THE Wensleydale School has been warned that it could lose its sixth form in the "near future" amid concerns over falling pupil numbers, changes to funding and poor results.

Pete Dwyer, North Yorkshire County Council's corporate director for children and young people's services, has told the Leyburn school's governors to draw up an action plan to save post-16 provision, with a partnership with another school a potential solution.

In a letter seen by the Darlington and Stockton Times, Mr Dwyer said the issue needed to be addressed urgently "given the very small size of the sixth form, changes to post-16 funding which will make the sixth form potentially unviable, and the poor quality of outcomes at A Level over the past few years".

It is understood the school currently has 48 post-16 pupils across the two school years.

Earlier this year the school held a meeting for parents after it emerged that concerns about falling standards had been raised in local authority internal reports.

Mr Dwyer added in the letter to chair of the governors David Hartley: "We do understand that the school has been through a very turbulent period, with some significant challenges, and we fully agree that there is now evidence of improvement in key areas.

"However our biggest single concern remains your financial projections and consequently the pressing need to make urgent strategic decisions about the future of post-16 provision at the school."

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".

Mr Dwyer said he had asked local authority officers to arrange a meeting between the headteachers and chair of governors at Richmond, Bedale and The Wensleydale schools to discuss the possibilities.

Mr Hartley declined to comment but Upper Dales county councillor John Blackie, who sits on the school's board of governors, said it appeared the "writing was on the wall" for the sixth form.

The councillor, who raised the issue this week at North Yorkshire County Council's full council meeting, added: "I have deep concerns with regard to the 14 hour days our young students following post-16 academic courses from Hawes & High Abbotside Parish, and other parishes in Upper Wensleydale, would have to tolerate daily to access alternative provision should it close in Leyburn, as patently there is a very grave danger that it will."

Cllr Blackie added that if a partner school was needed, he believed Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, which already takes an increasing number of pupils from the area, should be considered.

"A partnership of this nature is not rocket science and it's not something that hasn't been done before," he added.

In a letter to Mr Dwyer, Cllr Blackie points out that the education chief addressed a rural summit held in Leyburn last year.

"Do you think the complete loss of the post-16 provision at The Wensleydale School, and the extended travelling times all post-16 students would have to suffer as a result, will assist or hinder the exodus of young families from the Upper Dales that is fast turning into a tidal flood?" the councillor asked of Mr Dwyer.