Cumberland Council has provided a response to the 'tragic loss' of the NACRO educational centre in Carlisle after it was forced to close in July. 

The independent training provider had offered opportunities to disadvantaged students in the area and was on track for record-breaking exam results in GCSE English and Maths. 

However, a lack of funding - and an alleged lack of support from the charity NACRO itself - meant that it was forced to close at the end of this academic year on July 21, leaving around 30-50 students aged 16-18 without a place of education.

READ MORE: Disadvantaged students lose out after 'tragic loss' of Carlisle education centre

A spokesperson from NACRO said: "We are incredibly disappointed that we have had to make the difficult decision to close the Nacro Education Carlisle centre.

"We are very proud of the achievements the centre and its learners have made and no current learners are affected by the closure.

"The centre has been running in financial deficit for several years and continues to do so, with the added pressure of the external climate, unfortunately, the centre is no longer viable.

"All proposals were carefully considered as part of a detailed consultation process, but no other sustainable or viable options were found.”

But English teacher Kate Lindsay told the News & Star: "It’s a tragic loss. There are young people who will be lost in the system. They were lost in the system before they came to us."

Cumberland Council have now provided a comment regarding the future of the students who could be left without formal qualifications following the closure of NACRO in Carlisle.

A council spokesperson said: "The council is directly responsible for funding, commissioning and monitoring various different elements of school provision in Cumberland and works closely with schools and Early Years providers in this way.

"For young people and adults over the age of 16 or 18, we work closely with leaders in our education system to support and nurture appropriate provision across our areas; from our Further Education (FE) colleges, which are funded by government, to independent FE providers.

"Sadly independent providers sometimes have to close their doors due to issues of quality, financial sustainability or other reasons. We continue to work through our relationships with the Local Enterprise Partnership and other organisations to identify how best to support learners.

"In addition, the council provides funding to Cumbria Adult Learning which runs adult learning courses on behalf of Cumberland across our geography."