WORCESTER: Merged school rules out girls-only classes

The Royal Grammar School, Worcester, and the Alice Ottley School will re-open as one school in September, as exclusively revealed by the Worcester News in December.

Andy Rattue, headteacher of RGS who will take over as head of the new school, had promised to discuss with parents the possibility of running single sex classes for an interim period. But in a letter sent to parents, Mr Rattue revealed the idea was not a viable option.

The letter said a steering group had consulted parents of girls in years 6, 7, 8 and 9 at Alice Ottley.

"Given the preferences expressed over the last few weeks and the strong support expressed for co-education, it is the unanimous view of the steering group that neither an all-girls class nor a partial all-girls class for core subjects would be viable," he wrote.

"All AO girls from these years entering the new school from September 2007 will therefore be taught in fully co-educational classes and be placed in co-education form groups."

The letter also said a fee structure had been agreed for the new school.

Parents at RGS currently pay £2,760 per term, plus lunches, compared with AO parents who pay £3,011 including lunches. The letter said it was planned to base the fees of the new school on the RGS scale with lunches charged as extra.

Mr Rattue also said senior pupils from both schools had been involved in the appointment of a new deputy head (pastoral) for the new school. she is Rebecca Appleyard, who is currently senior deputy headmistress at Heathfield St Mary's School which was formed after the merger of Heathfield School, Ascot, and St Mary's School, Wantage.

Mr Rattue's letter added: "We are very encouraged by the enthusiasim of the girls and boys for the merger.

"The programme of co-operative ventures is going well, and groups of pupils from both schools have recently contributed to the space audit which is being conducted by our consultant architects, Buttress Fuller Allsop Williams."