A REVIEW of sixth-form education across Bradford has found major changes need to be made to improve standards.

The council-led review found the district has too many smaller sixth-forms based in schools.

It calls for them to be replaced with fewer, larger sixth-form colleges to try to turn round the district’s poor performance, improve choice and put schools on a sound financial footing.

But with local authorities having far less power over the education system than they used to, council bosses will now have to convince school governors of the need for a shake-up.

The review was led by Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe. The steering group included head teachers, representatives from business and bosses from Bradford College and the University of Bradford.

It points out that post-16 exam results from the district’s schools and colleges are “significantly below national performance levels” and that “the majority of post-16 providers are not rated as good or outstanding”.

Cllr Hinchcliffe said: "We have a lot of sixth forms here, unlike other local authorities, and when we have looked at the outcomes and the results across the board, we see that actually they could be better.

"So we have done a review to see how we get better results for our young people at that crucial point in their lives."

Cllr Hinchcliffe said reductions in funding for students over 16 meant some schools were having to subsidise their sixth forms using money that was meant for younger pupils.

Michael Jameson, the council's strategic director for children's services, said they were now planning to have "a conversation" with school governors about the way forward.

He said: "We are very clear about the role of the local authority. We can't be prescriptive and say, 'You have got to do this, you have got to do that'.

"What we are saying is if you want to transform prosperity in Bradford and young people's lives, there has to be something about economies of scale and quality provision in different geographic areas - and at the moment we don't have that."

Mr Jameson said larger sixth form colleges would also be able to offer a greater variety of courses, including in subjects much sought-after by business such as health technology.

He said schools were already starting to move in this direction, with Pontefract's New College applying to the Department for Education to create a new sixth form college in Bradford city centre and the Dixons Academy Trust, which runs four secondary schools across the city, going out to consultation on plans to consolidate its sixth forms.

Adrian Kneeshaw, headteacher of Carlton Bolling College in Undercliffe, who was part of the review team, said his college's sixth form had the numbers it needed to be financially viable, but that they would look to build on their strong reputation in vocational subjects, rather than A-levels.

Asked whether he thought there would be resistance to change in some schools, he said: "There may be, but it is about making an argument and making recommendations to schools. You can't force them to do it.

"The argument is that a sixth form is a drain on schools and there are big pressures there. It informs them to make decisions."

And Ilkley Grammar's headteacher Helen Williams, also part of the team, said her school's sixth form would continue its focus on more academic routes but would look to build stronger partnerships with vocational providers.

She said: "As headteachers and leaders of schools, we have to look at what is right for our students."

Andy Welsh, chief executive of Bradford College, said the number of post-16 students they were admitting was on the up.

Mr Welsh, who was also in the review team, said the "council should be commended" for the work it was doing in this area.