Funding nod paves way for Wolverhampton's Royal School to be free from September

The Royal, which is currently fee-paying, was due to convert to free school status at the start of the September term last year – but the move was delayed by the Department for Education.

But now the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, Lord John Nash, has confirmed a government funding agreement with the school, meaning it can convert to free status from September this year.

Plans to convert have been public for nearly two years, with bosses inundated with thousands of requests for places.

And twenty staff have been taken on, including teachers and teaching assistants.

As part of the expansion, buildings at the school's Penn Road site will be converted into additional classrooms and a new sports hall is also a possibility.

Headteacher Mark Heywood, said: "We are absolutely delighted that we have received confirmation that Lord Nash has agreed that he will enter into a funding agreement with the School to open as a free school in September, 2016.

"This is the news the local community and school have been waiting for and we look forward to continuing to develop the all-through approach for an even greater number of children from Wolverhampton and surrounding areas.

"With every entry point for pupils from Reception to Year 12 being heavily over-subscribed it is clear that we have great support for the vision of the school.

"The school has experienced significant recent growth in pupil and staff numbers and we are well advanced with planning for our new pupils arriving in September.

"The next few months and years are clearly exciting ones for the school, wider local community and aspirational educational landscape in the increasingly vibrant city of Wolverhampton."

In a letter to the school, Lord Nash said: "I am very pleased to confirm that the Secretary of State has agreed to enter into a funding agreement with The Royal School Wolverhampton, which is due to open in September.

"The school will receive full details of the funding agreement and will then be able to confirm the conditional offers of places for September."