“Everyone can be nervous about change,” says Alasdair Kennedy, head teacher of Trinity School in Croydon. However, the change he now oversees is the most significant in the school’s history. Trinity is set to become fully co-educational for the first time.
Announced in April, the move will see the independent boys’ school expand from 1,050 to 1,400 pupils by 2031. Girls will be welcomed into Year 6 and Year 7 from 2027, with full co-education in place by 2031.
This represents a significant change for a school that has only admitted girls into the Sixth Form since 2011. In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mr Kennedy discussed the scale of the challenge and how the highly regarded independent school plans to accommodate girls as well as boys.
Speaking from his office, Mr Kennedy said: “We have to acknowledge that having girls aged 16 to 18 is very different from having girls aged 10 to 11, so there is a great deal to consider. The key question is…how do you create an environment in which both girls and boys can thrive?”
Mr Kennedy assured that all teaching staff have previous experience working with female students and that the school’s pastoral care will be adapted to support their specific needs. Nonetheless, the expansion marks a significant transition for an institution that has historically focused on single-sex education.
New site for Old Palace ‘a risk not worth taking’
The move follows the controversial 2023 announcement of the closure of Old Palace School. It will officially close this August due to long-standing financial difficulties and declining enrolment. This school was run by Croydon’s biggest landowner and education charity, The John Whitgift Foundation (JWF), alongside fellow independent school Whitgift.
Mr Kennedy revealed that significant planning and financial investment had gone into a potential new site, but ultimately, the risks were deemed too high. “The JWF was very keen to invest in a new girls’ school,” he explained. “The location in West Croydon has not been ideal for Old Palace. Just as Trinity moved out of the town centre sixty years ago, and Whitgift over a century ago, Old Palace also wanted to relocate.”
Despite strong backing from governors and substantial investment, the Foundation concluded that launching a new school wasn’t viable given the number of other independent girls’ schools in the area and the uncertainty of attracting enough pupils. “In the end, they felt it simply wasn’t a risk worth taking,” said Mr Kennedy.
He expressed sadness over the closure of the historic West Croydon school, which had educated girls since 1889. “It was, understandably, very difficult for the Old Palace community,” he said. However, he explained that the JWF’s continued commitment to girls’ education ultimately shaped Trinity’s new direction.
“The JWF is genuinely committed to supporting girls’ education,” Mr Kennedy said. “We’ve worked closely with them to agree that this is the right move for Trinity.”
“There’s a real ethnic and cultural diversity here, which we’re keen to reflect,” he said. We’ve seen the benefits of a co-educational Sixth Form and are eager to extend that to the younger years.”
The major expansion planned for Trinity School site
To support the transition, Trinity School is undertaking a significant site expansion on its brutalist Shirley Park site. Mr Kennedy said: “We’re currently in the master planning phase to enlarge the dining facilities, build a new Sixth Form centre, and add more classrooms.”
The school’s front area, currently “just a big car park,” will also be transformed. He added: “We want the entrance to feel more inviting, a welcoming social space that pupils can enjoy when they arrive. This is a real opportunity to rethink the whole site.”
Amid these changes, Mr Kennedy is also mindful of ongoing concerns about student safety and the increased risk of bringing more students on site. Foremost in his mind was the tragic murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam, an Old Palace pupil who was fatally stabbed on her way to school.
Each morning, approximately 500 Trinity pupils make their way through East Croydon Station. “The vast majority do so safely,” said Mr Kennedy, acknowledging the routine journey many pupils take and the importance of maintaining a vigilant approach to welfare.
Sporting facilities will be upgraded to ensure girls have equal access to a wide range of activities, including the construction of a new fitness centre and changing rooms. “Broadly speaking, we believe boys and girls want to take part in the same activities, and this is particularly true in sport,” said Mr Kennedy.
Core sports for girls will include hockey, cricket, netball, and athletics, with additional opportunities to take part in football and rugby. “We’ve had a girls’ sevens team compete in the Rosslyn Park Sevens tournament for the past few years,” Mr Kennedy noted.
Boys ‘keen’ on girls joining even quicker if possible
To give pupils a voice in the transition, the school set up a dedicated email address for questions and feedback. Mr Kennedy said some boys have already shown enthusiasm for the change, with a few even hoping the shift to a 50:50 gender balance might happen sooner. “It’s nice to hear their keenness,” he added.
Since the announcement back in April, the JWF has insisted that it will fully fund the cost of the expansion. It has been clear that none of this extra cost will be passed on to parents.
However, one area where parents may feel the pinch is the JWF’s announcement that bursary numbers will not be increased as a result of the expansion. Busaries offer means-tested support to families on lower incomes and are a key part of the school’s commitment to inclusive education.
“I really want this school to be accessible to families who couldn’t otherwise afford the fees. That’s always been a key part of our ethos,” Mr Kennedy said. “Given current fees and the number of families who need support, we receive far more bursary applications than we can meet. If I could change one thing, I’d double that support overnight, but it’s incredibly hard to do.”
‘We don’t want to be a school for just the wealthiest’
Reflecting more broadly on affordability, Mr Kennedy added: “The real sadness is that schools like this used to be far more affordable to many more people. I don’t want Trinity to become a school that only educates the wealthiest four or five per cent.
Admissions for the 2025-26 academic year opened this week, marking the final intake of a fully single-sex lower school cohort.
Acknowledging the scale of the challenge ahead, Mr Kennedy noted: “It’s not just about going fully co-ed, it is about developing the school and the site and the opportunities so that everyone feels their education is better for it.”
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