THE headmaster of The Wensleydale School has written to parents advising that there are no plans to close the school's sixth form.

The letter went out after the D&S revealed las week that Pete Dwyer, corporate director for children and young people's services at North Yorkshire County Council, had written to governors warning that the school's post-16 could shut in the "near future" amid concerns over falling pupil numbers, changes to funding and poor results.

In the letter, interim headmaster Peter Whelan said neither the governors not the local authority had any plans to cease provision for post-16

study at this school.

He added: "Central government has reduced funding for post-16 by around 20 per cent over the last five years.

"Our school, like many schools across England, is considering how best to provide quality provision in these financially challenging times.

"Please rest assured that as far as Post 16 provision at this school is concerned, it is business as

usual."

Mr Whelan added that the school had an "extremely successful and well-attended" post-16 open evening last week and would

continue to actively recruit for its sixth form for September 2016.

He added: "We look forward to enrolling many more of our current Year 11 students into post-16 study in September as well as students currently

studying at Bedale High School and elsewhere.

"Our Year 12 results in 2015 were the best they had been for four years and placed us in the top 40 per cent of

schools nationally. We are working hard to build further on our successes.

"Our post-16 is not closing."

In his letter to chair of the governors David Hartley, Mr Dwyer asked the school to draw up an action plan to save post-16 provision, with a partnership with another school a potential solution.

The council chief added that unless the school took urgent action to form a "partnership arrangement" it was likely post-16 provision at the school would no longer be viable in the "near future".