Eton Star Academy Update

A ‘transformative’ project in Oldham has been left in limbo for a whole year.

The Eton Star Academy, a new state sixth form backed by an elite private school is supposed to help bright, disadvantaged kids from the area into top universities. It’s supposed to even the educational playing field.

But just weeks after its town-centre location was announced last year, the new Labour government pulled the brakes on the whole scheme.

Now, 12 months later, the school is still ‘under review’ as part of a UK-wide halt on the construction of new free schools. Oldham was promised answers ‘early in 2025’ – but the town is still waiting.

“We’re in the hands of the government,” sighed townhall boss Arooj Shah, who has been backing the project since its inception. “We just have to sit and wait.”

The M.E.N. met with councillor Shah and the headteacher of Eton in the newly-refurbished JR Clynes Building to find out what is going on. Sat around a grand table in the leader’s new office, both were at pains to speak diplomatically about the government.

“We understand that when a new government comes in they’re going to want to look at things. And we’re aware of the wider challenges that the government have,” Mr Henderson said. “So we’re just carrying on and making the case. We’ve been providing any information they need. It’s on their desk at the moment and we’re just waiting for the final sign off.”

But there is also a quiet sense of urgency. The case for the school is mounting, Mr Henderson says.

With a mushrooming population and a rapidly growing number of young people coming through the education system in Oldham and surrounding areas, the Eton head claims the need for a new sixth form is becoming increasingly pressing.

There’s also the ever-widening attainment gap between North and South when it comes to A-Level results. And the fact that kids from state schools in the South are twice as likely to make it into Britain’s top universities than those in the North.

“There’s lots of bright young people in Oldham and the surrounding areas,” Mr Henderson said. “We want to make sure that they have an academic pathway that puts them in the strongest position to access the very top universities. That will be transformative for young people.

“It will also make a really big difference to the area in general, because those young people will contribute their skills and experience back into the town. Over time we expect there will be a very tangible economic benefit as well.”

Coun Shah added: “It’s about making people feel that the world is their oyster. It’s about giving people a choice.”

There have been mixed feelings about the Eton project in the past. The famous boarding school in Berkshire, which charges £63k per school year and counts princes, prime ministers and Hollywood stars among its alumni, seems a world away from the borough, which has some of the highest levels of child poverty in the country.

But members of the public the M.E.N. spoke to last year were largely in favour of the initiative – which claims it will privilege those from challenging backgrounds such as those on free school meals, looked after children, and those who would be the first in their family to attend university in the admissions process.

For three years, Eton has been courting secondary schools in the area with a programme of partnerships, summer schools and access to Oxbridge preparation. James Wilson, Principal at The Oldham Academy North, later told the M.E.N. the partnership ‘helped raised aspirations’ and had ‘opened doors’ for his students.

So with growing support for the scheme – why has there been no progress in government?

“When we were in conversation with the previous government, we were very close to signing off. And then there was a change of government and they wanted to review the situation,” Coun Shah explained. “The enthusiasm, excitement and commitment for this project hasn’t changed. They understand what a project like this means for a place like Oldham.

“But every time we think we’re getting nearer, well – life happens. Like, now we’re into a deputy leader election and one of the candidates is our Secretary of State for education (Bridget Philipson).”

When asked about the hold-up, the Department for Education claimed they ‘could not comment on individual schools in review’ and that Local Authorities would be updated in ‘due course’.

In the meantime, the council boss and Eton head are raring to go. They confirmed that the Tommyfield outdoor market site, announced as the location of the new school last year, is still very much earmarked for that use.

“It’s the only plan for that site,” Coun Shah said. “And we’re not waiting patiently,” she added. There are ‘both official and unofficial’ conversations taking place behind the scenes. And she believes the mood music is ‘positive’.

“We’re not thinking in terms of it not happening from our point of view,” Mr Henderson added. “It is definitely happening. We’re putting the building blocks in place to make sure we can move as quickly as we can once we get the final sign off.”

But officially there’s no new update. As with so many things – from transport to health – Oldham, and the North, are once again left waiting.