Mum 'blindsided' over talks to suspend sixth form

A mum of three who set up a petition to save her children's sixth form from temporary closure says the situation is "very unsettling".

Rebecca Curley started her campaign after Longcroft School and Sixth Form College in Beverley said it was considering whether to suspend new entries to its Year 12 for the next two years.

Curley said: "There was no indication or anything. It just seems to have really blindsided me."

Headteacher David Perry said the school would continue to work alongside the local authority to find a solution that "reflects our shared priorities for young people".

Curley has one child who attends the sixth form and two others who are pupils at the school.

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

"Imagine as a child not knowing what your future is going to hold for a little while. That unknown is the scary part," she said.

Curley said she hoped the petition, which has attracted more than 100 signatures, would have "some sway in realising this is a huge thing for a lot of parents".

"I don't think you can sit back and let it happen if there's a chance you can make a change," she added.

A consultation has been set up by the school with parents and carers able to share their views until 3 April.

In an email sent to parents on Friday, the school stated the suggestion to suspend new entries was due to East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) 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.

Liberal Democrat councillor Tony Henderson, who represents the Minster and Woodmansey ward, said the proposal had come as a "total shock".

He said: "I fully support a sixth form provision and will work with Longcroft School and ERYC to try and ensure that one is still being delivered the next academic year and one after."

ERYC said it was working with Longcroft School and the Department for Education to look at the "best use of space" across the school site and how it would benefit children and young people.

"The school has cited use of school buildings on the site as a reason for not admitting a Year 12 in September 2026," a spokesperson said.

"Longcroft School has significant capacity, with over 50 per cent surplus physical space on the school site."

The authority added there was "no suggestion" it would remove any facilities without providing them elsewhere within the school.

Perry said: "Longcroft School and Sixth Form continues to go from strength to strength, and is now amongst the highest performing academically anywhere in the region.

"This strong trajectory does, however, sit alongside a smaller Year 11 cohort this year, shaped by factors already outlined in our consultation," adding: "This presents real challenges for post‑16 recruitment."

He said leaders had a responsibility to ensure every young person received "an excellent education", and the school remained financially secure in the long term.

"A consultation on a temporary pause to sixth form recruitment has been initiated, and it is not a decision taken lightly," he said.

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