The current location has been deemed too large for the service's current requirements
18:00, 14 Oct 2025
A Kent adult education centre will close its doors ahead of relocating to a new venue later this month.
Kent County Council (KCC) has confirmed that its adult education centre in Gravesend at the Victoria Centre in Darnley Road will be moved to a new location in the town this October.
The current facility will close at the end of the month. From Monday, October 27 courses will begin again from the New Beginnings Learning Centre, located in the building on Cornwell Avenue that previously housed the New Beginnings Children’s Centre.
This relocation comes as part of KCC’s wider shake-up to redesign adult education across the county, largely driven by a significant cut of £521,000 to Kent’s adult education budget.
New national rules have also limited the use of government funding to courses focused on helping people gain skills for work.
This has meant that, though the Victoria Centre has served the community for years, KCC now says it is too large for the service’s new requirements.
The council hopes that the relocation to the “more appropriately sized venue” will allow for a “more streamlined and sustainable service.”
Alongside the new centre, adult education courses will be delivered from a variety of community venues across Gravesend, including libraries and schools.
KCC’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Beverley Fordham, said: “We remain fully committed to providing high-quality adult education courses for people in Gravesend and across Kent.
"While the way we deliver some of our courses is changing, our focus remains the same – supporting residents to gain the skills they need for work, wellbeing, and personal growth.
"These changes are a necessary response to reduced government funding and new national priorities, but they also give us the opportunity to modernise our service and make learning more accessible through a mix of staffed centres and community-based delivery.”
Further information about adult education services in Kent can be found here.
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