Oldham teachers' union labels Eton Oldham 'a marketing ploy'

In August last year, plans for the 480-student Eton Star Oldham were approved 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.

Many residents voiced their opposition to the plans, with some calling it a "kick in the teeth", and now, a union representing Oldham teachers has said the proposal has "a number of problems".

The National Education Union (NEU) branch for Oldham has listed what it believes are five problems with the Eton school: a lack of local consultation, disruption to local provision, question of if Oldham needs another sixth form, previous attempts to bring free schools to Oldham and whether the school will genuinely benefit Oldham pupils.

Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah has defended the plans as bringing "genuinely world class educational offer to Oldham" and that "we owed it to our young people to make that happen". 

NEU Oldham, however,  feels the plans were agreed with little  consultation with educational stakeholders and parents in Oldham.

Secondly, the branch feels that a new school coming in disrupts the local authority's provision of providing education for all children in their area.

The branch also feels another sixth form in the borough is not necessary and that it could hurt the funding for existing schools if it loses pupils to the new sixth form.

Next, the branch pointed to previous unsuccessful attempts to bring free schools to Oldham.

Finally, the branch questions whether the school would benefit children in Oldham, as the school may have access to more funds and the selective process may benefit children with more influential and affluent parents, "thereby subverting the original intentions of the school".

Nigel Yeo, the joint district secretary for the National Education in Oldham, said: “In the end it is no more than a marketing ploy. The new school will never be like Eton but it will have profound detrimental effects on the provision of sixth form education in Oldham. The borough neither needs it nor wants it."

In response, Oldham Council leader Cllr Shah, said: "Eton Star Oldham will be expanding on our already fantastic sixth form provision to offer even more choice to bright young students.

"Both Eton College and Star Academies have outstanding reputations and so when the chance came to bring a genuinely world class educational offer to Oldham we owed it to our young people to make that happen.

"We have been having ongoing and positive talks with other schools and colleges since the college was in the planning stage and our statutory duty to provide care for all children in the area the college has already been factored in. 

Eton headmaster Simon Henderson with Cllr Arooj Shah (Image: Oldham Council)

"Importantly, the admissions process will involve a focus on admitting large numbers of students on free school meals, children looked after, or those who would be the first in their families to attend university.

"This equity of access will enable opportunities that have been enjoyed for centuries by the country's most privileged families to be accessible to students from Oldham, Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton, Shaw, Crompton and Saddleworth, and that's incredibly exciting."

At the time the plans were approved, 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.”

Star Academies was approached for comment in response to NEU Oldham's statement.