Theresa May has announced that she wants to remove the obstacles that are now in place to allow new “selective schools” from opening or current non-selective schools from converting.
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This morning’s speech was a hugely significant one for the prime minister, in which she set out her stall and attached policies to her early promises of greater equality of attainment.
It costs parents £220,082 more to live near Borlase than elsewhere in the county, based on average house prices for Bucks – with Sir Michael calling grammar schools’ record of admitting non-middle class pupils “pretty woeful”.
On one side, those who attended grammar schools talk about the difference the system made for them.
Supporters of grammar schools were pleased that she seemed to be signalling there could be an expansion in areas where there is a demand for them and that a prohibition on new schools might well be lifted.
Education secretary Justine Greening told ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme: “We are going to be setting out some conditions around how grammar schools can expand and new grammar schools, and the fact we do want to see existing grammars do more to work with local communities, and more to make sure that disadvantaged and low-income background children can get into grammars and benefit”. It is a future in which every child should have access to a good school place. This has not been achieved by selection by ability but by a ruthless commitment to helping every child reach their potential regardless of their starting point.
Mrs May claimed the raft of reforms would “set Britain on the path to being the great meritocracy of the world”.
And she thinks 11 plus tests are now much smarter and “tutor proof”, reducing the benefit of rich parents being able to pay for extra coaching to help their children get in.
In fact poorer children in local authorities that now operate a grammar school system perform worse than those in non-selective authorities, and are far less likely to score highly at GCSE. Children on free school meals are half as likely to get into a grammar school as a better-off child with the same test scores.
“These schools have become more and more divorced from normal life”, May said in a speech in London.
“We, along with our growing population, continue to value parents having choice and equal opportunities in education”.
Mr Carmichael said he and other Tories with misgivings about the plans have convinced Mrs May not to reheat the old model of grammar schools.
Most obviously, the government would like academy chains to sponsor or build new grammar schools – and some chains may see it as a way of reviving struggling schools.
“The education proposals announced today presents are in line with our commitment to secure excellence in education for all borough residents”.
He said: “Does the current Secretary of State really want to increase the number of children taking the 11-plus and to bring back secondary moderns and grammar schools, with the negative impact on achievement predicted by Her Majesty’s chief inspector and the negative impact on social mobility predicted by the government’s social mobility adviser?” “It is time for government to step back and take a long hard look at what is needed to ensure that all children are given the education they deserve”. Or, in other words, why we shouldn’t have more grammar schools.
And Gateshead Labour MP Ian Mearns said evidence showed that areas without grammar schools actually had better academic results than those with them.
Responding to reports of the comments by Mrs May to her MPs, Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner described the Conservatives’ education policy as “shambolic”.
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May said she wanted “a diversity of provision for every child” so they could receive an education that was right for them.
