Tories to reject grammar schools
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Guest
Tories to reject grammar schools
From the BBC website today 
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The Conservatives are to abandon their support for grammar schools by saying academic selection is unfair to poorer families and limits social mobility.
Shadow education secretary David Willetts will say in a speech that academic selection "entrenches" advantage rather than spreading it.
In a speech to the Confederation of British Industry, Mr Willetts will firmly distance the party from grammar schools - arguing that any 11-plus selection is heavily weighted in favour of middle-class families. It is "fantasy" to think selection at age 11 can be fair, he will argue.
Rather than helping bright children from poor backgrounds, Mr Willetts believes grammar schools are dominated by better-off families.
"We must break free from the belief that academic selection is any longer the way to transform the life chances of bright poor kids," Mr Willetts will tell business leaders.
"We just have to recognise that there is overwhelming evidence that such academic selection entrenches advantage, it does not spread it."
He will say the numbers of poorer children getting into grammar schools is "shockingly low", although the Conservatives will not abolish existing ones.
The willingness of ambitious middle-class parents to put time and money into extra tuition for their children means that it is impossible to create a fair test to select children at the age of 11, Mr Willetts will say.
:The Conservatives are to abandon their support for grammar schools by saying academic selection is unfair to poorer families and limits social mobility.
Shadow education secretary David Willetts will say in a speech that academic selection "entrenches" advantage rather than spreading it.
In a speech to the Confederation of British Industry, Mr Willetts will firmly distance the party from grammar schools - arguing that any 11-plus selection is heavily weighted in favour of middle-class families. It is "fantasy" to think selection at age 11 can be fair, he will argue.
Rather than helping bright children from poor backgrounds, Mr Willetts believes grammar schools are dominated by better-off families.
"We must break free from the belief that academic selection is any longer the way to transform the life chances of bright poor kids," Mr Willetts will tell business leaders.
"We just have to recognise that there is overwhelming evidence that such academic selection entrenches advantage, it does not spread it."
He will say the numbers of poorer children getting into grammar schools is "shockingly low", although the Conservatives will not abolish existing ones.
The willingness of ambitious middle-class parents to put time and money into extra tuition for their children means that it is impossible to create a fair test to select children at the age of 11, Mr Willetts will say.
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Guest
Can anyone tell me what would be the likely outcome of such a policy actually coming into effect? Would they just declassify existing grammar schools? If that were the case then they would probably just carry on as very hard to get into comprehensives which cause no end of problems for parents anyway. Thats what happens in Plymouth, one school which used to be a grammar is very sought after.
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Grumpy
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guest22
tories and grammar
i,m not rich and my son is off to grammar, he has always been bright,or is he saying that only the rich can afford grammar? i have to say that any school your child goes to costs money these days with uniform,books,trips etc even primary schools seem to want money off you every week,school shows, trips help with swimming pool upkeep and repairs, schooling is what has made me poor! i am sure most politicians went to grammar schools infact most i expect went to private paid for schools!
With my luck, they are going to be elected and abolish grammar schools just as my kid managed to get into one.Grumpy wrote:They say they will not get rid of the remaining grammar schools.
I wrote to Cameron c/o Conservative Party HQ this morning and returned my party membership card.
Sad times....
Under a black cloud today,
sj355
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hermanmunster
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Interesting decidion when you think how Mr W got his education.........
also are most grammars in fairly safe Tory areas?
In which case is it just an attempt to maybe win support in marginals - frankly I think it may be a misguided attempt that could easily lose them som eseats but one assumes that they did their focus group bit first???
also are most grammars in fairly safe Tory areas?
In which case is it just an attempt to maybe win support in marginals - frankly I think it may be a misguided attempt that could easily lose them som eseats but one assumes that they did their focus group bit first???
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Guest
David Cameron was on radio 4 today talking about this issue. Apparently there is no intention to damage existing grammars. The change is that the tories have abandoned their previous policy of founding a whole load more of them. Frankly, if they didn't manage it during their last, long run in power I don't think that they were ever seriously going to do so anyway.
