State sector move for private school

Yakub Qureshi

February 06, 2006

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SWITCH: William Hulme Grammar.

A PRESTIGIOUS private school is planning to abandon its century-old fee-paying status to become one of the government's flagship city academies.

William Hulme's Grammar school will today announce plans to enter the state sector and open its doors to children from across Manchester.

The move means that parents will no longer have to pay fees of up to '7,000 each year.

It will also lead to the school taking on hundreds of additional pupils from different backgrounds, with parents from across the city able to apply for places.

Currently there are 500 pupils aged 3-18 at the school. The proposed changes would mean twice as many pupils would be admitted to the senior school each year until the roll reached 800.

Bosses at the Whalley Range school wrote to parents last week informing them of their intention to bid for special status. As part of the application process, inspectors from the Department for Education and Skills will later this week visit the school to assess its suitability.

Sacrifices

Headteacher Steve Patriarca said he hoped that the school could become an academy in time for September 2007.

He said: "We would be an independent school in the state sector. We have told parents of our plan. I think that given the extraordinary sacrifices they make to send their children here, they will welcome this development.

"It has been stressed that the school would retain its ethos and its high standards. We would not be restrained by the bureaucracy of a local education authority but we will recruit from a broad catchment area. We want to retain and expand on our broad social and ethnic mix."

City academies are a key policy of the Labour government, allowing businesses or private organisations to financially support secondary schools and manage some of their functions.

Manchester Academy in Moss Side, formerly Ducie High, was the first such school to be set up in the city. Ministers now plan for dozens of city academies to be created.

Bosses at William Hulme's say that, although the school will become state-funded, it will still be run independently and pupils will continue to benefit from facilities such as an outdoor activities centre in Yorkshire.

Set in 16 acres of ground, the prestigious grammar, which has nursery and junior schools, was established in 1887 by a charity created by 17th century philanthropist William Hulme.

Its famous former students include footballer Ashley Ward and ex-education minister Ivan Lewis MP.

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A Allan, Chorlton (06/02/2006 at 22:10)

If the entrance exam is retained then surely this school will be a de-facto grammar school -it will be free to pupils who pass the exam, whilst the "failures" will continue to go to Manchester's struggling comprehensives. This is obviously a very sly return to selection at 11 and the grammar school/secondary modern system.Would Labour actually admit to this in so many words ?

Rick, Manchester (06/02/2006 at 23:49)

Nice of the headmaster to be so concerned about the parents having to pay the fees. I struggle to find the money but it was my choice to send my child there.

If I had wanted my child educated in a state school I would have sent him to one. I didn't expect WH to become one after I sent my child there

Alex, Lancs (07/02/2006 at 09:37)

The Grammer School system was selective and the educational results from Grammar Schools reflected this. Facts are facts. I was fortunate enough to go to Public School, and its true, I had half of the distractions of my other friends that attended State Schools. Parents should have the choice, if schools want to be private let them. It shouldnt be an issue if the parents pay for the education, it wouldnt be funded by general taxation, so why complain?

Darren, Manchester (07/02/2006 at 10:38)

I am a WHGS parent. Paying the fees is a struggle but one that I am happy to do to avoid them going to a failing state school.

A Allan has missed the fact that there will be NO selection therefore this is NOT a sly return to Grammar Schools. 10% will be selected on Language ability because it is to be a 'Language Academy'. If the government bans entrance interviews then this school becomes a local comp.

WHGS should be making efforts to increase the fee paying intake, not alienating the parents of current pupils by becoming a sink academy.

Tony Miles, Manchester (07/02/2006 at 15:10)

As a parent of a pupil at WHGS I received a letter telling me we were to be "consulted" about the proposal - some consultation when it seems to be a done deal. The school may think it will remain "independant" but once it has joined the state system there will be no way back - it seems like a rash move and takes no acount of why parents chose the school in the first place.

Shazia, Manchester (07/02/2006 at 20:28)

I am deeply disappointed with this decision, as I am sure many other parents will be as well. William Hulme has gained a reputation for its inclusiveness and selectiveness and this is one of the reasons why many parents choose this school for their children, including myself, and I believe, as with other a?~academiesa?TM that as soon as the school is state maintained it will lose its exclusiveness and calibre.

One of the reasons for this, I believe, is as it will open the a?~flood gatesa?TM, and as stated on TV, if there is no pre-screening or entrance examination there will be no safeguard to the calibre of student which will be admitted as well as the surrounding catchment area being Hulme, Moss Side and Whalley Range.

I believe that the school will not be able to maintain the standard of students attending the school thus diminishing the real reason behind why parents have chosen to pay an independent school for their childrena?TMs education.

In the letter we parents received it stated that William Hulme will a?~maintain its independencea?|a?TM, to be honest I believe, and I know many others do as well, that at the end of the day a state maintained school cannot be solely independent as certain funding criteria needs to be fulfilled by the school, which may interfere with its a?~independencea?TM. It may well be given the title of an 'independent academy' but it does not matter which way you grab your ear the result is the same...state maintained!

Apparently, according to Blair's White Paper on the educational reforms school interviews will be banned and according to feedback from WHGS there will be no entrance examination to the grammar school! May I ask how they will then assess and screen potential students or is it a first come first served basis? How will they keep up standards of the school without any assessment? If students who need help at school are given the majority of the teacher's attention then where do the other kids stand??

