That this House has considered sixth form provision in Bolsover constituency.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler.
Residents of Bolsover must feel like they have déjà vu. My predecessor, Mark Fletcher, first raised the need for a sixth form in Bolsover in Parliament on 2 March 2020. On 7 March 2023, he spoke in this very Chamber about the need for Bolsover to have its own sixth form. On 6 September 2023, the then Prime Minister congratulated Mark on getting a sixth form. So the question that residents rightly ask is: why are we here today? Why have I raised this issue in Parliament five times in the past year? Why have I met Ministers and the Education Secretary to make representations? Why are Andrew Burns, the chief executive officer of Redhill Academy Trust, and Richard Pierpoint, the regional director, here with us to see this debate today?
As one resident succinctly put it, getting the promise is one thing, but making sure that that promise is delivered is another thing entirely. Despite Mark’s determined campaign and the tireless work of The Bolsover school executive headteacher Matt Hall, who sadly cannot be with us today because he has an Ofsted inspection, the previous Government’s promises have not been delivered.
Although I wish I was here congratulating Mark as new pupils enter North Derbyshire university academy, I saw as soon as I was elected that I needed to take up the baton. I will not rest until the young people of Bolsover, Clowne, Shirebrook, Creswell and the surrounding villages have the sixth form that they so desperately need.
Why is this so important? For far too many of our young people, Bolsover today is a story of unfilled potential. Bolsover covers a huge area, from Pinxton to Whitwell, Shirebrook to Wessington, yet there is no sixth form. When it comes to barriers to opportunity, surely one of the biggest is that the closest sixth form is a 30-minute bus ride away at a cost of £25 a week. The inability to access any form of education past the age of 16 without getting on one or two buses and travelling for up to an hour is why so few teenagers attend a school sixth form—only 25% from The Bolsover school, 13% from Heritage high school in Clowne and just 8% from Shirebrook academy do so. For those who live anywhere else in the country, the average figure is three times higher than for Shirebrook.
I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate and for her campaigning in this Chamber, which has clearly been instrumental—the people here and those at home watching will be greatly inspired by her, so well done. In my constituency in Ards, we need to ensure that our teenagers have support and sound career advice for the next steps, including in the sixth-form college at Regent House school and the South Eastern Regional college; the King’s Trust works alongside schools there. I know that the Minister is always looking for examples of good work, so may I suggest, through the hon. Lady, that he looks at the good things we are doing in Northern Ireland that could address the very issues she is working so well to address for her constituents?
Students are less likely to get A-levels in Bolsover than in any other part of Derbyshire. Some students do really well in their GCSEs and go on to a really good sixth form in Chesterfield, but it is more than 10 miles away. They have to get two buses: one to Chesterfield town centre and one to the Newbold area. The sixth form has a private bus, but it is £1,000 a year and takes about 50 minutes each way. That puts the school out of reach for students whose families cannot afford the travel, and the long travel times do nothing to encourage anyone to go there.
I want to talk about two brothers who recently left The Bolsover school and started at the nearest sixth form. Both dropped out in the first year because of the cost of the bus. One of the brothers tried to run the five-and-a-bit miles to sixth form and back every day, but with a bag full of books, and winter weather and darkness, he could not sustain it. They have both dropped out of their level 3 studies, and we believe they are no longer in education at all.
When we fail our children, there are lifelong consequences. Not having a sixth form is a large part of why only a quarter of 18-year-olds in Bolsover enrol at university, compared with the UK average of 36%. It is why, on education, skills and training measures, Bolsover is the 99th most deprived constituency in the country. It is also why people’s wages in Bolsover are £100 less per week than the UK average. Having less money and less education affects people’s ability to live long and healthy lives. A quarter of our residents only have GCSEs, but a quarter have no qualifications at all. On every measure I have looked at, Bolsover could and should be doing better. We have to give people the same opportunities that children living in larger towns and cities take for granted.
The young people I see when I visit their schools blow me away. On a recent visit to Shirebrook academy, they told me that they did not want to be called disadvantaged because it is another label that holds them back. Instead, they are funny, they are polite, they are smart—and my God, they are full of potential. They make me so happy just being around them. Ridiculously, they treat me like I am a big deal. It is them who are the biggest of deals. It is our job as a Government to put a world of opportunity in front of them, just like the last Labour Government did for me.
