Post-16 Review
The Council is currently carrying out a Strategic Review of Post-16 education, which aims to identify a long-term vision for school-based post-16 education in the county.
This follows the recommendation in the Council's recent Estyn inspection of Education Services to 'Work with partners to rapidly develop and implement a model for 16-19 education that is financially viable and sustainable, and meets the needs of all learners, and considers Welsh-medium and ALN provision.'
As part of this review, the Council's Cabinet recently considered a paper outlining the current provision, the challenges associated with this provision, and a number of future options. The paper considered by Cabinet is available below:
Post-16 education in Powys faces a number of challenges, including a steady decline in sixth form learner numbers. This trend has significant financial implications, as funding from Welsh Government (via Medr) is largely based on learner numbers, making it increasingly difficult to sustain effective provision, particularly in smaller schools.
Phase 1 Engagement
During June and July 2025, the Council held in-person engagement sessions in each of Powys's five core towns, aimed at school staff and governors. These sessions provided a platform to share information about the pressures facing the sector and gather feedback on what future provision could look like. A key message from participants was the importance of placing learner voices at the heart of decision-making, rather than focusing solely on the shortlisted options.
Below is the link to the presentation shared in the engagement sessions.
Post-16 Review - Presentation for Engagement Sessions - Staff and Governors (PDF, 892 KB)
Below is the link to the 'Phase 1 Engagement Report'
Phase 1 Engagement Report (PDF, 2 MB)
Phase 2 Engagement
To ensure meaningful engagement with learners and parents/carers, the Council appointed Opinion Research Services (ORS) as its external partner to lead a comprehensive programme which included:
- An online questionnaire made available to parents/carers of secondary-aged learners, as well as pupils attending secondary and post-16 education in Powys
- Focus groups with pupils and staff in all 13 secondary and all age school sites, which ensured engagement in each of the 13 localities.
- Engagement with learners who have previously chosen to attend college or out of county provision
The purpose of this exercise was to understand what learners and parents/carers need from a post-16 education system in Powys and what factors affect their decision making when deciding where to attend.
Below is the link to the full report.
Appendix A - Post-16 Education Engagement Report (PDF, 2 MB)
What Happens Next
Implementing a new whole-system model will take time and partnership, but our aspiration is clear:
Powys will create a coherent 14+ education system that is excellent, equitable and economically aligned; one that offers young people real choice, real opportunity and a strong reason to build their future here in Powys.
Work will continue over the next 12 months based on the three workstreams outlined in the report which went to Cabinet on Tuesday 24 May 2026. The following engagement plan has been developed to support the ongoing work.
Indicative Timeline
- Continue to work with the Headteacher Working Group to strengthen school based post-16 provision to ensure it best meets learner needs and remains financially viable. Ongoing
- Establish a Future Pathways Board, which includes representatives from FE, HE, RSP, Education and Economy to develop future pathways that align with the Council's economic strategy. April 2026 onwards
- Establish a Governor Steering Group with representatives from each secondary / all-age school to provide a platform for governors to support the development of the future model. May 2026 onwards
- Establish an ALN Post-16 Working Group to focus on developing pathways for learners with ALN. May 2026 onwards
- Workshop with Elected Members. - May 2026
- Engagement with primary schools across Powys to understand needs of future learners. September - December 2026
- Engagement with Employers to understand future workforce needs and align opportunities. September - December 2026
The overall project timeline has been updated to reflect the above engagement.
- Cabinet paper to provide an update on post-16 engagement and next steps to develop preferred way forward. March 2026
- Senedd Elections - Pre-election period. April - May 2026
- Progress engagement and workstreams. April 2026 - March 2027
- Local Government Elections (Wales) Pre-election period. April - May 2027
- Cabinet report to provide further update on the review and potential future models. July 2027
- Informal engagement to allow feedback on long term model. Autumn Term 2027
- Formal proposal to be considered by Cabinet if required. Spring Term 2028
- Implementation. September 2029 - September 2031
If you have any further questions about the review, please contact the Transforming Education Team using the contact details below.
Post-16 Review Frequently Asked Questions Post-16 Review Frequently Asked Questions
Contacts
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