AN Oldham principal has spoken of his fears that the opening of an Eton College sixth form could lead to attainment gaps ‘widening’ in the borough and children ‘falling out of the education system’.

Eton College is set to open three selective sixth form free schools in Oldham, Dudley, and Middlesbrough - areas deemed education “cold spots” by the Government’s Levelling Up paper.

The £44,000-a-year private school has partnered with Star Academies for the scheme and will bid in the next wave of the Government’s free school programme, with the colleges expected to welcome their first pupils by 2025.

Discussing the opening of an Eton sixth form college in Oldham, Mark Giles, the principal of Hathershaw College, which is part of the Pinnacle Trust along with Oldham Sixth Form College, said: “It could have the unintended consequence of leading to gaps widening.

“The rationality of elite sixth form colleges is to take children who have got grades 8 or 9 and make sure they are socially mobile, but my opinion is that children who leave school with those grades are socially mobile by virtue of the fact that they have excellent GCSE grades and can already access those Russel Group universities.

“My concern is for young people, who perhaps get grades 4 or 5s in their GCSEs, that could fall out of the education system by not having performed as well as they could do at school for a variety of reasons.”

Pupils at the new “Etons of the north” will be selected based on GCSE results and their background.

Priority will be given to those eligible for free school meals, looked-after children, those from the most deprived postcodes and those who would be the first in their family to go to university.

Mr Giles, who believes Oldham already has ‘excellent sixth form provision’, added: “I’m not sure another sixth form is needed.

“I think there should be talks about other things the town really does need, like making sure those children who get grades below a 4 are supported because those are the ones that are most at risk of lacking the potential to become socially mobile in the future.”

The principal argues that there needs to be increased mental health provision or alternative practical courses that schools cannot cater for.

He said: “I think that’s what’s crucially missing from Oldham.

“The elite provision is there anyway.”

In response, a spokesperson from Eton College said: “In Oldham, 35 per cent of students in 2019 achieved five or more good passes at GCSE, but only seven per cent went on to achieve the kind of A-level grades needed to secure places at universities in the top third nationally. We intend to close that gap.

“In addition, the demographics are such that there is going to be surge in demand in places for 16-19 education in Oldham and over the next 10 years around 1,500 new places will be needed – a rise of 11 per cent.

"Our new college will help provide this additional capacity.”

The spokesperson added that the new sixth form will offer a ‘rigorous academic curriculum’ and that through partnerships with 11-16 schools in the Oldham area Eton College will offer opportunities for young people ‘over and above’ those who might attend the sixth form.

Opportunities include the EtonX future skills courses that will be offered for free to all 11-16 partner schools along with other digital content via the Eton Virtual platform.

Pupils at partner schools will also have access to Career Education, Society Speaker and Academic Enrichment programmes at Eton College.

The college will also run a free residential Eton Connect summer school for Year 10 students from the Oldham area each summer.

Eton and Star also intend to draw other educational partners to the Oldham area.