Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 43655, what progress she has made on ensuring that A-level provision will be available in Knowsley Metropolitan Borough by September 2017.

I understand that Maria Eagle met with the Chief Executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency, Peter Lauener, on 7 December 2016, when she was assured that the department continues to work with the local authority Executive Director (Children) to determine the demand for A level provision above and beyond existing accessible provision.

Following a number of meetings, both the local authority and department have concluded that there is no clear evidence of immediate demand for A Level provision above and beyond that which currently exists and is available. The most recent meeting, confirming this position, took place on 15 June 2017.

The department remains committed to working with the local authority on a continued basis in order to review the need to establish new viable A Level provision within Knowsley Metropolitan Borough, and will consider taking steps to implement appropriate A Level provision should demand arise in the future.

In the interim, the local authority confirmed that it is working with a local college to look at ways to improve KS4 attainment within Knowsley Metropolitan Borough.

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough will also benefit from some limited A Level provision brought about through Knowsley Community College’s pending merger with St Helens College, where A Level provision will be delivered in the borough from September 2018.