Oldham News | Main News | Eton-linked college comes to Oldham

The exact location of a ‘transformative’ new university linked to Eton has been revealed for the first time.

Eton Star Oldham, a state primary school helping disadvantaged young people gain access to a top university education, is being built on the site of the current open-air market in Tommyfield.

The elite boarding school has announced plans to open a new sixth form in Oldham in August 2023, alongside state school Star Academies.

But the precise details of the university for 16- to 19-year-olds were kept secret.

Traders currently using the outdoor market will relocate to a brand new market hall built at the Spindles centre, scheduled for completion in spring 2025.

The ultra-modern college would then be built on that site, including the market car park.

The site is yet to be officially approved by Oldham Council’s cabinet, with council sources suggesting this is likely to happen in September.

Oldham councillor Arooj Shah called the project an “exciting and significant” moment for the council.

Coun Shah said: “This means everyone gets a top-class education, regardless of their background and where they live, and the chance to fulfil their potential.

“(The Tommyfield Market site) is a fantastic location for the university.

“It will add vibrancy to our city centre, which we are rapidly transforming into one of the most exciting in Greater Manchester.

“The new, state-of-the-art building will be a fantastic addition to the already excellent sixth form education we provide.”

The party leader added that she expects the new council to also increase the number of visitors to the city centre and help local businesses.

Simon Henderson, Headmaster of Eton College, added: “Every time I visit Oldham I am struck by the ambition of the council’s vision for the town, by the commitment of local schools and colleges to working together, and by the community’s belief in the transformative power of education.

“The location of the new Eton Star Oldham sixth form reflects all of this, and we plan to create a civic centre that, working in partnership with others, will help to create more opportunities for young people in Oldham and beyond.”

The new school aims to provide its 480 pupils with the best education that Eton College and Star Academies, one of the highest performing state schools in the country, have to offer.

Simon Henderson, principal of Eton College, has previously said the school will be “selective” but will not select “selective” students from surrounding schools.

Instead, he looked for ‘bright young children’ who struggled to translate their intelligence into A-levels, prioritising children from the ‘lowest income’ families and children in child care.

Currently only 36 per cent of young people in Oldham achieve such a qualification after finishing secondary school.

Sir Hamid Patel CBE, the chief executive of Star Academies, said the college aimed “not only to support Eton Star Oldham students to achieve transformative outcomes, but also, by working in partnership with local schools and other educational institutions, to improve achievement and increase the opportunities open to every young person in Oldham.”

Oldham College is one of three Eton-sponsored sixth forms opening in the North and Midlands, along with Dudley and Middlesbrough.

All three areas were named by the government as part of the 55 ‘cold spots’ in education in England, the areas with the weakest educational outcomes, as part of the levelling-up agenda.

The exclusive private school has pledged to invest an extra £1 million a year in each new sixth form, on top of its own government funding through the free schools programme.

The current boys’ boarding school, Eton in Berkshire, has produced 19 prime ministers and is the alma mater of Boris Johnson and Prince William.

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