Concern over sixth-form provision in Mid Wales
Post-16 education in Mid Wales is not viable in its present set-up, councillors are being warned.
Sixth-form provision needs to be transformed, urgently, a report to Powys County Council’s Cabinet says.
The meeting on Tuesday will consider a review of the county’s existing post 16 education and look at possible future options.
One of the concerns is that many 16-18 year olds chose to go to sixth forms and colleges across the Shropshire border, including in Oswestry and Shrewsbury, the report says.
The stage one review shows that although the service is well-regarded providing high quality service for 16-18 year olds it is facing a huge education and financial challenges.
Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Councillor Myfanwy Alexander said; “We have a duty to look after our learners, including those who are over 16 and it is clear that we need to remodel our provision to ensure that we can ensure all our young people are helped to fulfil their ambitions.”
She said that secondary pupil numbers attending Powys schools have fallen 20 per cent since 2010 from 8,998 to 7,244 with the trend showing little improvement. The position for post-16 pupils is even worse with a near 33 per cent decline during the same period - falling from 1,445 to 978.
Viable
In Newtown, where there is also a post 16 college, numbers at the sixth form have dropped from 155 to 50 over the last decade. In Llanfyllin the numbers have dropped from 197 to 105 and in Welshpool from 185 to 118.
Nine of the county’s 11 sixth forms now have fewer than 100 learners. The county council considers that 180 learners are needed for a sixth form to be financially and educationally viable.
The report says that sixth form funding which is provided directly by the Welsh Government has fallen as a result, with the total received by the county cut from £6.5m in 2013-14 to £4.4m in 2018-19. A number of schools are already experiencing severe budget deficits and are being forced to take difficult staffing and curriculum decisions as a result.
Short-term measures to be considered by the cabinet include developing a new brand for post-16 education, launching a new marketing campaign to attract learners, developing digital learning opportunities to broaden choice and reduce travel and revising the post-16 funding formula.
The review also acknowledges that more ambitious longer term solutions are need to provide a critical mass and provide high quality sustainable post-16 provision in the county.
"Any model will need to be considered carefully, with a detailed business considering the cost-benefit implication and impact of any structural change," Councillor Alexander said.
"Proposals will have to be discussed with all interested parties, with any final plan taking account of the financial impact on learners, communities, the economy, environment and the Welsh language."
