Newman sixth form closes

OLDHAM’S only Catholic secondary school is closing its sixth form — and is blaming government reforms for the drastic action.

Newman College on Broadway, Chadderton, is not accepting any Year 12 pupils in September. The sixth form will then shut completely in 2015 when Year 13 pupils finish their courses.

The sixth form offers vocational BTEC courses in health and social care and uniformed public services.

But head teacher Mike McGhee claims it has been left with no option but to close after the Government’s decision to stop accrediting uniformed public services — part of a cull of hundreds of GCSEs-equivalent vocational qualifications which were branded “poor value”.

This means it will not count in league tables or university applications for new students from September, although those who have already started the course will not be affected.

Newman College opened in September, 2011, replacing St Augustine and Our Lady’s high schools. The latter had a sixth form.

It moved into a new £33.8 million building a year later in the middle of a programme of budget cuts to school sixth forms to bring them in line with sixth form colleges.

But at the time Mr McGhee said he wanted to create a niche sixth form — rated as “good” in the school’s latest Ofsted inspection.

In the academic year just finished it had a total of 43 pupils short of its capacity of 150, and four members of staff.

It will have 25 Year 13 pupils in September. Two members of staff on temporary contacts have not had them renewed.
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