Council education chief welcomes plans for the return of sixth-form education in Bolsover with a new centre

Derbyshire County Councillor Alex Dale, who is the Cabinet Member for Education, was responding to a request from Cllr James Barron at the full county council meeting on Wednesday, September 13, for an update on the campaign for the sixth-form centre which is to be linked to The Bolsover School.

Redhill Academy Trust succeeded with support from Headteacher Matt Hall, Cllr Dale, fellow councillors, Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher, and the Regional Commissioner, in its bid through the Department for Education to open the new 16-19 year-olds’ mainstream free school centre.

Cllr Dale told the meeting: “We all agree that education is the great enabler and this will have a transformational impact on the children growing up in the Bolsover area.”

He added: “I am so pleased we have been able to achieve it.”

Cllr Dale explained that Bolsover had been successful in its bid to secure a sixth-form centre after hard work by the Trust, fellow councillors, the Bolsover MP and others and the successful bid was formally announced on August 22.

The new centre means post-16 education will finally be returning to the Bolsover area and the 400-place academic centre will be open to students within a ten-mile radius.

It is expected that The Bolsover School will be one of the main feeders into the new sixth form.

Cllr Dale added: “I have no doubt, it’s a real game-changer.”

The county council Cabinet Member for Education has been involved in the long-running campaign for the centre after meetings with the Trust and Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher, and they submitted data and statistics to support the bid.

Cllr Dale outlined the huge support for the centre to the Secretary of State to help rectify what he feels was a “real issue” for the Bolsover area.

Other concerned councillors including James Barron, for Tibshelf, Julian Siddle, for South Normanton and Pinixton, Jack Woolley, for Sutton, and Natalie Hoy, for Barlborough and Clowne, were all very supportive and active in the campaign, according to Cllr Dale.

Cllr Dale also said Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher helped to spearhead the campaign in Parliament where he spoke out many times on the issue and also met with the Department for Education.

The Bolsover School, on Mooracre Lane, Bolsover, identified the need for a centre after revealing that statistics, last year, showed that only 21 per cent of people in Bolsover had a degree or higher – compared with 42.8 per cent nationally – and nine per cent had no qualifications.

Redhill Academy Trust Regional Director Tim Croft stated on The Bolsover School website: “We are thrilled to have secured the free school bid for a post-16 centre in Bolsover.

“It is something that has been sadly lacking in the local area and will help to raise the aspirations of the community for generations to come.”

MP Mark Fletcher also described the announcement for a Bolsover sixth-form as the “proudest day of my life” because he says children in Bolsover will now have better life chances.

Headetacher Matt Hall stated on The Bolsover School website that the prospect of having post-16 education in Bolsover was “extremely exciting”.

He added: “To be able to provide our students with a progression route to accessible, local post-16 provision will undoubtedly go a long way to raising the aspirations of all students who attend The Bolsover School for years to come.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also stated during Prime Minister’s Questions on September 7 that he was delighted that plans for the sixth-form centre in Bolsover had been given the go-ahead.

An appropriate site for the new sixth-form centre is still under discussion, according to The Bolsover School.