Bretton Hall College of Education

The college had financial difficulties, and, with the support of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), merged with the University of Leeds in August 2001.

In December 2004, the university's governing body reversed an earlier decision and decided that the Bretton Hall site was not financially viable, and the School of Performance and Cultural Industries should move to the main university campus in summer 2007, allowing all existing Bretton-based students to complete their studies there.

On 3 May 2007, John Godber presented Final Curtain, a documentary on Bretton Hall, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

On 5 and 6 May 2007, a reunion was organised for the alumni and students of Bretton Hall between 1947 and 2007 as a celebration of the school's contribution to the arts industry and also the academic excellence it produced over sixty years.

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) was founded in the college parkland by Bretton Hall lecturer Peter Murray, CBE.