A PRIVATE school is to change its name for the second time in two years – ending 95 years of history in Worcester.

RGS Worcester & The Alice Ottley School will become simply RGS Worcester from September.

The move will end a long assocation between the name Alice Ottley and education in Worcester, dating back to 1914.

The former boys’ Royal Grammar School in The Tything changed its name to RGS Worcester & The Alice Ottley School, or RGSAO, in September 2007 when it merged with the neighbouring girls’ school.

But the school says this was only an interim name and after consulting parents, staff and pupils it has decided to simplify its title.

Headmaster Andy Rattue said the new brand will become effective from Tuesday, September 1.

“There has been some confusion about the school name over the last two years, and we felt it was important to convey the school’s values as concisely as possible,” he said.

“The vast majority of those who expressed a view during the consultation felt that reverting to the RGS name was the simplest and clearest way forward.

“The Royal Grammar School is a nationally known brand which links us to five other famous schools in Newcastle, Guildford, High Wycombe, Colchester and Lancaster. The wider school community has known about this change for the last four months. While there has been some sadness that the Alice Ottley name will no longer form part of the brand, the rich heritage of AO still lives on.”

From September the name of the school’s junior departments will also change to RGS Springfield Worcester and RGS The Grange Worcester.

Mr Rattue said changes to the school’s uniform would be minimal – and parents could phase in the newly branded uniform as they replaced items.

But one parent who asked not to be named said she had only just bought a new uniform from the school’s shop and no mention of the change had been made.

“We were given a letter in May about uniform regulations, but the re-branding was far down the letter and it definitely was not made clear,” she said.

“I think a separate letter should have gone out explaining what they are doing - they should never have called it both in the first place if this was always their intention.

“I really am disappointed that this is happening but I’m not surprised.”