4 November 2024
To whom it may concern
Consultation on the proposed closure of Sixth Form Provision and Changes to Admission Arrangements for Year 12 and 13 at The Holy Family Catholic School, a voluntary academy BCWCAT, Keighley.
I am writing to seek your view on the proposal to close the sixth form at The Holy Family Catholic School, a voluntary academy, and to amend the admission arrangements for Year 12 and 13. This will reduce the total capacity of the school from 1,110 to 810.
If this proposal is approved, there would be no provision to admit Year 11 students into Year 12 in academic year 2024-2025. Current Year 13 students will complete their courses, the sixth form will then close at the end of the academic year in 2025 and
will not have any sixth form provision from September 2025.
This proposal is made to recognise the changing educational landscape in Keighley and the wider Bradford district. The Educational Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA) approved the opening of a further local sixth form college in 2025 to specialise in Post 16
provision, creating more and specialised capacity for older learners. This new sixth form college and the other Post 16 provisions in the district are now open and more of our learners are opting to attend these colleges rather than the sixth form provision
at The Holy Family Catholic School.
Most importantly, the changes proposed will benefit the students at The Holy Family Catholic School now and in the years to come. Because of the reducing numbers in the sixth form, we have only been able to offer a small range of Post 16 options for our
students wishing to stay here.
The diverse range of Post 16 providers in Keighley and Bradford will open many more pathways for each of our students, be they academic, vocational, or directly specialised work related. It is our responsibility to ensure that we secure the right pathway
forward for every one of our students entering Post 16 education. The closure of the sixth form will also allow the school to focus exclusively on 11 -16 education and be able to broaden curriculum provision for these students.
The purpose of this letter is therefore to gain your views and comments on the proposal to close the sixth form provision at The Holy Family Catholic School and change the admission arrangements, as part of the overall consultation prior to any decision
being made. Letters of consultation will be sent to all local schools, parents/carers, local community, local authority, and all other stakeholders.
The consultation period will run from Monday, 4 November 2024 to Monday,
25 November 2024. After which, we submit your responses and a business case to the Department for Education, who will decide on the proposed closure of the sixth form.
Any comments or suggestions on the proposal can be made by emailing: consultations@bcwcat.co.uk
For those parents who still require a Catholic Post-16 Provision, please do let us know. An alternative school within the Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust could be offered.
Finally, I hope you can support us with this change. It is an important development, and it will help us to realise our ambition to create a remarkable school for our community to be proud of.