Grammars told to lower entry standard for poor pupils

Selective schools under pressure to increase intake of deprived children amid claims they favour wealthy

GRAMMAR schools will be forced to lower their entrance exam mark for poorer children or take other drastic action to stop the middle classes from dominating, it was reported last night. Grammars will be compelled to increase their intake of deprived children as the Government launches a new offensive to counter criticism that selective schools favour the wealthy.

Ministers have previously indicated Theresa May’s new generation of grammar schools must be able to demonstrate how they will improve social mobility. Now it has emerged that similar conditions could also be imposed on the existing 163 grammar schools in England, after a government source told The Times that there was a “com- pelling” case for extending the proposed rules to all grammars.

A White Paper is expected to be published in the coming weeks which will stipulate “social mobility conditions” that selective schools will have to meet, such as setting aside places for children from lower-income families and more flexible entry tests.

Yesterday Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, was jeered and heckled by head teachers as she suggested that grammar schools could raise attainment in disadvantaged children. Members of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) shouted “rubbish” at Ms Greening as she defended the policy.

Asked by a head teacher from Devon why government policy “flies in the face” of evidence on grammars’ impact on social mobility, Ms Greening insisted that grammars “really do help [disadvantaged children] close the attainment gap”.

She said: “First of all, in terms of grammars but also the investment that we announced for more schools be- yond 2020, I think it is important that we’re planning ahead. We know we’ve got a demographic bulge that’s already been in our primary system and that really is flowing into the secondary system as well. So we need to have an eye on that and, of course, as a government we’ve brought forward the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation to say ‘What is it going to take to really drive social mobility?’.”

ASCL members jeered as the Education Secretary added: “We have to recognise that, actually, for grammars, in terms of the disadvantaged children that they have, they really do help them close the attainment gap.”

Research shows that only 3 per cent of grammar school pupils are entitled to free school meals, compared with 18 per cent of non-selective schools, while more than 10 per cent have attended a fee-paying prep school.

An education select committee report last month warned ministers have failed to show how they could prevent grammar school admission tests being “gamed” by wealthy parents.