JOHN Beddoes School’s sixth form looks set to close after its funding was cut.

From September, young people in Presteigne will have to travel at least seven miles and over the Welsh border to Lady Hawkins School in Kington if they want to study A-levels.

Powys County Council voted to withdraw funding for year 12 education at John Beddoes just weeks after the high school was placed into special measures.

In her report approved by the council’s cabinet at a meeting on January 8, Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, member for learning and leisure, said: “Over the last few years the school has seen a drop in post-16 learners with the current year 12 group consisting of only eight learners and funding of £20,850 per learner.

“The post-16 executive curriculum funding and planning group has recently considered the post-16 situation at the school and approved that no year 12 provision should be commissioned from the school from the start of the 2013-14 year.”

Cutting funding from next year means the eight pupils in year 12 will be able to finish their studies.

After that students will be entitled to free school transport to take them to Kington or another college in Powys such as Llandrindod Wells, 20 miles away, or Builth Wells, 22 miles away. A large number of Presteigne teenagers already attend sixth forms elsewhere.