Eton Star Academy given green light in Oldham

An Eton-backed secondary school is coming to Oldham, the government has confirmed. The Eton Star Academy has officially been greenlit by the Department for Education, after the project was put on hold for more than a year. 

The plan to build a school to help disadvantaged kids get into top universities was thrown into uncertainty last October, when the government decided to ‘review’ plans to build more than 40 free schools across the country.

After months of silence, the new sixth form – which will be managed by Star Academies trust and supported by the elite private boarding school Eton College – has now been given the go-ahead. 

“This is great news for Oldham,” said townhall boss Cllr Arooj Shah. “Eton Star Oldham will give our young people access to life-changing opportunities, no matter their background or where they start in life. 

“We have been clear throughout that this must be a college shaped with our young people, our parents and our communities. Now that the government has confirmed it will go ahead, we will work closely with Eton College and Star Academies to make sure this delivers for Oldham’s children and opens doors for generations to come.”

The Oldham school was one of three Eton Star Academies up for consideration. A second sixth form has been approved in Dudley, but the government are ‘minded to refuse’ a third branch in Middlesborough. 

Simon Henderson, Eton’s headteacher, said: “We are delighted that, following a period of review, the Department for Education has now confirmed Eton and Star’s plans to open sixth form colleges in both Oldham and Dudley. We believe these new colleges will be transformative for young people as well as for the wider communities they will serve.”

Sir Hamid Patel, Chief Executive of Star Academies, added: “Now the programme of delivery must begin as we turn our vision into reality. Eton College and Star Academies recognise the enormous amount of work that still needs to be undertaken if the new colleges are to have the transformative impact we believe they can.”

The Outdoor Tommyfield Market is still earmarked for development into the new Eton Star Academy. Outdoor traders will be moved to a new market on George Square, outside the Spindles Shopping Centre. 

The decision to locate the school at Tommyfield sparked a backlash last year, with policy and economic expert Professor Andrew Westwood questioning whether there weren’t ‘more considered uses’ for a prime town-centre site. 

The Oldham Liberal Democrats have also spoken out against the new school, claiming it was ‘a bad fit’ for the area. Liberal Democrat councillor Howard Sykes said: “We can do something much better and wanted with the former Tommyfield Market site.

“The gap that we should be addressing in post-16 education is the lack of high-quality apprenticeships and vocational courses. These are the pathways that help people into a trade and offer a route for young people who might otherwise leave education.”

But stakeholders in the project have insisted the school will become a symbol of social mobility and aspiration for the town, and is easily accessible by public transport in the town centre. 

Cllr Shah previously claimed the school would give pupils in Oldham access to ‘world-class education, opportunities, and networks that have for too long been out of reach for communities like Oldham’s’.

Further details about entrance requirements are expected to follow. A planning application for the school is due to be submitted soon, the LDRS understands.