SCHOOLS fear there may not be enough money for their sixth forms after a new group takes over funding next year.

The Government has set up the Learning and Skills Council which will be responsible for education spending on 16 to 18 year olds in school or at further education college. Sixteen to 18 year olds in this country do not do as well as those of our economic competitors and it is thought they need to be able to choose a mixture of academic and vocational subjects.

In Buckinghamshire upper schools' sixth forms range from 33 to 101 pupils and offer vocational and academic courses. Grammar school sixth forms have from 202 to 431 pupils who take mainly A-levels. The county council, which at present funds the education of all children in schools, has no representative on the local LSC. Councillors, governors and heads fear they will have no say in decisions taken there.

Those concerned include Bill Richards, head of Sir William Ramsay School, Hazlemere, Katy Simmons, chairman of governors at Cressex School, and Vera Gowers, chairman of governors of Chesham Park Community School, who were at a meeting of heads, governors and county councillors on Tuesday.

Mrs Gowers said education minister Tessa Blackstone had said that sixth forms would continue no matter what size. But Mr Richards said the LSC could decide what got closed.