Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to close the £760 per student funding gap identified in the report of October 2018 by London Economics on understanding the funding shortfall in sixth form education.

The London Economics report on funding in sixth form education for the Sixth Form College Assocation includes an assessment of the cost of widening the curriculum for students. All 16 to 19 providers, including Sixth Form Colleges, have a vital role to play in making sure young people have the skills they need to get on in life, and we are currently considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education sector, and assessing how far existing funding and regulatory structures meet the costs of delivering quality further education.

We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of providers until 2020 and our commitment to the 16 to 19 sector has contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 and 17 year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships. However, we are aware of the funding pressures and will continue to look carefully at funding for the sector in preparation for the next Spending Review.