Eton College is launching a new sixth form programme targeted at boys with academic ability but little chance to fulfil their potential.
The Orwell Award, named after author and Elton alumnus George Orwell, aims to give boys a chance at an education they might not otherwise be able to access.
Up to 12 free sixth form places a year will be offered as Orwell Awards to Year 11 boys studying in UK non-selective state schools.
The award will cover a sixth form place, including boarding, and allowances to enable boys to fully participate in the life of the school.
The college is hoping to attract applications from the Birmingham area, especially as the initiative is being led by Tom Arbuthnott, who is Eton’s director of outreach and who formerly taught in Birmingham's George Dixon Academy and King Edward’s School.
Unlike previous scholarship programmes, The Orwell Award recognises that academic achievement may have been held back by circumstance, and so will not be offered to only those with the highest grades.
Instead, applicants will be assessed on academic potential and against specific criteria such as:
* if he is attending a school Ofsted has identified as ‘requiring improvement’ or ‘special measures’
* if he has refugee status or is a Looked After Child
* if he is in the first generation of his family to go to university
* if he is in receipt of the Pupil Premium.
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."
He added: "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.
"At Eton, we have one of the largest, most effective outreach programmes of any independent school in the country, and The Orwell Award is an inspiring and welcome addition."
Best secondary schools 2019
We've ranked all the schools in Birmingham as part of The Real Schools Guide 2019.
Compiled by BirminghamLive's data unit, the guide aims to give a far more comprehensive picture than traditional league tables.
It takes into account 51 different data points - including not just GCSE results and Attainment 8 scores but also factors like Progress 8, pupil-teacher ratios and absence rates.
The best comprehensive school in the city is St Paul’s School for Girls Birmingham, according to the guide. This came in fourth place last year.
And the top overall school (including grammar schools) is King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, having overtaken King Edward VI Handsworth School, which was last year's best school.
You can search how your child's school fares against the others here
The guide is published in the Birmingham Mail newspaper but parents can also go online to browse the full data, compare different schools, and find links to contact details and recent Ofsted reports.
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The Real Schools Guide, now in its seventh year, has been praised by ministers and education experts alike.
Former schools minister David Laws called it ‘public-service journalism in the best tradition’.
