A group of parents, staff and alumni have asked for restructuring plans at a prestigious school to be delayed by a year.

An announcement made earlier this month by Stonyhurst College outlines a transition of students aged 11 to 13 from St Mary’s Hall to the main site.

The school said the changes would come into effect in September 2024, when years 7 and 8 pupils will be welcomed into a newly designated space, Aloysius House, within Stonyhurst College.

Boarding for these year groups will remain at St Mary’s Hall.

Part of the restructuring would involve ‘investment and development to the facilities at both schools’. 

However, this week a statement from the group of parents, staff, alumni, and current students associated with Stonyhurst College and its prep School St Mary’s Hall said a lack of prior consultation had caused ‘significant anxiety.’

There were fears the changes could ‘disrupt the unique and cherished atmosphere of St Mary’s Hall’, potentially jeopardising its claim as the nation’s oldest preparatory school.

A statement read: “This move is further questioned given the background of Stonyhurst College Headmaster, Mr John Browne. Mr Browne, a former headmaster of London’s leading Catholic prep school, Westminster Cathedral Choir School, previously championed the importance of prep schools retaining year groups 7 and 8.

“The restructuring also coincides with a broader trend within the Catholic independent sector. Stonyhurst is currently the last remaining 13+ Catholic boarding school in the UK, following similar shifts by Ampleforth, Downside, and The Oratory School. 

“This has led some to suggest the Catholic sector is losing ground in prestige compared to its Protestant counterparts like Eton, Harrow, and Radley, which all maintain a 13+ intake.

“The underlying concern appears to be a potential decline in enrolment, particularly under a potential Labour government that might introduce VAT on private school fees, further adding to already substantial costs. 

“This economic pressure often forces cost-cutting measures that can compromise the distinctive pastoral care traditionally offered by Catholic independent schools. Stonyhurst, the world’s oldest Jesuit school and alma mater to three saints, is no exception to these anxieties.

“The Stonyhurst community is united in requesting that the proposed changes be delayed for at least a year. 

“This pause would allow for a comprehensive consultation process involving parents, staff, students, and alumni. 

“Such a collaborative approach is crucial to ensure the preservation of the unique culture and cherished traditions that have fostered generations of happy memories for the Stonyhurst family.”

The school said the children will be supported every step of the way and careful consideration and planning has gone into how to ‘best support their integration to the College’. 
 
It said that schools ‘constantly need to reflect, innovate, and adapt in order to respond to the needs of young people’. 

Responding the statement, a spokesperson for the school said: “We have given this change detailed consideration and fully believe it is the right step, bringing significant benefits to our pupils and placing both St Mary’s Hall and Stonyhurst College in a strong position for the future.  

“We have received considerable support for it from our community and transition arrangements are already underway, including exciting investment and development of the facilities at both schools.  

“Our mission, ethos and unique culture will remain unchanged, as will our commitment to supporting our pupils through strong pastoral care. 

“Far from being something new and unknown, this reconfiguration in fact reverts Stonyhurst College to its pre-1946 structure.“

Making the announcement in May, headmaster at John Browne, said: “We are committed to delivering excellence in our academic, pastoral, co-curricular and spiritual provision.

“This is an exciting development for our school which will bring significant benefits to our pupils and place Stonyhurst in a strong position for the future.
 
“From a practical point of view, 11+ has become the most natural and common starting point for a secondary education, providing pupils with wider access to specialist teaching across our academic and co-curricular provisions. 

“This change means that our Year 7 and 8 pupils will benefit from specialist teaching in all subject areas as well as access to the College’s wider facilities. Similarly, reconfiguring St Mary’s Hall as a 3-11 school provides a number of opportunities to develop several key areas, particularly for Prep and Elements children in Key Stage 2.”

The college, based in the Ribble Valley, is a Grade I-listed building.

 Once the home of Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who attended the college in the 1870s, Stonyhurst's museum boasts an impressive collection of artefacts dating all the way back to 1609.