A Fenland school that decided not to run a sixth form for the current educational year has announced it is reopening sixth form admissions for September 2026.
In February this year, The Active Learning Trust - which runs Neale-Wade Academy in March - said the decision was made due to low levels of interest.
In a letter sent to parents and carers of pupils who applied to continue their studies at Neale-Wade in September 2025, principal Graham Horn said: "As you are aware, our sixth form is small and courses can only run if we receive enough applications.
"Unfortunately, we have not received the numbers we need to run courses for your son/daughter's year group in September.
"We are therefore unable to run these courses as they are financially unviable."
READ MORE: Neale-Wade Academy March not running sixth form in September
A furious row then erupted between local MP Steve Barclay, who claimed the Trust "manipulated student numbers to keep them low" to justify their decision to close the closure decision.
He alleged that the Trust "raised the academic bar, removed classes and closed courses before the student deadline".
However the Trust, who said that only 28 people applied for the post-16 provision in September 2025, denied the accusations.
Since then, Neale-Wade has announced that it will be reopening sixth form admissions for September 2026.
The decision follows a 'comprehensive viability review' by the Active Learning Trust, which included consulting with students, staff, parents and governors.
The Trust says it has considered local competition and financial viability as part of the review.
READ MORE: Neale Wade March sixth form numbers 'manipulated', claims MP
In September 2026, Neale-Wade will be offering courses covering a range of subjects including psychology, criminology, mental health, health and social, child development, medical sciences and business.
Lynsey Holzer, CEO of The Active Learning Trust, said: “We are pleased to be sharing this news with the school community following our viability review.
“We were particularly impressed by the positive and heartfelt engagement of the school community at the meeting we held and we very much view this as a community-led decision with student choice at the centre.
“We are very grateful for all the helpful feedback from students, parents, staff and governors throughout this process.
“Neale-Wade celebrated some fantastic A-level and BTEC results for our Year 13s this summer.
“With many securing strong results, we were delighted to see so many progressing on to university, apprenticeships and employment and wish them all the very best for the future.
“We look forward to continuing to see Neale-Wade students thrive and fulfil their ambitions.”
We have approached MP Steve Barclay for comment.
Share