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Grammar schools: the comeback?

Grammar schools: the comeback?

13 November 2013

Reports suggest that the number of places at grammar schools is rising despite there being a ban on new grammar schools being established. Grammar schools are heavily oversubscribed and are expanding to meet additional demand for places from parents wanting the best education for their children. Critics of grammar schools feel that the system is socially divisive and that the 11plus exam comes too early in a child’s education to make a clear determination about their ability.

The King Edward VI Foundation state that their expansion is necessary to meet the educational needs of a wider range of pupils from varied backgrounds and is part of a broader plan to increase diversity in their pupil population across their state funded and independent schools. It is their charitable purpose and sits alongside the parental choice for such education. The question should not be whether we need such expansion but whether we can extract the best from these schools to raise standards for all children irrespective of their background.

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Richard Freeth

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