A SIXTH-FORM has "paused" admissions and no new pupils will be allowed to join in September because the school has struggled to recruit “sufficient high calibre” teachers.

The Ortu Sixth-Form Centre, at Gable Hall School, in Corringham, was expected to take on new Year 12 students from September but has now pulled the plug.

The school is currently operated by the Ortu Federation, but is in the process of being transferred to the Hackney-based Mossbourne Federation after intervention from the Department for Education following an “inadequate” Ofsted rating.

A spokesman for Mossbourne Federation has now confirmed it will not be able to take in new students this year but has insisted the focus ensuring staff are in place for the 2025/26 academic year.

A spokesman said: “We have had to take the difficult decision to pause the September 2024 Year 12 intake at Ortu Sixth Form Centre, Stanford and Corringham.

“Unfortunately, protracted discussions with the DfE regarding the transfer process of Ortu schools into the Mossbourne Federation has led to this decision. This is because we have been unable to recruit sufficient high calibre teaching staff to join the high quality staff already at the academy to the level needed to deliver an outstanding curriculum for both lower school students and an incoming Year 12 cohort.

“Our absolute priority is to ensure we provide an excellent education to every student across our federation and we have acted as swiftly as possible to make this difficult decision.

“We are actively supporting affected students, parents and carers to secure appropriate post-16 placements elsewhere.”

Back in 2022, Gable Hall School was rated “inadequate” by Ofsted, however, the individual category for sixth-form provision was rated “good”.

The trust continued: “Staff and resources currently available at our sister post-16 provision (Mossbourne Community Academy) will be dedicated to current Ortu students to ensure they receive the high-quality education they deserve. As we take operational control, our immediate priority will be to ensure that the Ortu Sixth Form has the highest calibre of teaching and support staff in place for the 2025/2026 academic year to work alongside our skilled existing sixth form colleagues.”