Paula Whyte

THE oldest Catholic boys’ school in the diocese of Westminster will break with a tradition of more than 140 years when it goes co-educational next year.

St Aloysius’ College in Archway – the “oldest surviving foundation of its kind” in the diocese, which covers most of north London and Hertfordshire – is now accepting applications from girls to start in Years 7 and 8 in September 2024, although it has been teaching girls in sixth form since 2010.

Headteacher Paula Whyte, who joined the Hornsey Lane school three years ago, said she was “delighted” to offer places to girls.

The school recently celebrated a set of A-levels that scored above the national average, with 20 per cent of pupils achieving A*-A grades and 62 per cent achieving A*-B grades.

Ms Whyte, who works 14-hour days, said the school was on “a very exciting journey” after recently being upgraded to Good by Ofsted from Requires Improvement.

She added: “I believe in equality of opportunity, irrespective of background, and that’s what drives me. I believe in excellence as well. I spent 13 years at Cardinal Vaughan Kensington, which is an Outstanding Catholic school with Outstanding outcomes and I believe that the boys in this school and the girls in the sixth form deserve similar outcomes.

“So I know what an Outstanding school looks like. And that’s where I plan to take the school.”

Like many schools in Islington, St Aloysius is struggling with numbers, and plans to reduce the intake of children accepted in Year 7 next year from 180 to 120.

Earlier this year the Tribune revealed “a number of schools” across the borough were planning to reduce their Published Admission Numbers (PAN) as a way of balancing the books at a time of record school deficits.

Bums on classroom seats means cash for schools, and with up to one in five students missing from some classrooms in the borough, cutting their admission numbers can be a lifeline for schools.

Ms Whyte said St Aloysius saw cutting its PAN as a short-term solution. “Once our numbers increase again, we’ll start building up again,” she said.

A number of well-known faces have attended the school, which was opened in 1879 by the Brothers of Our Lady Of Mercy, including actor Peter Sellers, England footballer Joe Cole and Oscar-winning Arsenal-obsessive actor Daniel Kaluuya.