Section 166 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 came into force on 1 April 2007. Under this section, further education colleges may collaborate formally with the governing bodies of maintained schools or other further education institutions through the use of joint committees.

This guidance (available below to download) explains the regulations which came into force on 25 May 2007 which determine the nature of these collaborative arrangements, including the functions of the collaborative bodies and the joint committees and the manner in which those functions may be discharged.