All Saints RC School and Manor CE Academy plan to create joint faith-based sixth form

All Saints RC School and Manor CE Academy plan to set up an associated faith-based sixth form run by both schools, which will open in September 2015.

All Saints already has a sixth form at Mill Mount, but Manor does not have any post-16 pupils.

Up to 240 places in total would be made available for Year 12 students in the new sixth form. The vast majority of teaching would take place at the current All Saints site, with vocational performing arts courses and post-16 special educational needs being provided at Manor.

All Saints head Bill Scriven said the plan would not affect the ongoing bid for a new £20 million All Saints School, reported in The Press last November.

Mr Scriven, said: “All Saints has been a preferred sixth form for Manor students for some years now.

“With an associated sixth form we feel that we have a fantastic opportunity to combine the expertise of both organisations and take an already first-class provision to an even higher level.”

A formal consultation period will run from today until March 31 and all views will be considered before a decision is made. There will also be public consultation meetings at both schools, starting next week.

Manor principal Brian Crosby said: “The opportunity to join forces with All Saints and create a faith-based, associated sixth form, jointly governed, is exciting and I hope people will support our proposals.”

The two schools have a long history in York, with the Bar Convent, the predecessor school to All Saints, opening in the mid-16th century and Manor at the start of the 19th century.

All Saints is a Roman Catholic school and Manor a Church of England academy.

Mr Scriven said: “There are clear benefits for both our organisations in a joint venture. It is very exciting that two high achieving schools should come together in this way.

“It is the best example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.”

Admission arrangements to the current All Saints sixth form for this year are unaffected. The proposal will be submitted after the two-month consultation.

The schools have been informally discussing working together on post-16 provision for ten years, although it has only been in the last six months that a workable proposal has come together.

To respond to the consultation, email sixthformresponse@gmail.com or write to the schools.

All responses will be collated and a final submission made to the Government’s Education Funding Agency. The business case will be considered and a recommendation made to the Secretary of State for Education, who will make the final decision.

History of working together in faith

The schools have given the following reasons why the plan should go ahead:

• Faith and a history of working together – continuing education in a Christian context and sharing expertise

• Continuity – for the first time, Manor students will be guided through their further education by a sixth form staff which will include some Manor teachers

• A larger range of courses – All Saints’ courses will be supplemented by Manor’s specialist facilities available to students and special educational needs students

• Economy of scale – many Manor students already choose All Saints for sixth-form provision

• Financial viability – value for money is a key concern that must be addressed.

Dates for the consultations

Public consultation meetings will be held next week:

• Monday: general public plus families of Years 9/10, Manor

• Tuesday: general public plus families of Years 7/8, Manor

• Wednesday: general public plus families of Years 9/10, All Saints

• Thursday: general public plus families of Years 7/8, All Saints.

Meetings will start at 7pm and finish at 8.30pm. The All Saints meetings will be on the lower school site. A follow-up meeting will be called later.