Parents unhappy as school puts sixth form on hold

Parents have shared their disappointment after a school announced it is temporarily closing its sixth form.

Longcroft School and Sixth Form College in Beverley, East Yorkshire, said in March it was considering suspending new entries to its Year 12 due to a "historic low" number of 86 pupils enrolling in 2021 who are now in Year 11.

In an email announcing its decision to parents on Wednesday, head teacher David Perry said the decision was made "with deep regret and sympathy for those pupils and families affected".

Jo Foster, whose daughter has just finished her GCSEs at the school, said: "They've just left Year 11s in the dark and it's absolutely disgusting."

The email stated the decision to pause recruitment to its sixth form was made after a request for Falling Rolls Funding had been declined due to "falling post-16 numbers being outside the remit of such funding according to government guidance".

It stated: "The longer-term commitment to the sixth form provision at Longcroft remains unwavering both for the school and local authority."

East Riding of Yorkshire Council confirmed governors had made the "difficult decision" to temporarily close the sixth form for the next academic year.

A spokesperson said: "This decision has been made following consultation and looking at all options available.

"The extraordinary make-up of the current Year 11 cohort, which relates to historic factors detailed in the consultation, would mean that recruiting to Year 12 in September would create a financial deficit impacting the whole school."

They added the current Year 12 pupils would continue into Year 13 as normal.

Foster said her daughter was left thinking "what am I going to do?" as she sat her GCSE exams.

She said the school had "sold her daughter a dream" after offering her a place and now telling her it will not be happening.

"My daughter was very, very upset," she said.

"She will either start a college she came out of a taster day crying at or start one she's never been to."

Foster said some of the teachers had been "so caring" and "really trying to help the students" but communication had been "absolutely diabolical" in terms of the sixth form decision.

Mum-of-three Rebecca Curley, who has one child who already attends the sixth form and two others who are pupils at the school, set up a petition in March to try to save it.

She said one of her children in Year 10 had planned to attend the sixth form and was "very unsettled" by the uncertainty.

"A mix of emotions really. Disappointed and really sad for everyone involved," Curley said on how she felt when she read the school's email.

She added it was "such a shame" as Perry had "worked so hard to build up the reputation of Longcroft".

Steve Scott, of the National Education Union, said it was "really disappointing" news for its members at the school.

He said: "Those members really care about the pupils they've been teaching, some of them for up to five years through their career at Longcroft.

"They're now being left stranded at the very last minute.

"If the recruitment of the sixth form doesn't pick up in the coming years then it will be a battle we will have to keep on having."

The school has been contacted for comment.

Listen to highlights fromHull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices