Marling School held an open evening this week - and for the first time girls went along as potential students.

As of September 2019 the boys grammar will be admitting girls directly to its sixth form after the school and Stroud High School next door agreed to end A-level collaboration.

Around 200 out of the 250 visitors to the Thursday open evening were girls, according to Marling Sixth Form’s assistant head Louise Harris.

“This is a great start for our co-educational sixth form and shows the girls are very interested.

“Speaking to them last night, they went away even more interested after they saw what we were offering.”

Among some of those interested were Stroud High students, Scarlett Bromelow and Amelie McKenna - their school is also admitting boys in 2019.

“I’m here tonight to see Marling’s opportunities not just within academic lessons but also student leadership roles like head boy and head girls and stuff,” said Scarlett.

Amelie added: “And what subjects they are offering here which they might not have elsewhere.”

Scarlett then said: “We’re going to be girls going into a technically all boys sixth form see how that’s play out and what support we’ll get from the teachers.”

As to why the two schools are splitting, Stroud High’s headteacher Mark McShane said last year: “The size of the two schools and the changes to post 16 qualifications mean that the circumstances facing both schools are completely different to when the collaborative model was started.

“It is testament to the strong partnership between the schools that we have created a secure transition for each school.”