Written evidence from the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association

Ahead of the Public Accounts Committee session on 16 to 18 year old participation in education and training this Monday, I wanted to draw your attention to a recent report by London Economics (commissioned by the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association) that I think will be of interest.

The report, Assessing value for money in sixth form education, highlights  the huge inequality in funding between different types of 16-18 provider. While there is now a single funding formula for all 16-18 providers, schools and academies (unlike Sixth Form Colleges) have their VAT and insurance costs refunded, and receive a 100% capital grant for their buildings. The average Sixth Form College pays £335,000 per year in VAT alone (more information on this anomaly can be found here).

Surely all 16-18 year olds should receive the same level of investment in their education, irrespective of where they choose to study?

Sixth Form Colleges outperform school and academy sixth forms while educating more disadvantaged students and receiving less funding. They also offer superior value for money by delivering better outcomes than schools and academies at a lower cost to the public purse. All of this is achieved with a greater proportion of students eligible for Free School Meals: 11 per cent of Sixth Form College students were eligible for this benefit at age 15 compared to 8 per cent of students in academies.

Yet Sixth Form Colleges are falling in number while academy sixth forms (and 16-19 Free Schools) are increasing in number. If the Government is serious about increasing 16-18 participation, it should look beyond the academy/free school brand and focus on supporting the institutions that have a proven track record in helping students to progress to engage in, and progress through, education.

The 16-18 budget has been cut three times since the beginning of this parliament. Sixth Form Colleges have been hit hardest and this is having a real impact on the education of students. We understand the public finances are in a poor condition and that some cuts are inevitable. But these cuts are hard to square with:

1. The fact that the Government has no idea how much it has cost to open the 138 new school and academy sixth forms established since 2011
2. The £62 million investment in 9 16-19 Free Schools between 2010 and 2013 - an average of £6,853,613 per institution - that will educate 1557 students (if they hit their recruitment targets, which looks very unlikely). This week we learned that 5 more have opened in 2014, including…
3. Spending £45 million on a single 16-19 Free School in Westminster that will educate just 500 students. The average Sixth Form College educates 1700 students.

James Kewin

Deputy Chief Executive

October 2014