Talks over plans to suspend school's sixth form

A school is consulting over plans to temporarily close its sixth form.

In a letter to parents, Longcroft School in Beverley said it could suspend new entries to its Year 12 for the next two years.

The school said it was due to East Riding of Yorkshire Council planning to "remove all of the sixth form facilities and A-Level only teaching spaces" as well as a "historic low" number of 86 pupils enrolling in 2021 who are now in Year 11.

One parent with two daughters at the school said the planned closure "feels very rushed".

Annette said: "It feels like we've been kind of kept in the dark.

"This has just sprung on us through our children to begin with and it just feels unfair."

In its letter, the school said the financial impact of a reduction in the number of sixth form pupils "would be profound".

"It is important to clarify that the impact would not only be on the resource and provision in the sixth form, but would require further redirection of resources and statutory funding from Year 7 -11 to address the deficit that would be created and this would take many years to address."

A spokesperson for the council said the school would have more than 50% "surplus physical space on the school site" and the council and the Department for Education were "considering best use of the space across the school site, that will benefit children and young people in the East Riding".

"Utilising the surplus place for specialist and alternative provisions will require potential changes to the site, and relocation of some rooms and spaces," the spokesperson said.

"However, any changes to the site can be managed so that the school can continue to offer sixth form provision.

"The consultation regarding closing the sixth form is based on low pupil numbers in that year group.

"Maintaining a Year 12 intake with such low numbers in September 2026 would create a financial deficit that would impact the whole school."

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