Families in north Norfolk are caught up in the current chaos. Sheringham Sixth Form has revealed that it has decided not to provide any new A-level courses from this September. This decision has left many families dismayed, particularly those who had planned for their children to attend the institution for their advanced studies.
Photo courtesy of Mistress Rhiannon Van Der Zanden Alexis, to the left, was one of those who were most anticipating enrolling at Sheringham Sixth Form this coming autumn. With that announcement, Alexis was left with a 17–mile trip to Reepham College. This is a major shift from her typical five-minute jaunt to Sheringham. The announcement leaked to Twitter before parents and students even got the official message. This has created a lot of concern about how it would impact students’ educational pathway.
Parents weren’t notified of the closure until Thursday, when the news rippled through the community with disbelief and anger. Natasha Watts, whose daughter had planned to go to Sheringham Sixth Form, expressed her unhappiness at the unexpected news. She emphasized the adjustment her daughter must go through with the large amount of travel and frankly just getting used to a new environment.
“This is far from ideal and a huge change for my daughter.” – Natasha Watts
Watts testified to her worries about her daughter’s transition. She stressed that her daughter is not accustomed to travelling such great distances and does not expect to know Reepham College or its students well.
“She is not used to travelling, does not know Reepham, and does not know anyone who attends Reepham College.” – Natasha Watts
Critics warn that the closure will particularly hurt vocational subjects, such as motor vehicle studies and health and social care. These programs will be going ahead at Sheringham, barring insufficient enrollment. All A-level choices will soon end, throwing hundreds of thousands of students into chaos as they search for replacement options.
We have around fifty students who are projected to come into Year 12 in September. This represents a huge drop in enrollment for A-level courses at Sheringham Sixth Form. This dramatic reduction has led to a lot of excitement and conversations among local leaders. In response to the initial proposals, Steff Aquerone, the newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, expressed his strong opposition. These amendments would void A-level provisions at the school.
“I’m very concerned by proposals that would see A-level provision end at Sheringham Sixth Form.” – Steff Aquerone
Parents have every reason to be concerned about the timing of this announcement. The students are in the thick of their GCSE preparations now. Natasha Watts remarked on the timing of the announcement, stating:
“This has had a massive impact and is not what is needed whilst they’re trying to revise for their GCSEs.” – Natasha Watts
Already stressful for families as they acclimate to these economic changes, most students today have far commutes as they work to achieve their long-term educational goals. The fallout from this decision will be felt across the entire community as students scramble to find appropriate options to further their education.
