Supporting Volunteers and Valuing Teachers

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of visiting Haywards Heath Sixth Form College for the Volunteer Fair organised by Community People. This fantastic event brought together local charities, community groups, and residents eager to give their time to make a difference. Walking through the fair, I was struck by the incredible dedication of the not-for-profit organisations and the variety of opportunities available – from environmental projects to mental health support. These groups are the backbone of our community, and it was great to see so many people stepping up.

Visiting Haywards Heath Sixth Form College was a reminder about the ongoing mess in the sixth form sector created last summer by the then new government. Last week, I used my first Prime Minister’s Question to raise this with Keir Starmer, asking him whether it was his intention to create a two tier education system for 16-18 year olds.

Across England, 95,000 students attend non-academised sixth form colleges. Of those colleges, 32 are currently subject to ongoing industrial action including Varndean in Brighton, BHASVIC in Hove, and Collyer’s in Horsham, all of which are very popular with young people in Mid Sussex.

You may wonder why there are strikes at these three colleges and not at Haywards Heath College? It depends upon whether the college is an academy or not. Haywards Heath College is part of an academy trust, and so its teachers received a pay award made by the government last summer. However Varndean, BHASVIC and Collyer’s are not academised and so have been treated differently. The government has chosen not to give these colleges the extra money they need to be able to match that pay award. As a result we have a situation where teachers with the same qualifications, teaching the same courses are being offered different pay rises.

Whilst the government is arguing that the colleges need to find the money out of their existing budgets, we know that the government did not have to take this approach. We know this because in 2023 when the last Conservative Education Secretary gave teachers a pay rise she ensured that non-academised sixth forms like Varndean, BHASVIC and Collyer’s received the additional funding they needed to match the award. 

This is unfair, not just for the teachers, but for students too. These are the young people who missed out on months of school time during the pandemic lockdowns. The impact extends beyond exam results and has adversely affected their social and emotional development too. 

We must do better for our young people and their teachers. Sixth form teachers are preparing students for their futures, whether that’s university, apprenticeships, or entering the workforce. It’s an investment in the future of this country. But if the government continues to underfund non-academised sixth forms, we risk losing talented teachers to better-funded institutions.

I will continue to press the government to ensure fairness for all sixth form colleges and to end this two-tier system. If you would like to support this campaign, please get in touch with my office. We must ensure our students receive the education they deserve without further disruption.