New sixth form school in Keighley under review
A specialist Sixth Form School, to be called New College Keighley, was approved by the Conservative Government in August 2023.
THE Trust behind a planned sixth form college in Keighley says it remains committed to the project, after Government announced it was reviewing whether the school should still go ahead.
A specialist Sixth Form School, to be called New College Keighley, was approved by the Conservative Government in August 2023.
It would be run by the New Collaborative Learning trust, the group that runs New College Bradford, and was due to open in 2026.
But this week the new Labour government announced that it would be reviewing 44 free school projects around the country.
These were schools that were approved by the previous Government that have yet to be built.
Although a list of schools under review has not been published, it has been confirmed to the Telegraph & Argus that New College Keighley is one of the plans to be further scrutinised.
The trust behind the plans believes there is still a strong case for a new sixth form college in Keighley, and Bradford Council’s leader said it was working with the trust to make representations to the Government as part of the review.
Details of where in the town the college would be built have not yet been disclosed.
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, said: “Under the last administration, substantial funds were allocated to the free schools programme, often resulting in surpluses in school capacity. The National Audit Office set out in 2017 that of the 113,500 new places in mainstream free schools due by 2021, an estimated 57,500 amounted to spare capacity in the new schools’ local area.
“Not only is this poor value for money, the oversupply of places can be detrimental to the other, more established schools in that area – who might lose pupils, as well as teachers, to their new competitor.
“I have therefore asked officials to review the mainstream free schools planned by the last government, that have not yet opened. We will look at whether they will meet a need for places in their local area and offer value for taxpayers’ money. We will also take into account whether projects would provide a distinctive curriculum and any impact on existing local providers.”
After the announcement, Keighley MP Robbie Moore (Cons) said: “This review is a serious misstep by the new Labour Government and risks jeopardising a crucial new sixth form college for Keighley, which would benefit many young people across our area.
“Our town, and the wider area, desperately needs projects that will help raise educational standards and create opportunities for our young people, especially in an area that has been historically disadvantaged.
“To now suggest pulling the plug on a project which has cross-party support is completely wrong, and I have written to the Secretary of State urging her to immediately reconsider and allow our new college to proceed.
“The future prospects of our young people should not be up for debate.”
A statement from the New Collaborative Learning trust said: “The government has indicated that it is reviewing some of the free school proposals announced last summer, including New College Keighley.
“New Collaborative Learning Trust remains deeply committed to this project, building on the successes of New College Bradford, New College Pontefract and New College Doncaster, all rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. We believe that all young people should be able to access good quality post-16 provision in their local community, including those in Keighley and the surrounding area. Students will benefit greatly from an inclusive and academic sixth form college, offering a wide range of A level and A level equivalent qualifications.
“The case for New College Keighley is as strong as when the project was approved by the Department for Education, if not stronger, and we will continue to work closely with Bradford Council and the Department for Education as it carries out its review in the coming weeks.”
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council said: “We have always been supportive of New College and their plans for Keighley.
“We’ve already been in touch with the college and will be working with them on representations to government.”
Plans to open a Northern school of the acclaimed performing arts Brit School in Bradford – approved the same time as New College Keighley – are not included in the Government’s review.