THE performance of Scottish college students dipped in the wake of a controversial series of mergers, according to a new report.

An evaluation of the Scotland-wide programme of rationalisation revealed a 1.9 percentage point drop in performance for all full-time college students in 2014/15.

The report by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) said colleges had identified a number of reasons for the decline including changes to the curriculum and reduced staff numbers.

However, it concluded the merger process was not responsible for the drop with other factors at play including strike action, concerns about access to support bursaries and students starting courses late. Standards had also dropped in some colleges which had not merged, the SFC found.

The report said: "Colleges have indicated that it is likely that the reasons.... are independent of the merger programme and colleges are continuing to monitor this closely.

"SFC will also continue to monitor. All colleges, including the merged colleges, are confident of recovering performance in 2015/16."

Overall, the analysis said the mergers were delivering annual savings of more than £50 million against a cost of £70m - meaning it had taken less than a year and a half to recoup the original outlay.

The SFC also said mergers had delivered benefits to students with an improved curriculum, less duplication and closer contacts with employers.

John Kemp, the SFC's interim chief executive, said: "The college merger programme was one of the most ambitious in Scotland in recent years and therefore it was important that we evaluated it fully.

"There is much to celebrate and reflect on. I am especially pleased with the evidence of positive impacts on the student experience."

The findings come after a raft of mergers in the sector since 2011/12 which have seen the number of colleges fall from 37 to 20.

Last year, the success of the programme was questioned by Audit Scotland which said there was no evidence of wider financial savings or improvements to education.

And it found student numbers were 36 per cent lower than 2008/09, teaching staff had been cut by 9.2 per cent in the previous two years and budgets were down £69m between 2011/12 and 2015/16.

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland union, which represents college lecturers, said the SFC report failed to address some of the concerns.

He said: "The regionalisation and mergers programmes were touted as a means of delivering a leaner, more efficient further education sector which would reduce duplication and deliver so-called efficiency savings, but without having a negative impact on high quality learning and teaching in colleges.

"Unfortunately, the experience for students and staff has been very different with cuts to staffing, course provision and places, as well as reductions in student support over the past few years."

Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “The report shows that, overall, colleges planned and implemented the mergers well, have made good progress and that mergers can be regarded as successful, against a backdrop of significant wide-ranging changes to the sector."

The SFC report states: "The merger programme has led to the formation of colleges which are more resilient and sustainable for the future, with a focus on achieving efficient and effective business services while continuing to develop and support the staff who are central to this success.

"Through changes to such a substantial proportion of the sector, the mergers have created a landscape better suited to the delivery of skills, engagement with employers and universities... and further improve learner journeys." The SFC also said it had updated its guidance on severance schemes after failings at North Glasgow College and Coatbridge College.