Senior leaders at Dudley Council made a whistle-stop tour of the world famous Eton College to discuss details about proposals to open a campus in the borough.

The prestigious college announced its plans to bid to open up a sixth form college in Dudley earlier this year.

If approved, the plans would see the new college opened on a site to be determined in the borough and add to the University Campus which is already taking shape at Castle Hill.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council and Councillor Steve Clark, deputy leader, visited the college and met head teacher, Simon Henderson, to discuss the plans. 

They hailed the move as a key component in the £1 billion regeneration programme which is well underway in the borough. Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said:

"It was great to have a tour of such an illustrious college and the fact that they will be setting up in Dudley is really exciting.
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If approved, it will add to the incredible opportunities we have for young people in the borough as part of our commitment to being a child friendly Dudley.

"Our ongoing £1 billion worth of regeneration activity is progressing really well, this is a key component of that work and we are taking every opportunity to move these plans forward."

The venture, by Star Academies and Eton College, would help young people achieve A-levels and support them to get to elite universities. There will be 240 pupils a year who will also be given personal development opportunities such as critical thinking, debating, interview techniques and more.

It is part of the latest round of the Department for Education’s Free School Programme, a process expected to get underway in the next few months, with a view to the college welcoming their first students as soon as 2025. The other two colleges are in Middlesbrough and Oldham.

If the bid by Star Academies and Eton College is successful the new schools will be part of Blackburn-based Star Academies, which runs both primary and secondary schools in some of the most deprived communities in the North and West Midlands.