Culcheth High School’s sixth form is set to close this year after Warrington Council’s executive board unanimously backed the governors’ proposal on June 10.
The decision affects the sixth form on Warrington Road, where admissions had already been suspended last year following years of dwindling pupil numbers. Last year, just 55 students began their studies, despite 200 places being available. That is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the current model, however disappointing the outcome is for the community.
The council said a full statutory consultation had taken place. Of the students who responded, 58 per cent said they would attend another college, while only 13 per cent said they would remain at Culcheth.
A council spokesman said the closure would allow resources to be used more effectively, rather than diverting money from the school’s 11 to 16 provision to cover the sixth form’s shortfall. The stated aim is to build on the school’s existing “good” rating and move it towards “outstanding”.
That argument will make financial sense to some families, but it does little to soften the blow of losing post-16 education at the heart of Culcheth. A local sixth form offers continuity, familiarity and fewer logistical headaches, all of which matter to students and parents who already have enough timetables to juggle.
Cllr Chris Vobe and Cllr Matt Smith, representing Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft for Labour, along with Bill Brinksman, representing Rixton and Woolston for Labour, said they were “disappointed” and would continue campaigning to save the sixth form.
They blamed “savage cuts” imposed on Warrington by the Coalition Government for contributing to the high school’s financial difficulties. They also said they believed several arguments had not been fully considered and intended to refer the matter to the council’s scrutiny committee.
So, while the council sees a financially unsustainable sixth form and a chance to concentrate resources on younger pupils, campaigners see a valuable part of Culcheth’s educational infrastructure being allowed to disappear. Both sides have a case, but the village is still left with the less convenient option and a sizeable hole in its local education offer.