Top grammar school forced out pupils for sake of results

A LEADING grammar school illegally forced out less successful pupils to keep its exam results high, an independent inquiry has found.

The inquiry endorsed parents’ claims that St Olave’s, a boys’ school in Orpington, south-east London, had treated their children as “collateral damage”.

The school faced legal action from parents last summer over claims that pupils unlikely to get top grades at Alevel were being forced out.

The inquiry, commissioned by Bromley Council, found that there was “no justification” for St Olave’s to have withdrawn places from pupils.

It went on to say that: “A school has the responsibility to do its best by all of the pupils”.

The inquiry report concluded that St Olave’s was “putting the institution above the pupils when in fact the institution is the pupils”. It went on: “Parents of the pupils affected were right to say their children were being treated as collateral damage.”

The report added that Bromley Council and the Diocese of Rochester should apologise to the parents and the school should axe its policy of restricting access to the upper sixth form.

In the summer, St Olave’s reversed its decision before judicial review proceedings came to court.

Paul Wright, who took over as chairman of governors after the scandal, said: “We offer our gratitude to the parents, students and staff, for their support, input and patience during this time, without which, we would not have been able to take the many positive steps forward that we have already been able to make.”