Congratulations should go to the successful BHASVIC applicants for admission to the University of Cambridge in 2011 (The Argus, April 19). But is is too simplistic to say that just “one Sussex College is top of the class” based on these recently released statistics.

There are four very high performing Sussex sixth-form colleges serving the areas of Bexhill, Horsham, Hove and Brighton.

In fact, Brighton and Hove benefits from having not just one but two excellent sixth-form colleges.

Of the 15 applicants from Varndean College in 2011, ten were successful. Although Varndean is a smaller college, its 66% success rate was higher than either BHASVIC’s or Eton’s, or the other two top public schools your article mentioned.

Furthermore, exactly the same rate of success was enjoyed by Varndean students last year as well.

Nationally, there are only 92 genuine sixth-form colleges – that is, members of the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association – educating about 150,000 students of all types and abilities each year: that’s only 11% of 16 to 18-year-olds. Yet they account for almost 14% of university admissions, a higher proportion than from the independent sector – 10%.

This is a remarkable achievement and one which is being over-looked by central Government as it drives forward plans for more 11-18 academies and free schools (even to the extent of confiscating the BHASVIC fields to build a new one).

Admittedly, BHASVIC has a strong reputation for recruiting students from local independent schools, but sixth-form colleges generally are balanced in their intake.

Sixth-form college students are more likely on average to have been entitled to free school meals in comparison with pupils in school sixth-forms and, on the whole, schools and academies recruit students with higher GCSE results.

However, sixth-form colleges generally delivery better grades, add more value and are more successful in encouraging progression to university.

Al Roberts, Balfour Road, Brighton