New grammars to prioritise children living in ‘ordinary working families’
A NEW generation of grammar schools will help young people including those from “ordinary working families” make the most of their talents, Justine Greening insisted yesterday.
The Education Secretary defended Theresa May’s flagship policy of overturning the Labour ban on creating new grammars, state-funded schools that pick pupils by academic ability.
The Government has earmarked millions of pounds for investment in the new free schools.
Critics complain that the remaining grammars overwhelmingly benefit better-off families who can afford to live in catchment areas and buy extra tuition.
But Ms Greening said the new grammars would allow all young people to boost their potential.
Choices
Speaking at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, south-west London, she said: “Grammars do work for other groups in our society, not just the wealthy. The new schools we will create will support young people from every background, not just the privileged few.
“Young people on free school meals, those eligible for the pupil premium, young people from ordinary working families that are struggling to get by, I want these new schools to work for everyone.
“This will be a new model of grammars, truly open to all – we will insist on that, and it will reflect the choices of local parents and communities.”
She told opponents: “Many parents from ordinary backgrounds believe in the chance to send their children to a grammar school, so they get a great start.
“You don’t make this country better by taking away opportunities from children that deserve them.”
She wants all grammars to do more to help children from all backgrounds, with admission codes to prioritise disadvantaged children. But she declined to say if they should have quotas to ensure a more mixed social intake.
A Government consultation has been launched to better understand the needs of ordinary working families.
Ms Greening, who went to a comprehensive, said new state grammars were part of a “much bigger” strategy designed to create a “true meritocracy” in education.
There is some confusion about who are the “ordinary working families” Ms Greening singled out. Some analysis has suggested the term covers households with incomes of £33,000 a year.
Government advisory body the Social Mobility Commission welcomed the focus on “ordinary working families” but said it was “very unclear how new grammar schools will be more socially representative”.
Chairman Alan Milburn, a former Labour health secretary, urged the Government to focus on improving teaching instead of structural reform like grammar schools which he warned could distract from tackling the major social and geographical inequalities in the system.
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, accused Ms Greening of pursuing a “backward-looking policy” which would damage the majority of children by labelling them failures at 11.