Eton College to Open New Sixth Form Colleges

The prestigious Eton College has signed an unprecedented agreement with a leading state school provider to open three selective Sixth Form Colleges across the Midlands and North of England. The new colleges will open in the state sector to specialise in helping young people from deprived areas to achieve the outstanding academic results needed to attend the UK's top universities.

Eton College has partnered with Star Academies, an academy trust running 30 state schools in England, to open three new colleges offering the elite all-boys' school's rigorous and academic curriculum. Each college, which will enrol 240 students per year, will offer access to talks from high-profile speakers, academic essay prizes and debate clubs, Oxbridge-style tutorial sessions and the chance to learn Latin. Some lessons will be delivered virtually by Eton's specialist teachers, and students from the new colleges will have a chance to attend Eton College annually for a Summer School.

Star and Eton will be bidding through the anticipated next wave of the government’s innovative Free Schools programme to set up the new colleges. Subject to approval, the first college will open in September 2024.

Star Academies Chief Executive Sir Hamid Patel said:

“This is a fantastically exciting moment for both our organisations. Eton bringing its approach to education to disadvantaged communities, allied to our own successful ethos, has the potential to be transformative for both the students who will attend but also the wider civic lives of the towns and cities in which our new colleges will open."

Eton Provost Lord William Waldegrave said:

“Since King Henry VI founded Eton in 1440 to provide free education to 70 poor boys, Eton has long sought out ways to broaden our reach, to ensure that as many young people as possible can enjoy the benefits of our educational philosophy. I believe firmly that this partnership with Star is simply a new and exciting development in this long and proud history.”