It operates across England with dedicated music colleges in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Lincoln, London, Manchester, Norwich, and Plymouth.

The first Access to Music award ceremony, hosted by Sir George Martin, took place in London in 2003.

Subsequent award ceremonies took place in various locations around the country, including O2 Academy Birmingham and Liverpool Sound City, and have been hosted by BBC Radio DJs Lauren Laverne and Edith Bowman.

The name change was introduced to reflect a broader curriculum offer covering the wider creative industries, including games development, digital media, marketing, events and drama.

The college designed its own FE music curriculum in partnership with Rockschool,[7] the UK's only rock and pop accrediting body and Edexcel.