Grammar schools bid to give more places to poorer pupils But parents on edge of area fear brighter children could unfairly miss out

PLANS designed to increase the number of children from inner city Birmingham at the city’s state grammar schools have come under fire from parents.

Changes to admissions rules at the King Edward VI group of six schools will disadvantage the brightest children on the edge of the city while doing very little to end inequality, say campaigners.

There are also claims that some prospective parents are already house-hunting within the newlyunveiled catchment areas across the city to give their children the best chance of gaining one of the highly sought places. Others are planning to consider private schooling instead, said one campaigner.

“People are very upset about the way this has been handled,” said parent Kaja Fawthrop, whose son, Michael, aged 11, is a Year 7 pupil at King Edward VI Camp Hill.

“The grammar schools are a jewel in the crown of Birmingham and we believe the changes mean it is no longer aiming for the highest possible academic standards.

“We all want to see more opportunities for poorer pupils, of course, we all want that.

“But there are far better ways to do this than by drawing a line and saying people over this line just can’t come in.

Campaigners have written to the board of governors and urged local MPs to back their protests. The six schools – King Edward VI’s Aston School, Camp Hill Schools for Boys and Girls, Five Ways School and Handsworth Schools for Boys and Girls – regularly feature in the top ten of all schools in the city.

Each year around 6,000 pupils sit the 11-plus in a bid to secure a cherished places.

The King Edward VI Academy Trust say the proposals, initiated by executive director Monk Heath, are designed to “enhance our historic mission of providing high-quality education, in a local school, for the children of Birmingham, regardless of background.”

Admission to all six ‘outstanding’ Ofsted-rated schools is free, but all applicants undergo a challenging entrance test.

Last year places pupils from across were the offered region to on merit, with no account taken of postcode. Changes proposed include:

A new catchment area for each separate school, based on ward boundaries in the city. Currently places are open to anyone.

A localisation policy meaning higher scoring children in catchment areas will get first places, followed by lower scoring children who achieve a minimum cut-off score.

A single ‘cut-off point’ for tests to all schools. Currently schools set their own minimum entry scores, with some higher than others.

More than 3,000 people have already signed a petition opposing the plans. The changes would apply from September 2020.

There are far better ways to do this than by drawing a line Parent Kaja Fawthrop