Pupil numbers primarily determine the funding for school budgets. The funding model for post-16 education has changed in recent years and now favours larger sixth forms than Wensleydale School has ever had. Historically, funding intended for those in years 7 to 11 at the school to some extent subsidised the provision of a sixth form, but this has become increasingly unsustainable as schools have faced increasing cost and funding pressures over recent years.
This page gives the background to the proposal to change the age range at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form, by ceasing the sixth form provision with effect from 31 August 2025. There will be a public meeting at Wensleydale School on Thursday 5 December at 5.30pm.
Background
Following a consultation during October 2022, on the temporary suspension of the sixth form provision for a period of up to two years, effective from September 2023, the Governing Body of Wensleydale School and Sixth Form suspended the sixth form provision. The period of temporary suspension has allowed time to assess the practicalities of continuing with the post-16 provision, given the government’s withdrawal of the vocational BTEC courses, which the school offered.
The Governing Board based its decision on concerns about the limited range of post-16 qualifications and courses available, and related concerns about low post-16 pupil numbers and the school’s financial position. Given the withdrawal of government funding for the school’s more vocational BTEC courses, the suspension was necessary to secure the interests of current and future pupils.
The Governing Board’s decision to temporarily suspend the provision was not reached lightly, and not before alternatives were considered. A Level teaching finished at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form, Leyburn in 2018. The Business and Innovation Centre opened with a focus on more vocational subjects. The post-16 offer became a focus on BTEC and CTEC qualifications in subjects including Business Studies, IT, Sports Studies, Travel and Tourism and Health and Social Care rather than traditional academic A Level courses.
Wensleydale School and Sixth Form is a relatively small secondary school. Due partly to the demographics of the school’s very large, and often sparse catchment area, numbers on roll at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form suffered a demographic dip for five years, making it difficult to maintain viable class sizes at post 16 in terms of quality of experience, subject breadth and financial viability. With the government’s withdrawal of funding for the school’s BTECs, it was difficult for the school to offer a curriculum with the sufficient breadth required. Though judging the school as ‘Good’ overall, Ofsted highlighted how the post-16 offering had ‘narrowed' and acknowledged this was ‘in part due to financial constraints’.
Making a significant change
Any significant change that is expected to be in place for more than two years is considered a permanent change and requires a statutory process. At the end of the two-year suspension, if a proposal is made to close the post-16 provision permanently, the decision maker is North Yorkshire Council (or the Regional Director if the school has become an academy).
The proposal
At a recent meeting of the Governing Board of Wensleydale School and Sixth Form, Leyburn it was resolved to ask North Yorkshire Council to consult on the permanent closure of the school’s sixth form. For a community school like Wensleydale, the council’s Executive is the decision-making body for a permanent change, and a further period of consultation is required.
Sixth form numbers
The number of sixth form students at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form fell over the years, from a high of 86 sixth formers in 2013 to 2014 down to four, 10 and eight in the years prior to the temporary suspension.
| Year | Year 7 to Year 11 | Year 12 | Year 13 | Pupil numbers sixth form | Total pupil roll |
| 2013 to 2014 | 426 | 44 | 42 | 86 | 512 |
| 2014 to 2015 | 416 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 473 |
| 2015 to 2016 | 405 | 26 | 18 | 44 | 449 |
| 2016 to 2017 | 386 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 426 |
| 2017 to 2018 | 366 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 399 |
| 2018 to 2019 | 361 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 397 |
| 2019 to 2020 | 351 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 365 |
| 2020 to 2021 | 320 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 328 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 325 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 335 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 347 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 355 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 367 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 367 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 390 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 390 |
| 2025 to 2026 | Forecast - 406 | - | - | - | Forecast - 406 |
| 2026 to 2027 | - | - | - | - | Forecast including additional children generated from housing - 433 |
| 2027 to 2028 | - | - | - | - | Forecast including additional children generated from housing - 429 |
Sixth form numbers fell to the point where the choice of courses and quality of experience that the school could provide was limited compared to the much wider range of vocational study routes offered at other further education colleges.
