Top independent girls’ school to become an academy

Oct 2 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

WIRRAL’S last independent all-girls school has said it plans to abandon fee-paying and academic selection to become an academy.

The move means girls from Wirral, regardless of ability, will be able to apply for a place at the prestigious Birkenhead High School for Girls.

A month ago, the 127-year-old Belvedere School for Girls in Liverpool began as an academy, after a similar transformation from fee-paying status.

Last night, no one from the Birkenhead school was available for comment but, in a letter sent to parents, head of the senior school Carole Evans said their plans would make it the “first all-through girls academy in the country”.

She said discussions about academy status with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) were at an early stage, but the department’s response so far had been “extremely encouraging”.

The school, which provides education for around 900 girls aged from three to 18 and charges up to £2,300 a term, is aiming to become an academy by 2009. Academies are “sponsored” to the tune of £2m by private sector partners, who can appoint governors and help choose the curriculum which will specialise in specific areas.

Former pupils at Birken-head High include actress Patricia Routledge, the first woman curator of the Tate Gallery, Judith Collins, and finance “superwoman” Nicola Horlick.

Mrs Evans told parents it was the school’s “respon-sibility to ensure the ongoing success of this school” in the interests of the current and future generations, and that the vital characteristics of Birkenhead High School is “single sex girls provision, particularly in the key years until 16, the widest possible social access to the school and a rich curriculum”.

She said: “We believe the academy option offers an exciting vision for this type of first-class education”.

The plans would mean the school abandoning selection on academic abilities and only choosing 10% of its students in specialisms which would be music, performing arts and mathematics.

Birkenhead High School was founded in 1901 and for the fifth year in a row this year celebrated a 100% pass rate in A-level examinations.

Students at the school achieved 56% of all passes at Grade A, a rise of 11% rise on 2006 A-level results, and nearly 40% of all entrants achieved three or more Grade A passes.

Mrs Evans said: “The full breadth of the current curriculum and educational expectations would, of course, be maintained, with some additional enrichment provided by way of resources.”

She said it was expected “academic standards at the school would be maintained, if not enhanced”.

The school plans open evenings this week for parents to learn more about the proposals.

A spokes-woman for Belvedere Academy said the transition from fee-paying school to an academy had been “remarkably successful, especially considering that we were the very first independent school to join the academies programme”.

The school says applications for Year Seven places have increased both last year and this, and “the first cohort of academy pupils started a few weeks ago and they are settling in very well”.

The spokeswoman added: “It has allowed us to extend excellence and opportunity more widely in Liverpool.

“The Belvedere Academy very much maintains and extends the traditions of the Belvedere School – high aspirations, an inclusive approach and outstanding achievement and care.

“The past month has flown by and the new girls have absorbed the Belvedere ethos from the older students very quickly.

“Overall, they are proving to be a very polite, hard-working and lively group of young ladies, and we are delighted to have them with us”.

liammurphy