Selective Schools Expansion Fund Consultation

Proposal to expand Queen Mary’s High School as part of the DfE’s Selective Schools Expansion Fund (SSEF) programme.

 Queen Mary’s High School is a school where the individual needs of highly able students are met and the development of the ‘whole person’ together with the enjoyment of learning lie at the heart of our ethos and culture. Queen Mary’s High School has a commitment and responsibility to its own community and communities locally, nationally and internationally.

We are proposing to extend the opportunity for children from all backgrounds to benefit from a grammar school education by expanding our school.

The Department for Education is making this opportunity possible through its Selective Schools Expansion Fund (SSEF) and Mercian Trust intend to submit two separate bids for our two Walsall grammar schools.  The intention is to offer more choice for parents and young people in Walsall and the surrounding areas and in particular to extend the opportunity for children eligible for pupil premium.  Following change in our admissions policy for September 2018, there will be 16% of our intake with eligibility for pupil premium in Year 7.  As part of these proposals we intend to offer a 10% discount against points required for entry to our sixth form for students previously eligible for pupil premium. (48 points’ score for the best 8 GCSE results for pupil premium compared with 52 for the remainder of the entry cohort).

In summary our proposals for the QMHS will be to:

  • Provide additional pupil places

It will:

  • Increase the Published Admission Number (PAN) for years 7-11 from 120 to 150

(This will provide 150 additional pupil places)

  • Reduce waiting lists at year 7 and 12

 

  • Provide the necessary accommodation

It will use funds secured to:

  • Expand the crowded town centre site of the school by buying back the lease of two neighbouring properties (which belong to the Queen Mary’s Foundation)
  • Build additional classrooms and create additional laboratories by adapting existing teaching spaces

 

  • Widen Access and Participation

The School will ensure that additional places are available for disadvantaged pupils in the Borough of Walsall.  It will use the bid to the SSEF to:

  • Revise its Admissions Policy
  • Engage in more outreach work with Walsall and neighbouring local authority Primary Schools
  • Provide familiarisation sessions for the entrance test
  • Extend access to site facilities and teaching resources (including in shortage subjects such as MFL, Maths and Science)

 

  • Increase efficiency

It will use the opportunity to:

  • Ensure that a full range of Post-16 A Level options remain financially viable by
    • increased collaboration with Queen Mary’s Grammar School
    • Work with independent careers advisers and secondary schools to promote and expand participation in our educational offer
    • Promote and expand our sixth form offer for students who have experienced disadvantage.

 

If you wish to make your views known as part of the consultation regarding these proposals for Queen Mary’s High School, you can access our survey here https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/K3FKNXY

 

If you are interested in hearing more about these proposals, we are planning open evenings at the school later in June/early July.  Date and time of this event will be published on this website.