Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking ensure that sixth form colleges receive adequate funding to offer (a) student support and (b) extra-curricular activities.

We want young people to have a range of options so that they can develop the skills they will need in adult life. We encourage and support colleges, schools and other providers to provide a range of study programmes to help students develop these skills.

We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of providers until the end of the current spending review period in 2020. Overall, the government plans to invest nearly £7 billion during 2018/19 to make sure that there is a place in education or training for every 16 to 19 year old who wants one. This includes over £500 million in funding for disadvantaged young people to get the educational support they need and £127 million for discretionary 16-19 Bursary Fund allocations to provide financial support for those students who need it to participate.

Providers are funded for an average of 600 planned hours per year per full-time student. This level of funding supports a significant programme of study, typically including qualifications and extra-curricular enrichment activity as well as pastoral support and employability support. However, the viability of individual courses depends on student numbers and student choices. Some providers, in particular smaller institutions, may not always be able to offer the full range of subjects where small class sizes make it expensive to deliver less popular subjects. Ultimately, it is up to individual colleges to decide which courses to offer and, as part of their curriculum planning, they can consider working with other providers to combine resources and maximise their offers.

We are considering the efficiency and resilience of the sector and are assessing how far the current funding and regulatory structures enable high quality provision for young people. We will continue to look carefully at these issues in preparation for the next Spending Review.