Anger as axe falls on sixth form

The college, which has been dogged by controversy in the past, had been deemed to be getting back on track after it gained specialist status earlier this year.

But a statement from the school released on Tuesday said the governors, in consultation with the county council, had made the decision to suspend sixth form provision from September 2008.

It said the school would not admit any current Year 11 students into

Year 12 but would honour all existing two-year courses for Year 12s.

At present the school has 152 students in its sixth form.

The statement said: 'The growth in sixth form numbers over the past two years has increased but not enough to make the provision viable.

'The curriculum was extended to offer more courses across the full ability range but this has resulted in small teaching groups, again insufficient in size to be sustainable.

'At the same time young people have a much wider range of learning options now as a result of new government 14-19 initiatives.

'It is a disappointing decision for the school to have to make given the significant improvements that have been made at both Key Stage 3 and 4 over the past couple of years.

'The school will place a central priority on safeguarding the quality of provision to those young people currently in Year 12.'

But parent Mike Irving, of Sherwood Road, said he felt it was 'an outrageous deceit perpetrated upon the young people and parents of Seaford'.

Mr Irving, whose son Elliot is in Year 12 at the school, said he was not reassured the present sixth form would be unaffected.

He said: 'I think there will be a knock-on from this.

'If teachers are only involved in sixth form and it is their main interest I cannot see them sticking around for two years.

'That means we are back in the situation we were in when it was going through the bad Ofsted when there was uncertainty and a huge turnover

of staff.'

Mr Irving said his son and others his age had also been through Seaford Primary when it was put in special measures by Ofsted as well as the community college when it, too, fell into special measures.

He added:'A community college is exactly that, it is right at the heart of Seaford.

'If we want to try to attract younger families and people into the town it does not help if facilities like this vanish.'

Headteacher Lynton Golds said it was too early to say if any jobs would be lost as a result of the decision.