From the 1970s to the 1990s, most
secondary schools in the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale offered
sixth form education such as
A-levels to school leavers. In addition,
Hopwood Hall College also offered a provision of sixth form courses to students. By the 2000s, sixth form students studying in Rochdale Borough were achieving below the national average in terms of A Level results. As well as this, many local school leavers were opting to study sixth form education at schools or colleges outside of Rochdale borough, particularly at dedicated
sixth form colleges in nearby areas such as
Bury and
Oldham. In a local area review of post-16 education in Rochdale in 2004, the
Learning and Skills Council proposed the construction of a new sixth form college in Rochdale borough. Rochdale's MP,
Paul Rowen, along with local student, Sajid Suleman, launched a campaign in 2006 for a new sixth form college in Rochdale to stop the "brain drain". After funding for the new college became available, the
Department for Children, Schools and Families formally approved the construction of the new college in August 2008. The Chair of the Governing Body is Dame Pamela Coward, former headteacher of Middleton Technology School. The £26 million new sixth form college campus was subsequently constructed next to Hopwood Hall College in
Rochdale town. Rochdale Sixth Form College opened in September 2010, overseen by the Founding Principal of the college, Julian Appleyard. Appleyard served as Principal of the college for eight years, leaving his position at the end of February, 2018. Appleyard was followed by Richard Ronksley, who assumed the role of Principal near the end of 2018. Ronksley served as Principal of Rochdale Sixth Form until January 2023, when the current Principal, Karl Smith, took his position. Rochdale Sixth Form College is now the primary provider of sixth form education in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, with around 10% of students on roll from schools outside of Rochdale. Since the opening of the college, most (but not all) secondary schools in the borough have ceased to offer sixth form courses for students. Hopwood Hall College has also discontinued its provision of A-levels, concentrating instead on offering vocational further education for school leavers, as well as courses for adult learners. ==Today==