Today’s news review looks at coverage about selective schools.
Selective schools
The Fair Education Alliance has teamed up with the NAHT, ASCL and Teach First to survey members on grammar schools. The results showed that 80% are against the plans and a similar proportion say testing at age 11 isn’t a good indicator of future ability. Their key concern is that grammar schools are not good for social mobility.
The story has been picked up by Schools Week, the TES, the BBC, the Independent and others.
We are clear that our consultation will look into the issues associated with selective education in the days before it was phased out. This includes making sure that grammar schools don’t discriminate against pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and that the options for pupils who don’t want to go to grammar school or don’t pass the entrance test provide them everything they need to help them get on in life.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
Every child, regardless of background or ability, should have access to an excellent education.
We know that grammar schools provide a good education for their disadvantaged pupils and we want more pupils from lower income backgrounds to benefit from that.
Our proposals will ensure that any new and existing selective schools will prioritise the admission of disadvantaged pupils and that they support other local pupils in non-selective schools to help drive up educational outcomes. As set out in the consultation document, we are clear that relaxing restrictions on selective education can and should be to the betterment, not at the expense, of other local schools.
For more information on the Building a School System that Works for Everyone consultation click here.