Sixth kinds wrestle to maintain college students, says Suffolk advisor

School sixth kinds are struggling to retain college students, in keeping with an training advisor, as one not too long ago introduced it was unable to supply a decrease sixth provision.

The East Anglian Schools Trust introduced that because of solely 19 college students enrolling at Bungay High School’s sixth type in Suffolk, it might be unable to offer education to these Year 12s.

Neil Watts, former headteacher of Northgate High School in Ipswich and training advisor, mentioned whereas some sixth kinds at faculties nonetheless “survive and flourish”, others struggled in comparison with schools and sixth type centres.

The Department for Education has been approached for remark.

“It’s been reshaped over a number of years,” Mr Watts defined of secondary college sixth kinds.

“What we’ve seen since probably the early mid-2000s is a gradual move toward more in the way of sixth form centres and colleges.

“Some sixth kinds [at schools] nonetheless survive and flourish… however there are some areas the place sixth kinds have struggled to retain the numbers and in addition in equity the funding of sixth kinds has gone down in actual phrases since I used to be a head.”

Sixth form colleges are typically larger than sixth forms attached to schools, and can support thousands of 16 to 19-year-old students studying for A-levels, as well as technical and vocational qualifications.

Mr Watts added that the impact of sixth form closures at secondary schools could affect the wider school community.

“For instance chances are you’ll not be capable of appeal to the identical high quality of workers as a result of actually I seemed to nominate workers who may educate proper throughout the age and skill vary, and the workers needed to do it from Year 7 proper by to Year 13,” he added.

“There are execs and cons… I do not suppose it does the overall high quality of training any good.

“Our educational standards, in terms of sixth forms, have not really increased nationwide.

“We’ve nonetheless obtained this very combined sample, so there may be nonetheless work to be completed.

“What the perfect answer is in a rural county, I’m not sure, but personally I am sad to see sixth forms go.”