Most further education colleges have separate sixth form centres

Most of England's further education colleges have set up separate "sixth form" centres, to increase the "focus" on the younger age group.

But the education watchdog Ofsted found these did not offer better quality teaching or courses and did not make more successful students.

Separate centres had helped improve the "overall pattern" of staying on after 16 and were "good value for money".

'One size does not fit all'

Ofsted visited 18 of these centres and compared them with findings from other colleges where 16 to 18 year olds were integrated with adults.

The survey, Focused Provision 16 to 19, seems to contradict government policy, which aims towards separation.

Judith Norrington, curriculum director at the Association of Colleges, said: "What matters is how a student is educated and supported rather than how the college arranges its provision.

"Achievement levels are broadly similar and so is pastoral care, irrespective of where you study. One size does not fit all.

"Government particularly needs to accept the clear evidence in this and other reports that many students do prefer to be taught alongside and mix with adults, rather than seek to impose provision which discourages this approach."

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said: "Providing greater choice of sixth form and vocational provision is an important part of our five-year strategy.

"We welcome this report which shows that sixth form centres represent good value for money and would be interested in seeing any follow-up evidence in the future."

Distinctive

Ofsted found that most separate centres offered a broad range of subjects at A-level, but so did mixed-age-group colleges.

In sixth form centres where achievement and retention rates were improving, there were signs the "focused" provision might have helped.

Students there generally recognised and appreciated their distinctive features.

Many had been attracted by the relatively small size and "contained" nature of the place.

But the chief inspector of schools in England, David Bell, said: "There is little evidence to suggest that focused provision for 16 to 19 year olds within general further education colleges offers any advantages in terms of quality of teaching or student achievement.

"Indeed, in some sixth form centres the choice of courses is narrower than that available in colleges without these centres.

"However, such centres do offer good value for money and this might be an issue to return to in the future, given some early indications that retention and achievement rates are improving.

"There is also evidence that students prefer to be taught alongside, and mix with, adults within a general further education college rather than being educated separately."

Judith Norrington of the Association of Colleges also said: "We are disappointed that the report makes no reference to the funding anomalies between schools and colleges provision for 16-18 year olds.

"Ofsted reports that sixth form centres offer good value for money, but makes no reference to the fact that all such centres, no matter what physical form they take, receive at least 10% less funding than school sixth forms, despite the fact that they take the majority of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds."