WILL BRIGG GAIN ADDITIONAL STUDENTS?

Brigg Blog was sorry to learn that Barton's Baysgarth Sixth Form is set to close during 2018.
However, that set us thinking that some students in the 16-18 age bracket who would have done their A-levels in Barton might choose Brigg Sixth Form as an alternative.
There's already a bus from Barton and district running into Brigg early in the morning.
Here's the reason behind the impending change...

FROM NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

Baysgarth Sixth Form is to close in 2018 as it is no longer financially viable. The decision will enable the school to concentrate on continuing to improve learning for students in Year seven to 11 (aged 11 to 16).
Baysgarth School is currently in the top 10 per cent of secondary providers nationally and in the top five schools in the Humber region. It continues to go from strength to strength.
The Sixth Form will close once all the current students have completed their courses in summer 2018. There will be no further students recruited.
The Government has launched an area-wide review of post-16 provision. This asks every institution to examine whether their provision is cost-effective. The Government has said that it sees a minimum of 200 students as the benchmark for the size of school sixth forms. Baysgarth only has a quarter of this on roll.
The school has informed students and parents will receive a letter explaining the changes.
There will be a post-16 information evening on Monday 21 November at the school for current Year 11 students, where local colleges from Hull, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Bishop Burton will be on hand to talk to students about their future choices.
Richard Briggs, Headteacher at Baysgarth School, said: “We have demonstrated that we are a top performing school. To enable us to continue in this direction, we must face our challenges head-on. We want to ensure we are in a strong financial position to deliver excellent learning opportunities for everyone at the school.
“Over the last few years, funding for sixth form provision has reduced, which has prompted a review of the Sixth Form and the Governing Body’s decision to close. Because our Sixth Form is relatively small compared to others with just 46 students on roll, it is no longer financially viable to continue.
“We cannot, despite our best efforts, recruit more students to make it work. As a result, we are subsidising the Sixth Form to the tune of around £80,000 at the expense of the remaining students at the school and we cannot sustain this.
“The decision has not been taken lightly. It is regrettable, but makes strong business sense.”
Coun David Rose, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Learning at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Barton is quite unique in the sense that it is central to other sixth form centres and colleges such as Scunthorpe, Hull and Grimsby, so there is plenty of provision close by. Students do not rely on Barton as their only means of accessing sixth form education.
“We support the Governing Body’s decision; to enable the school to continue to thrive, tough decisions must be made. I am confident that there will be no detrimental effect on future students. They have a great choice of alternative places to study. The redirection of money to students in Year seven to 11 will enable the school to improve further.”