Eton will offer 12 Year 11 state school pupils from challenging backgrounds free places even if they do not have top grades
- Orwell Award, named after George Orwell, will be open to state school pupils
- Aimed at those with academic ability but from an underprivileged background
- Scholarship will cover sixth form place and boarding facilities for two years
Eton College is offering 12 free school places to boys from challenging backgrounds even if they don’t have the grades to get in.
The new Orwell Award, named after former pupil George Orwell, will offer a dozen boys from non-selective state schools the chance to study at the prestigious college.
It is targeted at those with academic ability but little chance to fulfill their potential.
The places at the college, attended by the likes of David Cameron and the Duke of Cambridge, will include two years of sixth form study and full boarding facilities.
Eton College is offering 12 free school places to boys from challenging backgrounds even if they don’t have the grades to get in
Named after author and Eton alumnus George Orwell, who received financial aid at Eton, the award aims to give recipients an educational experience they would not otherwise have been able to access.
Unlike previous scholarship programmes, the Orwell Award will recognise academic achievement may have been held back by circumstance.
Applicants will be assessed on academic potential and against specific criteria such as attending a school Ofsted has identified as requiring improvement or special measures.
It will also consider if a boy has refugee status or is a looked-after child, if he is in the first generation of his family to go to university or if he has been in receipt of the pupil premium.
The places at the college, attended by the likes of David Cameron and the Duke of Cambridge (pictured at his nephew Archie’s christening on Saturday), will include two years of sixth form study and full boarding facilities.
The announcement comes at a time when there is increasing pressure on the sector to diversify and widen participation.
Simon Henderson, headmaster at Eton College, said: ‘Eton has made places available free of charge to deserving students since our foundation in 1440 and we are very proud that there are over 80 boys currently in the school who pay no fees.
‘The Orwell Award will ensure that we continue this tradition by helping boys with tremendous potential but limited opportunity.
‘We are not targeting boys who will do well anyway.
‘We’re looking for applicants with vigour, talent and industry who, without proper support, will not be prepared for or even apply to the country’s top universities.’