Sixth-form places face cutbacks

Thousands of teenagers may miss out on sixth-form places this summer as a result of a financial squeeze on schools and colleges. Headteachers have warned they face a shortfall of up to 4 per cent in budgets for sixth-form provision from next September.

It means almost 9,000 places around the country will not be financed, they estimated, with the result that students will either face larger class sizes or be told they cannot study certain subjects.

The cuts, they said, put in peril at least three major initiatives: the Government's plans to increase staying-on rates – with legislation to make it compulsory to stay in education untill 18 already in the pipeline; raising university participation to 50 per cent of all young people; and encouraging more youngsters to study diplomas introduced in schools and colleges for the first time last September.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Schools may have extra pupils wanting to stay on and study, say, history in the sixth-form but they will be told 'sorry, we can't put it on'."

One of the country's top comprehensives, William Farr in Lincolnshire, is missing out on around £160,000. That means 30 sixth-form places will not be funded.

The Learning and Skills Council, the body responsible for financing post-16 education, said the budget had risen by 4.3 per cent compared with the previous year.