Plans could open way for more grammar schools

Controversial plans for new grammar schools in England appear to have been accidentally revealed.

An official from the Department for Education was photographed with a document suggesting it is a Conservative party policy.

The document states: “The con. doc says we will open new grammars, albeit that they would have to follow various conditions. The Secretary of State’s clear position is that this should be presented as an option and only to be pursued once we have worked existing grammars to show how they can be expanded and reformed.”

In a statement responding to the leak, the DfE said: “We are looking at a range of options to allow more children to access a school that lets them rise as far as their talents will take them. Policies on education will be set out in due course and it would be inappropriate to comment further on internal government documents.”

The issue of allowing new grammars has taken centre stage in the debate about the government’s education agenda after Mrs May hinted she may be prepared to end the ban on grammar schools.

Joanne Bartley, of the antigrammar school group Kent Education Network, said: “We do not think there should be any new grammars. It is not fair to divide children at that age. Tutoring for the 11-plus will always take place and that favours those parents who can afford to pay.”

The news coincides with a row between county education chiefs and Ofsted head Sir Michael Wilshaw, who said Kent’s selective system was evidence that grammars did not help poorer, brighter children.

He said the idea a new generation of grammars would help poorer children was “palpable tosh and nonsense”.

In a speech to a conference, he said: “I appreciate many grammar schools do a fine job in equipping their students with an excellent education. But we all know their record of admitting children from non-middle-class backgrounds is pretty woeful.”

He added in a later interview: “I think we will go backwards if we return to a system where we only expect some kids to do well Every time you create a grammar school you create three secondary moderns and no one is queueing up to go to a secondary modern.”

He went on to cite Kent, which has 33 grammars, as an example of where he felt selection fell short in helping social mobility.

“In Kent the gap in attainment between free school meals and non-free school meals pupils at key stage 4 is 34 points,” he said. “If you go to inner London where there are no grammar schools, the gap is 14 points so it is socially divisive.”

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Kent’s selection system was evidence grammars did not help poorer, brighter children, says Ofsted head Sir Michael Wilshaw