Plans to open a selective sixth form backed by Eton College have been approved.

Eton College and Star Academies welcomed the Department for Education’s decision to approve plans to open the new college, announced this morning.

The state college will be called ‘Eton Star Oldham’ and will be backed with extra funding of £1 million per year from the prestigious private school, on top of regular government funding.

Plans for two other selective sixth forms in Dudley, ‘Eton Star Dudley’ and Middlesbrough, ‘Eton Star Teesside’, were also approved.

Eton’s headmaster Simon Henderson said: “We are delighted by this decision. We believe Eton Star Oldham has the potential to be transformative both for the young people who attend and 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 had already from Oldham Council, from the local communities and from our colleagues in other educational settings.”  

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Each college is set to have places for 480 students.

The announcement comes as part of a package of Government approvals for the creation of 15 new free schools in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country.

Also approved were plans for a new BRIT School North performing arts school in Bradford, two University Technical Colleges (UTCs) in Doncaster and Southampton, and a new secondary school and sixth form in Manchester, amongst others.

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Star Academies chief executive Sir Hamid Patel CBE said: “This marks an exciting milestone. We are confident that Eton Star Oldham will produce extraordinary, transformative outcomes, not only for its students but for the wider community too. 

“With a growing demand for sixth form places Oldham and the north of Greater Manchester, 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.”

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Cllr Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: “I’m thrilled that Government have backed the proposals for a new Eton College and Star Academies sixth form college right here in the heart of Oldham.

“For a young person growing up in Oldham, this is really exciting news, as this new sixth form will open up incredible academic opportunities – providing an unrivalled educational experience that will enable every child, wherever they live and whatever their background, to fulfil their potential.

"This new sixth form will provide a fantastic opportunity for Oldham's young people to access a truly world class education; with access to some of Eton and Star’s best teachers, its clubs and its speaker events, as well as the chance to take part in a summer residential at Eton itself. 

“This will give children who would never have had these opportunities the chance to shine and not just to fulfil their potential, but to experience things they would never have thought possible."

“Eton and Star both have an outstanding reputation in providing the very best education, which is just what Oldham’s young people deserve. That’s why I’m delighted that today we have taken a huge step forward in making this fantastic idea a reality.”