Grammars’ pledge to poor

GRAMMAR schools are to commit to admitting poorer pupils to break the middle-class stranglehold on places, the Government has announced.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said the Grammar School Heads’ Association has agreed to make widening access for disadvantaged children a priority.

The body, which represents England’s 163 remaining grammar schools, has already highlighted social mobility initiatives by a number of its head teachers. Many schools now have quotas for disadvantaged pupils, or prioritise these pupils even if they do not have the highest test scores.

Mr Gibb’s announcement comes after the Government was forced to drop plans to lift a ban on creating new grammar schools which was imposed by Labour in 1998.