Felixstowe Town Council has formally submitted its corporate response to the statutory proposal to permanently close Felixstowe School’s Sixth Form and reduce the school’s age range from 11–18 to 11–16.
At its Ordinary Meeting on Wednesday 17 June 2026, the Town Council debated the consultation and unanimously approved the following motion:
“Felixstowe Town Council strongly objects to the statutory proposal to reduce the age range from 11–18 to 11–16 at Felixstowe School by the permanent closure of its Sixth Form.
The Council firmly holds that the best possible provision for post-16 students in Felixstowe must include a dedicated Sixth Form within the town itself.
To achieve this provision, Felixstowe Town Council unreservedly calls upon Unity Schools Partnership to urgently work constructively with the Department for Education, the Town Council, and the community, to take all necessary steps to build a sustainable, long-term business case that retains vital post-16 education provision within Felixstowe.”
The Principles of Objection
In accordance with this directive, the Town Council’s formal case and principles of objection have been set out under the following core headings:
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Principle of Opposition: The escalation from a temporary “operational pause” to a permanent structural closure confirms initial fears and represents a fundamental retreat from the Trust’s educational obligations to the young people of Felixstowe. The Town Council firmly restates that the best possible provision for post-16 students must include a dedicated sixth form within the town itself.
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Stakeholder and Community Engagement: There is continuing frustration regarding the unilateral nature of the Trust’s actions. Because the original suspension of entry was presented as a fait accompli, local stakeholders were excluded from early-stage discussions. This formal consultation must not be treated as a retrospective box-ticking exercise; the Trust must be urged to genuinely engage with local government, educational representatives, and the wider community to explore alternative solutions.
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Impact on Local Families and Socio-Economic Barriers: A permanent closure removes the only state post-16 provision within Felixstowe, introducing a major barrier for local families. With alternative travel costs estimated to exceed £1,000 per year per student, this places a heavy financial penalty on continuing education. This directly conflicts with local “Pride in Place” initiatives and risks disproportionately disadvantaging lower-income households and lowering post-16 participation rates. Furthermore, the absence of post-16 education will reduce the attraction of Felixstowe as a place to live.
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Impact on Staff Recruitment and Retention: A permanent closure impacts Felixstowe School’s ability to attract and retain high-quality teaching staff. Offering post-16 education is a major recruitment tool for secondary schools; the opportunity to teach A-Level specialists has a wide appeal and attracts top-tier subject experts. For a school situated on a peninsula, which inherently suffers from a restricted geographical catchment area for commuting staff, losing its 11–18 status will significantly diminish its professional appeal, ultimately risking the quality of education across all key stages.
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Educational and Geographical Isolation: Forcing teenagers to commute out of Felixstowe daily is detrimental to student well-being, reduces available study time, and strips the town of educational continuity. A dedicated local sixth form is vital to support Felixstowe’s unique identity and long-term economic growth. Whilst the Council notes that stakeholders are beginning to explore alternative long-term post-16 provision in the future, any such model would take years to realistically establish, leaving multiple cohorts of Felixstowe students stranded in the interim.
Call to Action
The Town Council urges Unity Schools Partnership to withdraw this closure proposal. Instead, the Trust is called upon to work constructively with the Town Council, the community, and the Department for Education to build a sustainable, long-term business case that retains vital post-16 education provision within Felixstowe.
The formal corporate submission has been dispatched directly to the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP (Secretary of State for Education) and Dominic Norrish (Chief Executive Officer of Unity Schools Partnership), alongside local stakeholders and neighbouring parish councils.