JETTE Burford, the principal and chief executive of St Helens and Knowsley College Group, has announced she is retiring next month to care for her husband.

Dr Burford will step down from her post at the beginning of April after seven years at the helm.

The college has announced that Monica Box, an experienced principal, has been appointed to the role.

In a statement, explaining the decision Dr Burford, whose time in charge at the college has included overseeing the merger of St Helens and Knowsley colleges and dealing with significant further education funding cuts, said: “I am sad to be announcing my retirement, and while there is unlikely to be a good time for me to retire over the next two to three years, unfortunately, due to my husband’s declining health, I can no longer afford to delay my plans for that length of time.

“The decision to join St Helens College seven years ago was a very easy one.

"However, deciding upon the best time for me to retire has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make."

Last year education watchdog Ofsted gave St Helens College an overall rating of "requires improvement" and said improvements were needed across the board. A monitoring visit ruled that "reasonable progress was being made".

Dr Burford said she was leaving "a strong senior leadership team, dedicated colleagues and a very strong governing body".

She added: "The long-term future of SK College Group is bright, even though the Further Education sector continues to face challenges.”

The college added that Mark Doyle, who has previously worked at Cambridge Regional College and York College, will also join as deputy principal at the end of March.

Meanwhile, Ms Box joins the SK College Group with more than 17 years’ experience in principal and chief executive roles.

She joins from Lambeth College, having previously worked at Calderdale College in West Yorkshire.

In a statement she said: "Jette will be a tough act to follow, but I’m looking forward to working closely with staff, the senior leadership team and the governing body in driving the College Group forward on achieving its priorities in providing a high quality teaching and learning experience for every one of our students."