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Natalie Fleet) on securing this important debate on post-16 education in Bolsover, and on championing the needs of young people in her constituency. She is a tremendous advocate for the people who elected her.
Every young person deserves access to high-quality post-16 education and training options. It is essential that we provide clear, ambitious pathways for all children across the country. By investing in diverse education and training options, we unlock the potential of our young people, and we meet the evolving needs of employers and the wider economy. I commend my hon. Friend’s continued advocacy for securing post-16 education in Bolsover. Her commitment ensures that local voices are heard loud and clear, and that her constituents get the best chance of meaningful change as soon as possible. From her speech, I recognise the strength of local feeling on this matter.
Young people across England should have choices after their GCSEs, but those choices are currently unevenly spread across our country. The Prime Minister, at the Labour party conference earlier this year, announced a new ambition that two thirds of young people gain higher-level qualifications, which will set them up for a fulfilling career and life. This new ambitious goal will be challenging to meet for the Government and the country, but in meeting it, we will create incredible life chances for children and young people in progressing not just to university but to higher-level qualifications through other routes.
Our skills strategy puts the detail on how we will go about achieving that to deliver fantastic outcomes for young people when they turn 16. It includes a targeted system that prioritises training pathways where skilled labour is needed and demand is growing. We will ensure high-quality routes for young people at all levels of attainment, including the new vocational level—the V-level—and the recently introduced T-levels, as well as A-levels, which have a really important role to play.
1:24 pm
Sitting suspended.
I grew up seeing more people I know going to prison than to university. I was really lucky to have a Government with the slogan, “Education, education, education”—a Government determined to be ambitious for me before I even knew what ambition was. The Labour Government gave me opportunity that I never expected to need and smashed down barriers that I could not have anticipated. Instead of writing me off as a young mum, they paid for childcare for my newborn, meaning that I could drop her off at nursery and take the short bus ride to West Notts college. They invested in brilliant education that I will forever be grateful for and supported me to get the grades that meant I could go to university with my second baby on the way.
The first time I visited The Bolsover school, I asked where the teenage mums were, and I was told that they did not have them. I panicked, because I worried that teenage mums were being excluded from education. Instead, I was told that they did not exist, at least not in the same way that they used to, because the same Government who had supported me had also implemented a teenage pregnancy strategy. That strategy meant that my area, which had the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe when I had my baby, saw the biggest issue facing us and tackled it. That is incredible. I am here to make sure that we leave an equally impactful legacy for the next generation. We must give Bolsover’s young people access to quality education in our area.
I promise that I am not just being a difficult woman. In the last 12 hours, I have received well over 100 emails, messages and comments on this issue from parents, former pupils, current pupils and teachers who live in the area—anyone with a connection to the school, young people and education. They are desperate for this sixth form to go ahead.
Sky, a former Bolsover student, said:
“I finished Bolsover School in 2023 and had to move to another Sixth Form, but I didn’t think it was worth the experience. The education felt like a downgrade—if Bolsover School had a Sixth Form, I would have stayed and had a better experience, like I did in my secondary years.”
Alysha, another former Bolsover student, said:
“After my GCSEs, I would have loved to continue my studies somewhere familiar and local. I now travel over an hour each day to Sixth Form, but if Bolsover had one, I’d have stayed. I hope future children can have that chance”.
Parents of young children are already looking for the best option for their child to gain a higher level of qualification, and they know that a local sixth form would help them to achieve those goals. Victoria, a Bolsover mum, said:
“My daughter is a hardworking and bright child in year 8 at The Bolsover School. Her dreams and ambitions should not be cut short because Bolsover is deemed not to be worthy of such a basic requirement, the investment in education, by some.”
Another mum said:
“My oldest son is currently in year 10, he’s a high achieving pupil predicted 8-9 grades in all subjects. He does however have severe anxiety, particularly social anxiety. If he needs to get a bus to school for sixth form, he simply won’t go.”
Other parents of children with special educational needs have echoed this sentiment, telling me that their children need the supportive and structured environment of a sixth form at the school they know and are familiar with in order to continue their education.
