Decision Maker: Executive Member for Education, Learning & Skills
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
To seek approval to begin a consultation on a
proposal to remove Sixth Form Provision at Wensleydale School and
Sixth Form by the 31 August 2025.
Executive Member approval to consult on a
proposal that the Council should change the age range at
Wensleydale School and Sixth Form, Leyburn, effective from 31
August 2025, by ceasing the Sixth Form Provision.
Due partly to the demographics of the
school’s sparse, and even super sparse, catchment area across
Wensleydale, numbers on roll at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form
dipped for five years, making it more difficult to maintain viable
class sizes at post 16 in terms of quality of experience, subject
breadth and financial viability. Wensleydale School and Sixth Form
is a relatively small secondary school, and with the
government’s withdrawal of funding for the school’s
BTECs, it was difficult for the school to offer a curriculum with
the sufficient breadth required. Though judging the school as
‘Good’ overall, Ofsted highlighted how the post-16
offering had ‘narrowed' and acknowledged this was ‘in
part due to financial constraints’.
In response to falling numbers of sixth form pupils, and following
consultation in Autumn 2022, the decision was made in Spring 2023
by the Governing Board to temporarily suspend entries to the Sixth
Form at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form for two years to take
effect from September 2023. The period of suspension has allowed
time to assess the practicalities of continuing with post-16
provision, given the Government’s withdrawal of the
vocational BTEC courses, which the school offered.
None
Publication date: 08/11/2024
Date of decision: 07/11/2024
Effective from: 16/11/2024
Accompanying Documents: