HUNDREDS of people have attended public meetings to discuss plans to create a new joint sixth form in York.

More than 400 people turned up at the meetings at All Saints RC School and Manor CE Academy for question and answer sessions which have been turned in to a guide which now appears on the schools' websites.

Both schools propose enlarging the current All Saints sixth form and associating it with Manor, to provide faith-based post-16 education.

As previously reported in The Press, up to 240 places in total would be made available for Year 12 students in the new sixth form. The vast majority of teaching would take place at the current All Saints site, with vocational performing arts courses and post-16 special educational needs being provided at Manor.

A formal consultation period will run until March 31 and all views will be considered before a decision is made.

All Saints head teacher, Bill Scriven, said: “All Saints has been a preferred sixth form for Manor students for some years now. With an associated sixth form we feel that we have a fantastic opportunity to combine the expertise of both organisations and take an already first class provision to an even higher level.”

Manor CE Academy principal, Brian Crosby, said: “The opportunity to join forces with All Saints and create a faith-based, associated sixth form, jointly governed, is exciting and I hope people will support our proposals.”

The consultation period allows people with an interest in the proposal to submit their views and both schools urge people to take part by completing the questionnaire, accessed via both school websites. Contributions can also be made via email to sixthformresponse@gmail.com or by post.

All responses will be collated and a final submission made to the Government’s Education Funding Agency. The business case will be considered and a recommendation made to the Secretary of State for Education, who will make the final decision.