Sixth-form college cuts 'unfair'

Thursday, 3 February 2011 12:00 AM

By Alex Stevenson

Funding cuts mean sixth-form colleges are in danger of becoming nothing more than exam factories, an MP has claimed.

Nic Dakin used a comment piece for politics.co.uk to raise his concerns about the 12% cut in entitlement funding for sixth-formers resulting from the coalition government's spending reductions.

Colleges fear the cut will result in a severe reduction in the amount of tutorial, guidance and enrichment currently available. Entitlement funding is used to support extra-curricular activities, from team sport and orchestras to sign-language and community volunteering.

"In my view the size of the cut is unfair in comparison to the cut in funding per learner in primary and secondary education," the Labour MP wrote.

"It is quite amazing that sixth-form colleges - applauded by Michael Gove and widely recognised as one of the most efficient parts of the education system - should be hit so badly. Surely this is yet another unintended consequence of ill-thought out policy?"

Further and higher education have become key areas of opposition for the government's deficit reduction agenda, which have focused on the hike in tuition fees and abolition of the educational maintenance allowance.

Sixth-form funding for broader pastoral activities has received relatively little publicity as a result.

Children's minister Tim Loughton told the Commons in a response to Mr Dakin's debate on the issue that the government was spending an extra 1.5% in cash over 2010/11 to help young people have a place in education or training.

He said the coalition had to make spending decisions in the context of the "difficult economic position that we inherited" and that schools and colleges had to accept the "dire" climate.

"The chess clubs, the debating societies, the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme, and many of the things that went on in his own college are indeed important," Mr Loughton said.

"But at a time when we want to maximise participation by all 16- and 17-year-olds, alongside a need to respond to extremely difficult economic circumstances, providing a funding entitlement to those activities to all full-time learners cannot be a priority."

Mr Dakin will meet with Mr Loughton to discuss the impact the changes will have on sixth-form colleges.

He said the minister's comments had focused too heavily on the need to cut spending "until we are almost anorexic as a nation".

Mr Loughton "failed to properly understand the impact of these changes on the ground in real communities with real people", Mr Dakin added.

Entitlement funding will be cut from 114 to 30 hours a week, the Young People's Learning Agency announced before Christmas, saving £650 million.

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