Fife high school will offer college courses in new partnership

Senior pupils to be given opportunity to gain higher national level qualifications following link-up

Courses are to be offered at Cupar’s secondary school by Fife College following its withdrawal from the town.

Senior pupils will be able to study for college qualifications in their final year at Bell Baxter High School, thanks to the tie-up between the school and college.

Fife College insisted it remained committed to education in north-east Fife as it ceased running courses at Elwmood campus, which it shared with SRUC, in June 2016.

The partnership with Bell Baxter was welcomed by North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie, who said it could transform education for young people in and around Cupar.

He said: “This is good news as I have been pressing for college courses to return to north-east Fife following the withdrawal of Fife College from the Elmwood Campus a few years ago.

“The educational offer in north-east Fife was diminished following that decision and this new development presents a great opportunity.

“The next step for the school and college is to work out exactly what courses they will be able to provide at the school and then to start promotion of these courses to pupils.”

Fife College remains in discussion with the school over the range of courses, likely to include tourism, hospitality, engineering, health and social care and computing, reflecting the regional economy.

It is expected subjects will be announced early in the new year and pupils will be able to start studying them up to higher national level from August 2019.

Work the next demand.

College vice-principal Dorothée Leslie said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Bell Baxter High School to explore what new academic programmes we can offer at the high school from August 2019.

“Our focus will be very much on offering training in those skills that will lead to employment or equip students to go on to further study at college or university.

“We are looking at areas such as tourism, hospitality, engineering and care.”

Our focus will be very much on offering training in those skills that will lead to employment

is to be undertaken over couple of months to assess