Liverpool College set to become academy

One of Liverpool's most prestigious private schools is to become a publicly-funded independent academy.

Parents will no longer have to pay to send their children to Liverpool College in Mossley Hill when it changes status next September.

The move will see its pupil numbers rise from 730 to 1,126 pupils across a period of five years.

Principal Hans van Mourik Broekman said it would mean "maximising the potential of many more children".

He said: "The development of both the intellectual potential and the personal character of pupils will continue to be at the core of how we teach."

One of the changes made will be a move to a separate middle school for Year 7 to 9 pupils (11-13 years) and an upper school for Year 10 to 13 pupils (14-19 years).

Mr Van Mourik Broekman said: "In particular, the development of our middle school will provide an enhanced first-stage secondary experience that will better support the vital primary to secondary school transition, and our new upper school for 14 to 19-year-old pupils will better reflect student aptitudes and preferred learning styles.

"We're very much looking forward to being able to maximise the potential of many more children, from all areas and from all backgrounds in the years ahead - it's going to be an exciting time for everyone involved."

The curriculum will also be extended and pupils will be able to participate in activities including competitive sport, Combined Cadet Force, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and other subjects offered through the college's partner, the University of Liverpool.