Alternative larger sixth form provision in the area
There are benefits for young people of going to a larger external sixth form. Several larger secondary schools across North Yorkshire have already made a change in recognition that their sixth form is unable to offer the full range of A Level courses that larger post-16 providers can.
The next nearest sixth form within North Yorkshire is at Richmond School 9.7 miles away. However, traditionally many Wensleydale pupils looking to study A Levels have travelled to Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington.
The range of practical courses and vocational qualifications offered by further education colleges in the surrounding areas has increased over recent years. These organisations, such as Askham Bryan Agricultural College and Middlesbrough and Darlington Further Education Colleges, also offer specialist vocational facilities and their size bridges the gap between school and employment. They have become very popular with local families who broadly feel these organisations provide the widest offer for post-16 education and ensure that students are placed on a pathway that meets their needs and interests.
Funding
Standards
In May 2022 Ofsted judged the overall effectiveness of Wensleydale School as ‘Good’, with the quality of education rated as ‘good’, behaviour and attitudes as ‘good’, personal development as ‘good’ and leadership and management as ‘good’. However, as well as highlighting the school’s existing strengths in all these areas, the inspectors in this latest Ofsted report judged the sixth form provision as ‘requires improvement’.
Staffing
The school has advised that there would be no changes to staffing as a result of the proposed permanent closure of the sixth form.
Transport
We publish a Post 16 Policy Statement on our website by 31 May each year, which sets out the transport assistance available to young people moving onto sixth form or college who are residents in the county and who qualify.
We provide assistance with transport to the nearest sixth form or college to students who qualify. To qualify for assistance with transport to sixth form or college, the following applies:
- students must be over 16 and under 19 on 1 September and live in North Yorkshire
- students must be attending the nearest sixth form or further education college to their home address or the sixth form of the secondary school which is recognised as the normal school for their home address
- the course attended must be full-time, for instance, more than 12 hours a week
- the sixth form or college is the nearest establishment offering a course that we consider suitable to a student's career choice, or that is a pre-requisite for entry into higher education (see below for more details)
- the nearest sixth form or college is more than three miles from the home by the shortest walked route
- students must have an agreement from their parent or guardian to pay for the assistance.
Transport assistance needs to be renewed annually and is not provided for students on apprenticeships or work placements.
Further details are available on our transport to sixth form or college page here
Any parents who may wish to seek transport assistance should seek advice on transport entitlement prior to applying for a place on a post-16 course.
Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Darlington runs a minibus service from Leyburn at the beginning and end of the school day for sixth form students and there is also public transport to Richmond School and Darlington College.
Students attending post-16 courses in Darlington have tended to travel into Leyburn on public transport and then catch the College bus provided by Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College.
The proposal
For the reasons above it is proposed to change the age range at Wensleydale School and Sixth Form from 31 August 2025 by ceasing the sixth form provision.
Anticipated key dates
All dates are subject to approvals at each stage.
| Activity | Deadline date |
| Consultation opens | Monday 11 November 2024 |
| Public meeting | Wensleydale School on Thursday 5 December at 5.30pm |
| Consultation closes | Friday 20 December 2024 |
| The council’s Executive considers consultation response | Tuesday 21 January 2025 |
| Statutory notices published - four weeks for representations to be made | Friday 31 January to Friday 28 February 2025 |
| Final decision by the council’s Executive | March or April |
| Proposed implementation date | Sunday 31 August 2025 |
Take part in the consultation
The survey will close at 5pm on Friday 20 December 2024.
What happens next?
Responses to the consultation will be published on our website. Your personal details, and those of others you may refer to, will not be published.
All responses to the consultation received by Friday 20 December are scheduled to be considered by the council’s Executive on Tuesday 21 January 2025.
If the council’s Executive decides to proceed with the closure proposal, then statutory notices will be published in the local press on Friday 31 January 2025. These notices would provide a further four weeks for representations to be made. A final decision is then scheduled to be taken by the council's Executive on Tuesday 18 March 2025. If agreed, the school would close on Sunday 31 August 2025.