The article on science A-level funding (“Funding overhaul could force schools to drop science A levels”, 11 January) rather misses the point. Adding a science supplement to the new 16-19 funding formula will make little difference because the #163;3,900 budget for a full-time sixth-form student is too low. Colleges and schools will do what they can to increase the number of science students but the Department for Education currently cuts funding per student by an average of about 20 per cent when a student moves from their GCSE year to sixth-form study.

Julian Gravatt, Assistant chief executive of the Association of Colleges.