New wave of grammars to take only top 10% of children

‘Philosophically opposed to selection’

THE new wave of grammar schools will take only the brightest 10 per cent of pupils.

Under current rules, grammar schools select the top 25 per cent of highachieving pupils.

The new wave of highly selective grammar schools are expected to open in 2020, minutes from a government meeting with the Grammar School Heads’ Association revealed. They say the schools are likely to have a ‘narrower ability range’ – closer to 10 per cent.

Ministers are also considering a new ‘national selection test’ to replace the 11plus. It is understood the test would be designed to be ‘coaching-resistant’ in an effort to break the middle class stranglehold on selective schools.

The standardised test would also prevent pushy parents from entering their child for the grammar with the ‘easiest’ exam, a practice known as ‘test tourism’.

Currently, parts of the country which retain the grammar school system have area-wide tests, while loan grammar schools in comprehensive areas run their own tests.

Theresa May’s joint chief of staff Nick Timothy will lead a ‘selective education team’ to drive through plan for a wave of new grammars, the minutes said.

Education Secretary Justine Greening also reportedly told heads the response to a consultation on plans to expand selection in England was not ‘an overwhelming flood of negativity’.

The association also claims that ministers and officials expressed a view that there are a lot of people who are ‘philosophically opposed to selection’ who ‘keep saying it damages the education of other pupils but present little or no evidence to support this claim’.

The Government says it is still analysing responses to its consultation on proposals for the first new grammars in England for decades. The Department for Education said it did not comment on private meetings.