Regarding admission the school will not retain the sole independence of the decision of admitting a student, as a parent can complain against the decision to the governing body....its in the White Paper!

I personally am not happy with the change and am quite apprehensive about it. I have sent my son to the school as it had the inclusiveness and traditions an independent school is proud of and thus would not even consider putting him into a state run school as I believe there is a vast difference in the level of education and traditions and I am sorry of I seem snobbish here. WHGS has fortunately not have to deal with major problems other states schools have with their students but if it opens the floodgates I am sure they will be inundated with them.

As I state I am very disappointed and do hope that the decision is reversed, either by the opinion of the parents, as I know the majority feel very strongly about it, or by careful consideration by the school and the governors.

If unfortunately the decision is maintained then I will have to look at other independent schools for my child, which would be a shame and this would be my last resort.

I believe that the plans have not happened over night regarding the school and the ministers, and neither have Blair's educational reforms evolved over the past few days, if I had known I would not have put my son in the school and would have selected an alternative independent school. I am now looking left right and centre for another reputable school, but this time I will ask them their future plans I an mow once bitten twice shy!

I also believe it is not fair on the parents and the children who basically did not get what they thought they would.... I thank you TOO Mr Patriarca!!! I just hope that the school does not add to the list of failing academies in Manchester!!!

PAMELA, CHORLTON (09/02/2006 at 23:33)

The comprehensive schools in Manchester are underfunded. Their heads do a tremendous job despite the deprivation in the city. In order to save money for the parents of WHGS the comprehensives will lose further funding. Has anyone considered the effect on the school communities. Is WHGS going to take all the high ability children from the area and leave the rest. WHGS will then claim to be an inner city school and be held up as an example to castigate the local comps. The rules for academies mean that all staff have to apply for the posts as happened in Ducie. Will this happen in WHGS or will the rules be changed for them. Parents who comment that they will have to look for another school are very fortunate. Many parents have no choice.

Charlieboy, Lancs (10/02/2006 at 10:10)

A lot of 'aspiring' middle class comments from the parents here! Looking at the league tables, Middleton Technology School is one of the best in the country and it is a state school! Well done to them. I went to Ampleforth Public School and our results werent that far ahead of of the previously mentioned state school. Send your children to a Public School, if they can get in and you can afford it! Your embarrassing yourselves with your petty bourgeoisie comments!

MRS. ANWAR, CHORLTON (10/02/2006 at 23:44)

well, i am happy that there will be no fee at the school, my son had to leave last year after his gcses and go to loretto college as the fees got too much for us, but when you send one child to a grammar shool you want the rest to go, but sometimes its not possible my second son went for the entrance exam in jan, he sat exams at other schools too, but i still had the feeling of what are we going to do we cant afford the fees, and no way am i going to send him to chorlton high they all look like gangssters there! But thank god ther is a way, now i think parents have a big role to play towards childrens up bringing, if you have a spoiled and undiciplined child sending the child to a private school will not make him or her better, that comes from home and within, some children mess about and dont do well in private schools, parents dont have time to find out what the child is up too, you cant blame the school, this way all kids that want to do well but can not afford the fee will get a chance, i dont think the standard will drop that quickly, whgs will know that they will be watched by press and news, and the teachers there are some retired army officers, quiet a lot have phds and above so the atmosphere in which a child will be surrounded by is very prim proper anyway, and kids do pick up a lot of adequates from such highly qualified staff, its not fair that onliy the people who are better off get the good chances and kids who are not that well off but are bright students have no chance and have to make do with the local comps.

Dawn, Chorlton (21/02/2006 at 09:54)

I'd just like to follow up on the point made by Mrs Anwar below with regard to Chorlton High. I've lived behind the school for the last five years and the vast majority of pupils I see almost every day look smart, speak well and are polite whenever I pass them. I've yet to spot the gangsters she claims are ubiquitous.

MRS ANWAR, CHORLTON (11/03/2006 at 21:28)

hi id just like to reply to dawns comment about my review, i have been living in chorlton for 11 yrs, i drive past chorlton high every day twice a day to pick my kids from cholton park.When i drop my kids off, i go for a walk with my friends round the park, in the morning, and sometimes afternoon, we see so many children from chorlton high in the park smoking, and shouting racist remarks at us, this is after school has started, what are these kids doing in the park?. If you want to see the gangsters i am talking about make your way to mauldeth rd at about 3.00. I have seen so many kids on edgerton rd south and the streets off edgerton rd south, in school hours just a few weeks ago i was posting a letter at the post office i saw 3 boys outside the post office smoking, they were also disturbing the residents, i saw a teacher pull up on the side come out off his car and shout at the boys, when i asked if he was from the school he told me the he was the deputy head, people were ringing up complaining about the kids from his school if you miss the kids i am talking about take a walk in chorlton park at 3.00.

Dawn, Chorlton (23/03/2006 at 13:31)

I've no desire to get into a long discussion, so I'll make this my last comment on this topic, but I too drop my children off at Chorlton Park in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. For the most part I see hardly any Chorlton High kids since they both start and finish earlier and are therefore either in school or long gone on their way home afterwards.

I don't think characterising the whole school on the basis of the odd straggler is a sensible thing to do. If that was the case I would assume all children at William Hulme's had rings hanging out of their lips as did the boy I saw in his WHGS uniform at the bus station in Chorlton the other day.....

mrs anwar, chorlton (28/03/2006 at 13:15)

i suggest you put your glasses on then you can see what everyone is talking about.

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