Boring but important

Grammar schools

England’s new grammar schools must give priority to children from “ordinary working families”, the Education Secretary has said. Justine Greening signalled that the new generation of academically selective schools will be obliged to educate pupils from ordinary households with modest incomes, which she defined as up to £33,000pa, depending on the size of the family. She refused to rule out introducing a quota system, to ensure that poorer children get places. Currently, 36% of places at grammar schools go to children who do not qualify for school meals but whose family have below-average incomes; 53% go to families with above-average incomes.

Violent crime in London

Gun and knife crime has surged in London over the past year, according to Metropolitan Police figures. Gun crime offences between April 2016 and April 2017 were up 42% on the previous year; knife crime increased by 24%; while the total number of crimes rose by 4.6%. The sharp rise surprised police and politicians; however, the Met pointed out that crime rates were still much lower than they were five years ago.