MP Rachel Gilmour is being asked why she did not know West Somerset has a sixth form college offering further education opportunities for local students.
Mrs Gilmour, who represents the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, bemoaned the lack of such a college in the area when she spoke recently at a public meeting organised by Watchet Coastal Community Team.
She spoke about the lack of social mobility in the Minehead area and how local children grew up with the lowest chance in the UK of doing well at school and finding well-paid jobs.
Mrs Gilmour said the attainment of pupils in Minehead was two-and-a-half years behind children attending inner London comprehensive schools.
She went on to say there was little incentive for youngsters to achieve top academic qualifications because the constituency lacked a sixth form college.
The remark has offended students in West Somerset College (WSC), Minehead, where headteacher Zoe Stucki said sixth formers last summer had achieved some great results.
More than 700 students aged from 13 to 19 years old attend the college academy, which is sponsored and supported by the award-winning Bridgwater and Taunton College.
Ms Stucki, who is writing to Mrs Gilmour about her political blooper, said: “We are a small sixth form, but we do offer 20 A-Level courses, four applied learning courses, and three vocational courses.
“In addition, we offer a programme of bespoke enrichment for all our students, and we are lucky to have a full time academic mentor who works with all our sixth form students to ensure that they all have the very best support to be successful.”
Ms Stucki said on average, students achieved a grade higher in 2023-24 than the previous year and had an average C grade for the college’s inclusive and diverse cohort of 2023-24.
She said: “Impressively, 12 per cent of this cohort achieved A*/A grades and 32 per cent achieved A*/B grades.
“At WSC, we have excellent destinations support for our sixth formers, with 51 per cent of our current year 13 applying to university, which is above the national average of 41 per cent.
“We also host regular international trips to cities such as New York, Reykjavík, and Paris, with our next international trip being to Japan.”
Thirty-three students from years nine to 12 will be on the week-long Japan trip in April, during which they will ride a Bullet train to Kyoto, sample Japanese street food, experience a tea ceremony, spend time in the natural bamboo forest of Arashiyama, visit the Kiyomizu Dera Temple UNESCO World Heritage Site, and tour the sights of Tokyo.
Ms Stucki said applications to join the West Somerset sixth form from September this year are currently being accepted.
More information about applying to the college’s sixth form can be found on its website.
The Free Press reached out to Mrs Gilmour for an explanation of how she was unaware of the Minehead sixth form offer but was told she would not respond until she had heard from Ms Stucki.