However, this is not just an issue for SEND parents. A teacher from my area told me that many students feel daunted by travelling to a big college and often give up on their ambitions because there is no local option. That teacher said that a sixth form in Bolsover would be transformational: inspiring young people, raising aspirations and showing them that their community believes in their potential.
Parents can see that the playing field is not level and that their children have an undeserved disadvantage because of where they live. One dad, Sammie, wrote:
“The difference to growing up on the outskirts of Nottingham 20 years ago to living in Bolsover today is quite scary. The opportunities around Bolsover for young people to grow and develop are dire.”
Another dad, who has two children, said:
“The sixth form would raise aspirations, build on the strengths of one of the best schools in the area and ensure our children have the best educational start in life, so they can help contribute to the financial and economic prosperity of our district for generations to come.”
That is key. If Bolsover people are already leaving the area to get their A-levels, they are more likely to move away to pursue a career, and a cycle of low attainment and low aspiration continues for those who are left.
As a child of the last Labour Government, I am determined to deliver for the children of this Labour Government. I hope I have shown that what I speak of today is really personal to me. However, this is not just about me; I have a community behind me, and they are desperate for this to happen. This is important, and this is why politics matters. I leave that very special community and my family behind every week to be here because I cannot let it be only me who benefits from the last Labour Government’s investment in my education. I want these children—the children of this Labour Government—to benefit in the same way. I am thrilled to see us smashing down barriers to opportunity, making sure that no child is ever too hungry to learn and that our little ones are ready for school on that special first day.
I have an extra ask of the Government, on behalf of the young people of Bolsover. Let us show these incredible children that we will not leave them behind any longer. I ask that we get spades in the ground and open the doors of North Derbyshire university academy.
Let me directly address the proposal for North Derbyshire university academy, which my hon. Friend put so well. I recognise her tireless support for the new academy in Bolsover, which would provide much-needed academic post-16 education in a town that currently has none.
I also recognise that participation rates for young people in my hon. Friend’s constituency going into some form of education or training at 16 or 17 are below the national average. The anecdote she shared about £25 a week bus costs and 30-minute bus journeys resonates with me personally; I represent a constituency in rural, post-industrial Cumbria, where transport links to colleges and opportunities have a big impact on young people’s chances. The story of the young boy needing to run, or to consider running, to college paints a vivid image of the challenge faced by young people in Bolsover. I commend Redhill Academy Trust for its work and perseverance in developing its exciting proposals.
I will now say a little about the mainstream free school review that we are undertaking. My hon. Friend will be aware that we are reviewing 44 free school projects that are in the pipeline, including the college in question. I understand that she and the proposers of the school—Redhill Academy Trust, Derbyshire county council and families in her constituency—want certainty about the project as soon as possible, and I thank everyone for their continued patience. Our review has a clear rationale: we want a school system in which all children and young people can achieve and thrive.
The previous Government spent substantial amounts on free schools, despite evidence that they would create surplus capacity, diverting resources from much-needed work to improve the condition of the existing school estate. The image of crumbling roofs and the RAAC crisis was a vivid demonstration of the previous Government’s failure to keep on top of the school estate. We want children everywhere to have the excellent places they need, not extra places they do not. We must drive efficiency and reduce wasteful spending so that we get the best bang for every pound that we spend.
That is why, in October 2024, the Secretary of State for Education announced a review of mainstream free schools planned by the previous Government that have not yet opened. We want to ensure that the places are needed in the local areas where they are proposed, and that they represent value for taxpayers’ money. We recognise that academy trusts play a vital role in fostering collaboration and improving education, especially in disadvantaged areas. They have an essential role to play in the future of new schools and colleges as well.
We have been carefully evaluating evidence-based recommendations for all 44 projects in scope of the review, which has been a substantial exercise. In taking final decisions, we are considering all projects in the round. We are also taking into account the recent multi-year spending review and competing priorities across the Department. I am happy to personally assure my hon. Friend that I will provide her with an update on the matter before Christmas, and as soon as possible, so that we can answer the questions put by her and her community.
I again commend my hon. Friend’s continued commitment to improving outcomes for those in her constituency, and her desire to see 16-to-19 provision in the town of Bolsover. Education is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity at every stage and give every young person the best start in life, no matter their background. We know that potential is spread right across the country, especially in places such as Bolsover, but that opportunity is not. We need to make sure that it is.