Wolverhampton free school plans in turmoil after delay of a year

The Royal, currently a fee-paying school, had widely advertised that the move would be made at the start of the new academic year in September.

Parents keen to get their child into the school when it became free were prepared to secure a place by enrolling for the current summer term, the last one for which fees were expected to be paid.

The shock news from the Department of Education(DfE) that The Royal would not become a free school until September 2016 at the earliest was announced on March 27 - the day it broke up for Easter and only four days before the final day for settlement of summer term fees with a discount, up to £9,410-per-term for boarders and rising to £4,210 for day pupils.

The change was deemed to be the 'best for all parties' because the proposed time scale was too tight.

Now, some parents are concerned they may have to pay for an entire year's fees to ensure their child has a place when The Royal finally becomes free.

One single parent, who asked not to be named, said: "I was prepared to take out a bank loan to pay the £3,000 needed for one term's fees to ensure my child got one of the free places but there is no way that I could pay for an entire year.

"If I could afford that I would have sent my child to an independent school from the outset.

"I certainly cannot pay this sort of money to ensure my child gets the right education at a supposedly free school. I was so excited that my child might get this chance in life but it is a real mess."

Headmaster Mark Heywood insisted: "I do not think we did anything to cause this. We were shocked by the news but it has not damaged either the reputation of the school or its future. There is no reason why parents should lose confidence in us. We have a plan and now have slightly longer to activate it.

"Recent developments will have caused considerable concern to many current and prospective parents.

"We will do everything within our power to assist those already on the roll to continue their education until we convert in September 2016 and may be able to provide some form of bridging assistance to parents in particular circumstances using our existing means tested bursary scheme."

The Royal said it would take some time to fully analyse the implications and asked for parents to 'bear with them' whilst it reviews plans.

It promised to announce admission proposals for the forthcoming autumn term within the next few weeks and stay in touch with all who have submitted applications or registered an interest with them.

The move to free school status would have seen pupil places more than doubled over the next five years to 1,000 in total. It would also mean the fees with the school funded by the government.

Officials said they had 538 pupils registered for the summer term and insisted they had not lost any as a result of the impending switch to free school status.

Nobody who agreed to pay for the final term to get to the front of the queue for free places with the proposed September 2015 launch has lost out because extra classes planned to take them this term have been scrapped.

They may be introduced in September after talks with the DfE and Wolverhampton city council. Mr Heywood concluded: "While we continue as an independent fee paying school, parents can make the choice to enrol their child as a pupil after understanding the full consequences of joining us."

The DfE said: "We are working closely with the Royal School Wolverhampton to ensure it is on course to open as a Free School in September 2016."