRC.
Documents revealing the state of what remains of the company reveal HMRC is owed £737,884 in unpaid VAT and PAYE.
Jayden, 13 launched Jay’s Bakes from his home in Taunton Road in Bicester on Saturday, June 20.
His late nan, a keen baker herself, was the inspiration behind his passion, as well as time spent helping his uncle with his catering business.
Over the last 18 months he has honed his skills by preparing sweat treats every day after school.
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Determined to turn his hobby into something more, Jayden spent two and a half months researching requirements, gaining his Level 2 food hygiene certificate and officially registering his business, mostly without adult intervention.
After four days of preparation, the business officially launched.
Customers were treated to a wide selection of homemade goods, including M&M cookies, Kinder brownies, Biscoff cookies, Victoria sponge trays, lemon drizzle cups and viral ‘dot cakes’.
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His Kinder brownies proved particularly popular, and by the end of the day he had sold out of everything, taking £210.
Despite feeling “excited and a bit nervous” beforehand, Jayden said the opening was a success, with a strong turnout and positive feedback shared on social media.
His favourite moment came when he officially opened the shed by cutting the ribbon.
Supported by his mum, stepdad, grandparents and uncle, Jayden first began selling from a table in May before building and painting his now-signature blue cake shed.
He now plans to continue baking and selling regularly, bringing his creations to the local community.
Lidl has been given planning permission to build its ninth supermarket in Oxfordshire, despite concerns over flooding.
Aldi opened in Didcot in 2015 and has a supermarket at the Jubilee Way roundabout but shoppers in the town have had to wait over a decade for Lidl to follow.
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South Oxfordshire District Council has now backed plans by the German retailer for a new supermarket in Abingdon Road.
Former Didcot mayor Mocky Khan said: “This give the residents of Didcot more choice, especially when you consider the cost of living environment we have at the moment.
“The town is growing with more new homes being built, and with more growth it’s good to have a wide variety of supermarkets to fit all budgets,”
The plans for the new supermarket were first submitted in 2024.
Didcot Town Council previously objected to the scheme, on the grounds of a lack of flood risk mitigation measures, along with the county council who said there was “insufficient information”.
The town council noted there are “several flooding incidents in the area, especially when the Marsh Bridge water pumps fail”.
But in a report by planning officers granting permission to the supermarket, those issues have now been addressed by Lidl.
The officers said the proposals “largely accord” with the policies around planning, and more can be done to “break up” the car park with greenery.
Planning officers chose to let Lidl build the new supermarket subject to conditions.
They said in a report: “Balanced against this policy conflict is the fact that this is a previously developed site, which is currently in a dilapidated state.
“The proposals represent a significant improvement on the current underutilisation of the site and on its appearance.
“The National Planning Policy Framework and Local Plan set out significant support for the reuse of previously developed land.
“As stated in the applicant’s planning statement, there have been previous enquiries as to the redevelopment of the site that have not come to fruition.
“Given this, finding a viable use for the site is a clear benefit which I consider to be of substantial benefit.”
Thirty-four residents had objected to Lidl’s plans, highlighting concerns over extra traffic, there being no need for another supermarket in the town and there being more appropriate locations to build in their view.
Didcot already has an Aldi store just off Broadway and a Sainsbury’s, M&S Foodhall and Asda.
The nearest Lidl to the proposed site are in Lupton Road, Wallingford, and Marcham Road in Abingdon.
Three people wrote in to support the new Lidl, recognising the benefits of a discount food store and the further jobs it will create.
Lidl has said its proposals for a Didcot supermarket would deliver 40 full-time equivalent jobs as well as further employment during the construction phase.
No opening date was given by the retailer, while the developer is currently on site progressing with the enabling works.
A spokesman said: “We’ve seen demand for our affordable, high-quality products continue to rise in Oxfordshire, and we are committed to serving more communities in the area.
“Our new store will create around 40 new jobs and build on our continued growth.
“We’re excited to be a step closer to opening this store and thank everyone who has supported us on our journey so far.”
It also said the £12m investment would work with the 6,300 new homes allocated to be built, as per the local plan.
Dalcour Maclaren, a specialist in utilities and infrastructure, announced the news on June 22, following a detailed assessment of its operations, including governance, employee wellbeing, environmental impact, and social responsibility.
James Neil, CEO of Dalcour Maclaren, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Dalcour Maclaren.
“B Corp status gives us the official badge that recognises everything that matters most to us in our culture, our values, and how we make decisions for our people and our clients. We thrive on doing things differently at DM and B Corp absolutely endorses this.”
The certification means the company meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
Dalcour Maclaren now joins more than 10,000 B Corps worldwide and over 2,600 in the UK, including well-known names such as The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Patagonia, and The Big Issue.
Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, said: “Welcoming Dalcour Maclaren to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”
Dalcour Maclaren operates across the UK and Ireland, supporting major projects in energy, water, transport, and digital infrastructure. The company’s services include land, planning, environment, stakeholder engagement, and geospatial services.
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