AN independent school in Malvern is offering reduced price and free places for students from less wealthy backgrounds.

Abbey College is offering one free place and four additional places for day students at £400 per term from Year 8 up to the end of Year 9 as well as £700 per term from Year 10 up to Year 13.

The school's current day fees are £14,600 per year (£4,866 per term).

School principal Malcolm Wood said: “We are really delighted to be able to offer these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for local students who have big dreams but are unable to afford an independent education.

“Our ethos is to help mould students into great citizens of the future and one way to do that is to give them a first-class education.

“At Abbey College we can offer students a whole range of opportunities that would simply not be accessible to them in state education. Our students make friends with peers from all over the world, they get lots of individual attention in small class sizes and lots of different extra-curricular activities.

For more information, email enquiries@abbeycollege.co.uk .