Okehampton College has announced that it will stop accepting new Year 12 students from September 2026, as it gets ready to close its sixth form department.

In a letter to parents, the college announced that trustees had agreed to close the centre because too few students were set to continue their post-16 education there. With the current number of students planning to enter the sixth form, it would only be sustainable to teach four of the 18 subjects currently offered.

The decision came after a lengthy consultation period that began in June 2025 on the future of the school's sixth form, but despite altering subject choices, the restructure failed to encourage more students to stay.

Principal Gareth Smith said: “We have been working closely with our community since last summer to shape a sixth form offer that reflected what families and students told us they wanted. Despite extending consultation and reshaping our offer, the number of students planning to join meant we could not sustain a broad range of subjects. We do not believe offering such a limited curriculum would be in young people’s best interests.

"Because of this, trustees agreed that we won’t be starting a new Year 12 in September 2026. This was a very difficult decision, and we understand this will be disappointing to those families who had hoped to join our sixth form in September.”

He added that the school’s main priority is to support current Year 11 students as they look for other places to finish their studies.

So far, three meetings with nearby colleges have been set up for Year 11 students. There will be an information evening at Okehampton College with teams from Tavistock College Sixth Form, Queen Elizabeth’s School Sixth Form, and Exeter College. Okehampton students can also attend an open evening at Tavistock College and an advisory session with Exeter College at Okehampton College for students and parents. The school has not yet announced the dates for these meetings. Okehampton College bursary holders who transfer to Tavistock will receive a free bus pass that can be used during the week and on weekends.

The sixth form department will close permanently in September 2027 after the current Year 12 cohort completes their studies.