Raunds secondary school publishes findings from consultation into sixth form's possible closure

Manor School in Raunds has published the findings of its consultation into the possible closure of its sixth form.

The school launched a consultation in October, discussing the viability of its sixth form, potentially ending its provision from the 2027 academic year.

Parents and carers of students at the school in Mountbatten Way, Raunds were asked for their thoughts on the school’s sixth form provision, what impact it would have on them and any possible alternative solutions after the school said sixth form recruitment had ‘declined significantly.’

47 people took part in the consultation, with around 17 from prospective parents or carers, 18 from the wider community and 10 from Manor School staff or students. There were also submissions from two local councillors.

Nene Education Trust and Meridian Trust say responses were ‘almost uniformly in opposition’ to the proposed closure of the sixth form.

A response from the school reads: “Both trusts acknowledge that this proposal is sad for the community and would represent a loss to the town.

“The proposal acknowledges Manor's long history of post-16 provision but identifies a sustained rather than short-term decline in both numbers and popularity.”

It goes on to say that numbers at the school’s sixth form have fallen by around 72 per cent since the 2020/21 academic year, and that only 10 per cent of the Year 11 cohort initially enrolled in September 2026.

The consultation, which ran from Friday, October 9 until 2026 Friday, October 30, showed that many are opposed to closure, with comments often reflecting wider concerns about Manor's future and reputation.

In October 2024 the school was handed an inadequate grade by Ofsted. The school has since seen improvements at a monitoring inspection in May, which leaders at the Nene Education Trust say represents a ‘growing confidence in the school’s future’, however the consultation into sixth form provision highlighted a belief by some that ‘previous leadership difficulties’ have played a factor in the falling recruitment numbers into the school’s sixth form.

Former headteacher, Louise Newman left the school in June 2024, which was followed by the hiring of Adam Crawte on an interim basis - later made permanent in March last year. Adam Crawte departed the role in September, leaving Stuart Judge to serve as interim headteacher.

In March 2025 Nene Education Trust CEO, Chris Hill also stepped down from his position with immediate effect.

Manor School remains part of the Nene Education Trust, however from January 2027 is expected to transfer to Meridian Trust, a change which was announced in June 2025.

The consultation gave local families, as well as parents and carers the opportunity to have their say on the proposal to close the sixth form, and though the school acknowledges the consultation is provisional, and no formal decision has been made.

The report reads: “While school improvement has the potential to increase the popularity of the provision over time, the current numbers in the school do not support a short or medium-term return to viability.

“Total numbers in the sixth form have fallen from 159 students in 2020/21 to 45 in 2026/27, while only 109 pupils entered Year 7 in September 2026. Early application numbers for Year 7 enrolment in 2027 indicate that this number may fall further.

“Catchment analysis does not indicate recovery towards the school’s PAN (pupil admissions number) of 180 in the foreseeable future. The proposal identifies a cumulative sixth-form shortfall of approximately £1.18 million over the last three years.”

In September, just 16 students decided to enroll into year 12 at Manor School and, after being given the choice to either remain enrolled at Manor and complete their Year 13 studies at either Sharnbrook Academy Sixth Form or The Ferrers School Sixth Form, or to be transferred immediately to an alternative provider, all 16 decided to enroll elsewhere.

When asking parents and carers if there are any alternative solutions that should be considered prior to closure, the consultation found that many were keen to retain provision in some way, be it rebuilding the curriculum around student demand, collaborating with nearby sixth forms, and even temporary financial investment while the school ‘rebuilds its reputation.’

In response, the a spokesman from the school said: “The challenge of meeting a diverse range of aspirations and needs through a viable curriculum is regrettably not one we feel can be met by a school of Manor’s size and location.

“The proposal concludes that curriculum adjustment alone is unlikely to resolve the underlying issue and sets out the already unmanageably large curriculum in place for a small number of students. Reducing courses risks further reducing recruitment, while maintaining breadth increases costs.

“Some respondents criticised the removal of courses while others called for a smaller, more focused model. The enhanced collaborative model also failed to generate sufficient demand.”

The school has submitted a formal request to the Department for Education and responses to the consultation have been included in the application.