Commenting on the report of the Education Policy Institute (EPI)
about the decline in sixth form and college funding, Geoff
Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said:
“Even for a government with such a terrible record on education
funding in general, its neglect of sixth forms and colleges has
been particularly egregious. Despite the fact that this phase of
education is obviously vital to the life chances of young people,
sixth forms and colleges have been starved of the funding they
need and students deserve.
“The basic level of funding for 16-18 year olds is just £4,000
per year. To put this into perspective, this compares to
university tuition fees of up to £9,250 in the next phase of
education. There is no rhyme or reason for this vast
difference.
“This situation has resulted in unavoidable cuts to courses and
student support services. Subjects with smaller uptakes such as
modern foreign languages and creative arts subjects are
increasingly unsustainable.
“The government will doubtlessly say that the level of funding
for sixth forms and colleges will be considered as part of the
forthcoming spending review. However, it has already put off
action about this crisis for far too long and it needs to act now
to reverse the damage it has done.”
