A Norfolk sixth form has announced it will be scrapping its A-level courses later this year.
Sheringham Sixth Form, run by Synergy Multi-Academy Trust, has revealed that it will not be running any Year 12 A-level courses from September 2026.
In an email that was shared by Alastair Ogle, the Trust’s chief executive officer, it said a sixth form needs at least 100 students per year to be "financially viable" under Department of Education guidance.
But this year, the sixth form said only 50 students were projected to join for the 2026 cohort which led to the decision.
Now these students will be able to transfer their application to Reepham College, where transport will be provided following a route with stops at Cromer, Sheringham and Holt.
An email - as seen by this newspaper - said: "It is with great disappointment that we have had to make this decision, but we hope that by making this decision now that we can support students to access the A-level courses they wish to and transition to Reepham College.
"These changes inevitably also impact a small number of staff, and we would ask for your compassion, understanding and empathy for them at this time."
It added that they will be speaking with and writing to all the current Year 11 students who have applied to Sheringham Sixth Form and will be in touch with parents shortly with further details.
However, the sixth form will continue to run the Year 12 motor vehicle studies course and health and social care course from September, subject to a suitable number of applicants.
Also current Year 13 students at the sixth form will continue their studies as planned and will not be impacted by these changes.
The email further explained that the trust aims to develop a Centre of Vocational Excellence at Sheringham Sixth Form in line with the Government’s new curriculum, which will be implemented from September 2028.
It added: “We aim to build the vocational offer at Sheringham Sixth Form by providing transport to Sheringham from Reepham and other areas.”
The news comes at the same time Synergy Multi-Academy Trust announced its plans to shut Corpusty Primary School, based between Aylsham and Holt, and merge it with other sites.
A letter that was sent to parents outlines a consultation to amalgamate the school with either Reepham Primary five-and-a-half miles away or Gresham Village School more than seven miles away.
It has been widely reported that the number of children in Norfolk is rapidly reducing, posing significant challenges for schools as funding for them is based upon the number of children they have.
