Plans to make Worthing boys’ school coeducational put to public

Plans to make a Worthing boys’ school coeducational have been put out for public consultation.
Louise Welcome, headteacher at St Andrew'sLouise Welcome, headteacher at St Andrew's
Louise Welcome, headteacher at St Andrew's

If approved St Andrew’s CE High School for Boys would start welcoming girls as well as boys into Year 7 from September 2021.

The plans are supported by governors and leaders at the school, with parents already informed.

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A public consultation into the proposed changes opened yesterday (Monday June 1) and will run for a month.

Forest School in Horsham is exploring a similar move.

Nigel Jupp, West Sussex County Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, said: “We are exploring options for these schools to become coeducational and believe this could benefit both school communities.

“Governors are supportive of these proposals and now we want to hear from parents, pupils, those who might go to these schools in the future, and the wider public so we can make a decision based on a wide range of opinions.”

The change would also give female pupils in Worthing and Horsham a greater choice when deciding where they want to go to secondary school.

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Louise Welcome, headteacher at St Andrew’s, said: “The governors and leadership of the school are very sensitive to the needs of the entire St Andrew’s community.

“We will work closely with our current wonderful boys and staff to ensure that if St Andrew’s becomes coeducational from September 2021 it does so successfully, building on the very best bits of our existing community and forging a new future for the school and the educational provision in Worthing.”

No changes are proposed for any of the existing year groups at both schools and there are no plans to alter the single-sex girls’ schools Millais School in Horsham or Davison CE High School for Girls in Worthing.

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The cabinet member will assess all of the feedback before making a decision in late July.

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