Wensleydale School serving remote Yorkshire Dales communities set to close sixth form for at least two years

Post-16 education at Wensleydale School in Leyburn focuses on vocational subjects rather than A Levels – and the government’s withdrawal of BTEC courses has left the sixth form unviable.

A consultation has now begun on the school’s proposal to suspend the sixth form for two academic years beginning in September 2023, and its long-term future is uncertain.

Headteacher Julia Polley said: “While we are immensely proud of the achievements of our sixth form students over the past four years, we believe it is in the best interest of both the school and its students to focus all our attention and resources on continuing to provide excellent secondary education for the children of Wensleydale. For those students wishing to pursue post-16 education, we will be working closely with other sixth form providers to ensure a smooth transition.”

The school was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted report, but inspectors raised concerns about the sixth form and it had become difficult to offer sufficient breadth in the curriculum. They highlighted the ‘narrow’ offering of subjects and financial constraints.

Ms Polley added: “This has not been an easy decision to take and at present we are only proposing a temporary closure of the sixth form. We will use this time to consider our options. In the meantime, we very much look forward to receiving the responses to the consultation.”

The consultation will run until October 24.

The next nearest providers for A Level and other courses are Richmond School and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington.

In 2018, A Level teaching ended and the post-16 offer became the Business and Innovation Centre, with a focus on BTEC and CTEC qualifications in subjects including business, IT, sport, travel and tourism and health and social care rather than traditional academic courses.

The centre works with local businesses to offer opportunities for teenagers to remain working in the Dales when they complete their studies at Wensleydale.