THE PRESTIGIOUS St Anselm's grammar school last night unveiled expansion plans after confirming it had converted to a centrally funded academy.

Headteacher of St Anselm’s in Oxton Simon Duggan rubbished union fears it would “cream off” the best pupils from Wirral after cutting free from town hall control.

In May last year Education Secretary Michael Gove invited outstanding schools to apply for Academy status and now St Anselm’s – a Christian Brothers Catholic school which dates back to 1933 – has completed the change over.

Academies are free from local authority control, meaning they get funding directly from the Government .

They can set their own curriculum, prioritise funding in areas they see fit and set their own catchment areas and staff pay and conditions. Last night Mr Duggan said the school would not be altering its current entry test or admission policy and any future changes to teachers’ terms and conditions would be to improve them.

But he said the academy status would allow the school, set up on the request of the Bishop of Shrewsbury to ensure Wirral had a Catholic grammar school, to have more control over its curriculum and purse strings.

And the new era coincided with the former Christian Brothers Community House on its site being handed over to the school.

The building, purchased for around £500,000 by school supporters the Edmund Rice Trust will be used as a sixth form block which could see the number of sixth formers increase from 210 to 250.