Dave Robertson meets parents and students to discuss Nether Stowe Sixth Form

Local parents, students, and residents gathered at the Church of St Chad in Lichfield on Thursday evening for a meeting hosted by Dave Robertson, MP for Lichfield, Burntwood and the Villages, to discuss the proposed closure of Nether Stowe School’s Sixth Form.

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) for permission to close the Sixth Form and no Year 12 pupils have been admitted this year, but no final decision has yet been made on the Sixth Form’s future.

The meeting highlighted serious concerns about the lack of a proper consultation by the school, as parents saw it. Attendees expressed frustration that neither parents nor Staffordshire County Council (SCC) were adequately informed, and that the MP himself was not consulted prior to the school’s application to the DfE.

Many pointed out that Nether Stowe serves a disproportionately disadvantaged intake, and that closing the Sixth Form would further marginalise less well-off students. Concerns were raised about increased travel costs for pupils forced to attend colleges further afield, and the impact on students with SEND.

It was also noted that the school did not make a significant effort to recruit students to the Sixth Form, suggesting the closure was a foregone conclusion driven by financial motives.

Mr Robertson has pledged to raise these concerns directly with the DfE and advocate for the Sixth Form to remain open.

“No decision has yet been made,” said Mr Robertson. “We must ensure that the voices of parents and students are heard, and that the future of young people in Lichfield is not compromised.”