Martin Stephen is wrong to claim that maintained sixth-form colleges are paid Pounds 3,600 per year for a student in a three A-level course. This college has been awarded Pounds 2,207,118 for the academic year which is starting and we have 825 students on roll at the beginning of this term.
This equates to Pounds 2,625 per student - Pounds 1,000 less than is claimed. Even a considerable drop-out rate (which we would not expect to happen), would not bring us above Pounds 3,000 per student. I would suggest that Mr Stephen has consulted some out-of-date data from a time when sixth-form colleges were not being subjected to the drastic economy drives that have been in the sector since 1993. As we are still a college with a higher level of funding than the average for the sector I think it very unlikely there is a single sixth-form college in the country receiving as much as Pounds 3,600 per year per student. If Mr Stephen has some inside information that government ministers are willing to pay Pounds 3,600 per student I would be very interested to know!
NICOLA J WATSON
Principal Scarborough sixth-form college Sandybed Lane, Scarborough
