The University of Birmingham has been given the green light to open its own secondary school.
Education Secretary Michael Gove has given his backing to the university to open a new “free school” to help city pupils of all backgrounds progress to top universities.
Proposals for the 1,150-pupil school, which will be called the University of Birmingham School and Sixth Form, were first revealed by the Birmingham Post in January.
It is one of three Birmingham free schools – where organisations and groups of parents can start schools outside of local authority control – to be approved by Mr Gove this month.
A total of 102 new free schools nationwide have been approved in July, including Birmingham’s Titan Partnership Trust School and REACH, which will both specialise in helping pupils who have been excluded or are at risk of being excluded from other schools.
News of the latest free school approvals in Birmingham has been met with criticism from the NASUWT teaching union, who said the move could undermine existing schools in the city.
Birmingham vice-chancellor Professor David Eastwood said: “This exciting initiative will not only enable us to share our values and have a positive impact on students from across Birmingham from as young as 11, it will also ensure that we develop the next generation of inspiring teachers for our region and the country.”
