Neil Wilby Media

Eton College, a regular choice of the Royal Family and widely regarded as the most prestigious school in the World, is set to open a new free sixth form college in Oldham after a Department for Education decision was made to approve their plans.

Working in partnership with Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and Star Academies, the new college will recruit students from disadvantaged communities and provide them with a rigorous and rounded education to support their pursuit of places at universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.

Students will benefit from an education grounded in Eton’s outstanding academic record and shaped by Star Academies, widely recognised as one of the highest performing state school trusts in the UK.

Eton College boasts at least twenty former pupils who have gone on to serve their countries as Prime Ministers, including recent incumbents, Boris Johnson and David Cameron, together with famous figures from a bygone era, Harold MacMillan and William Gladstone. 

Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, welcomes the coup and the partnership with Eton College and Star Academies.

“I’m thrilled the Department for Education has backed these proposals for a new Eton College and Star Academies sixth form college here in the heart of Oldham. Opportunities, enjoyed for centuries by the country’s most privileged families, will now be offered to bright, young students from Oldham, Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton, Shaw, Crompton and Saddleworth.

“Eton College and Star Academies both have an outstanding reputation of providing the very best education, exactly what Oldham’s young people deserve. That’s why I’m delighted we have been creative, forged seemingly unlikely partnerships, prioritised our young people’s futures, and taken a huge step forward in making this fantastic idea a reality.

“The new sixth form adds to the academic choice local students already enjoy and will open new opportunities to an unrivalled educational experience. It will provide students from a diverse range of communities and backgrounds with a world-class education; access to some of Eton’s best teachers, its clubs and societies and its numerous speaker events, as well as the chance to connect with and meet other students taking part in summer residential courses at Eton College itself.

“Perhaps a future Prime Minister will come through the ranks of the new Eton Star Oldham.”

Eton headmaster Simon Henderson says: “We are delighted by this decision. We believe the new college has the potential to be transformative both for the young people who attend but also for the wider communities it will serve. Now the hard work really starts as we turn our vision into reality.

“Collaborative partnership will be key to this project’s success, and we are very grateful for the support we have already received from Oldham Council, from local communities and from our colleagues in other educational settings.”

Star Academies Chief Executive, Sir Hamid Patel CBE added: “This marks an exciting milestone in our partnership. We are confident the sixth form college will produce extraordinary, transformative outcomes, not only for students but for the wider communities too.

“With a growing demand for sixth form places, we aim to enable more young people to benefit from a high-quality academic education and to broaden the opportunities available to them both during and after their sixth form studies.”

Not everyone in the Borough was quite so positively disposed, however.

Education professional and former Cabinet Member and Lead for Education, Paul Jacques, pulls no punches:

“Oldham Labour should hang their heads in disgrace. No need for this elitist establishment and a smack in the face for all the hard working teachers who have provided an outstanding education for all Oldham’s children”

Jeremy Sutcliffe, similarly a retired senior education professional, also a long-term Governor at Hulme Grammar School and plain speaking Oldham Labour Party grandee has this to say:

“Not needed. Recent A level results from Oldham’s current 6th form providers demonstrate that there’s nowt wrong wi’ what we’ve got and it’s a kick in the teeth to those providers.
Oldham’s secondary education challenge is to motivate more children in years seven to eleven to maximise their potential. A cherry picking 16+ academy with posh links ain’t going to contribute to that.

“It’s a distraction from what needs to be done”.

Jeremy has also asked some very pertinent questions of the Eton/OMBC/Star alliance:

“How large a staff is it going to have on site to deliver a broad curriculum choice or will it have to rely on on-line delivery?

“How many students will it have and what social community can it create? This is important. A school or college is far more than a place to deliver lessons. Those going on to a sixth form in their own secondary school are part of it. They relate to its cultural offer: sports teams, drama clubs etc. Those going on to the Sixth Form College go to an establishment large enough to create its own cultural offer.

He concluded: “No way do I see the ‘Eton Mess” being able to replicate that”.

Another Labour activist, Mike Newell, says:

“My son went to Oldham College taking an arts course, which was credited with being the best in Greater Manchester. From there, he studied interior design at Manchester Art School gaining a degree. Together with Oldham Sixth Form they are two excellent further education colleges. Why does Oldham need a gimmick like Eton sixth form?”

A Bolton Council Cabinet Member, former Mayor of two different Boroughs and school and college Governor, Cllr Linda Thomas, says: 

“More to do with the privilege/status and contacts than the actual education if we are being honest.These new sixth formers will be very able already”.

In another surprising development to emerge, and connected to both of Jeremy and Mike’s comments, is that none of the press statements rehearsed above disclosed that Oldham Council chief executive, Harry Catherall, is a Member of the Board of Governors at Star Academies. A point made by a spokesperson for the Oldham Conservative councillors:

“Let’s hope that Oldham children will benefit from this government intervention.

“Oh and our long departing chief executive, Harry Catherall (Knighthood in the post?), well he is already on the board of Star Academies. Eton mess anyone?

“How Labour will square this with their union paymasters is yet to be seen.

The Oldham Council Leader has been asked to respond, via her press office, and comment was sought from the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Education, Cllr Helen Bishop, who says:

“This is clearly something that is going to benefit students who are already high achievers, but what about the impact on our excellent, existing Sixth Form College?”

“If they were sincere about wanting to help, Eton could simply provide funding to support and extend the existing provision. Overall, this scheme does nothing to address the inadequate performance of many secondary schools in Oldham, nor does it do anything to bring about the wholescale reforms needed in secondary education to tackle systemic failings and improve the life chances of all our young people.”

“School absences are spiralling, and young people are voting with their feet. Standards are inconsistent across the borough. In many areas of Oldham, there just isn’t a well-performing school to send your children to. Are we saying we want to roll up our sleeves, change the culture and drive improvements in our schools or are we just happy to sit back and clap at this distraction?”

“It is disappointing, during GCSE results week to see Labour peddling the line that having an Eton school in Oldham means that the town might now produce a future Prime Minister. We should be fighting to ensure any school in Oldham will give them the platform to do so. Given the damage done to the nation by Eton’s last two Prime Ministers – Cameron and Johnson – they could do a damn sight better”

“We should be striving to build an education offer where the best school is your local school, one which caters for all learning types, not indulging in the idea that what Oldhamers need are the crumbs from the table. This has all the hallmarks of an archaic education system failing to learn its lessons. Our state schools suffer as a result. All that glitters is not gold, and thinly veiled, flashy, and yet shallow gestures such as this should not detract from the serious and all-inclusive reforms necessary.”

UPDATE: Cllr Shah is yet to respond. Indeed, the email to her press office sent early on 24th August, 2023 did not even draw the courtesy of an acknowledgement. One of her closest political aides has, however, given a clue as to the probable mindset of the Leader’s inner circle with this post on the Neil Wilby Media Facebook page:

“Let’s be realistic, any negativity about Eton coming to Oldham isn’t really worth a carrot as it’s here and that’s pretty much that. The term ‘p***ing in the wind’ comes to mind, so they may as well go find something more constructive to do with their time as the Eton ship is anchored firmly here in Oldham.

Further UPDATE: Oldham Council, via its social media channels has released this short video clip featuring the Leader fulsomely praising the Eton initiative. Posted on Twitter over seven hours after the statement request was emailed to Cllr Shah’s press office, it does not address any of the questions raised by taxpayers, stakeholders and fellow councillors and, as such, very much gives the appearance of ‘dead cat distraction’:

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Page last updated: Sunday 27th August, 2023 at 10h10

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Picture credit: Eton College

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