Brighton and Hove’s school sixth forms are to be included in a council review of post-16 education provision, alongside a Government move to slash the number of colleges in Sussex.
Blatchington Mill School, Hove Park School and Newman College will be included in the four-month review, and Portslade Aldridge Community Academy and Brighton Aldridge Community Academy will also be invited to join.
City College, Varndean College and Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC) already form part of the Government’s review of 11 Sussex colleges which aims to reduce the number of institutions in the area.
Councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council’s children and young people and skills committee unanimously voted for the review of the city’s colleges and sixth forms.
Cllr Tom Bewick, chair of the children and young people committee, said today: “We want to make sure that our post 16 education and training offering is the best it can be for the young people in our region.
“This is about balancing the economic needs with the education and training offering.
“We believe the justification for the inclusion of school sixth forms is because they are part of the family of provision. A proportion of learners in the city attend these schools and it is important to include all providers in the debate and dialogue.
“On top of this post-16 provision and outcomes are one of our administration’s four priorities.”
Also included in the review is Central Sussex College in Crawley, Chichester College, Northbrook College, Plumpton College, Sussex Coast College in Hastings, Sussex Downs College, Worthing College and Bexhill College.
The review is expected to last around four months and be carried out through desk top research, college visits and a series of five steering group meetings. The group will be chaired by FE/Sixth Form Commissioner and consists of college principals and chairs, LEPs, Upper Tier local authorities, Regional Schools Commissioners, the funding agencies and DBIS.
