Academies can’t be ignored

Colin Bullen attributes the so-called attack on grammar schools to Richard Crossman. It was actually Anthony Crosland as education secretary in 1965 who issued a circular requiring education authorities to re-organise secondary school education on comprehensive lines.

In fact the main bulk of comprehensives were created by Margaret Thatcher as education secretary from 1970, when over 3,000 secondary schools became comprehensive schools. In extoling the virtues of grammar schools, Colin Bullen omits to mention that the large majority of secondary school pupils attended secondary modern schools and left school at 15 without acquiring any educational qualifications.

It was this abject failure that prompted the reform of the system under both Labour and Conservative governments. Today nearly 80% of secondary school pupils attend academies many of whom have high achievement levels.

A number of them are more successful than grammar schools and public schools in enabling their students to obtain admission to Oxbridge for example.

In addition there are also over 46 University Technical Colleges attached to a university who offer students an opportunity to go on to study at university or study a vocational qualification.

Rather than engage in sterile and outdated arguments like Colin Bullen, the current government is trying to revive further education and develop vocational education and apprenticeships. Education is now compulsory in one form or another to the age of 18.

Steve Tasker