Children travel three times further to grammars

other state secondaries, analysis suggests.

The Department for Education has found that children have to travel 3.1 miles on average to grammars but just 1.1 miles to non-selective schools.

The finding helps prove that there are not enough grammar schools to meet demand from families, according to government sources.

It also shows that parents are willing to make sacrifices by travelling further to ensure that their children attend grammar schools, they added. government Nick Gibb, the schools minister, told the statistics schools are showed that grammar “popular with parents”.

However, Labour hit back by saying every parent makes sacrifices for their children and criticised the Government for trying to recreate a “mythical golden age of grammars”.

It comes after Theresa May put scrapping the ban on new grammar schools introduced by Tony Blair at the heart of her social reform agenda. She has set up a battle with modernising Tory backbenchers, such as Nicky Morgan, the former education secretary, over the move but won praise from the Conservative grassroots.

It is understood that No 10 has been on a blitz behind the scenes to win over sceptical Tory MPs over the plans, which have been put out to consultation.

Government sources hope the initial outcry from some leading Tories can be muted with the commitment to end the 11-plus test as the single cut-off point for joining grammars.

Michael Gove, another former education secretary, this week said he thought the Government was taking the “right” approach to grammars despite opposing the move while in office.

The new analysis on journey times came to light after Chris Philp, the Tory MP for Croydon South, lodged a parliamentary question.

Among those travelling the furthest, some grammar school children have journeys 10 miles longer than their counterparts at non-selective schools.

Mr Gibb said: “These figures underline the effort [parents] are willing to make for their children to attend a good school. Mr Philp said Labour was “trying to prevent parents from getting the education they want for their children by denying parents choice on ideological grounds”.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said the Government could help parents “by investing… to make sure class sizes are not too big, there are enough teachers and funding is not being cut. That’s the real challenge Theresa May is ignoring in pursuit of a mythical golden age of grammars”.