Michael Gove’s latest spending cuts have apparently caused some colleges to scrap A-levels in subjects such as maths and languages.
According to research from the Independent, leaders of the country’s sixth form colleges state they have lost more than £100 million in funding over the past three years. This has resulted in core A-level subjects are being axed.
The survey showed nearly half (48 per cent) of sixth form colleges have reduced the number of courses they are offering, while the lion’s share (78 per cent) have had no choice but to reduce their staffing levels. This has meant class sizes have increased.
Leaders of colleges across the country are also infuriated with the amount spent by the government on other educational facilities. Free schools have between them 1,557 pupils – a figure lower than the average college’s number of pupils – and have received £62 million of government funding.
“Slashing sixth form funding to protect schools means the government is building a very well-appointed road to nowhere,” said James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, which carried out the research.