Theresa May vows to push through ‘meritocracy’ measures in schooling

Labour accused her of advocating “social segregation” in schools, while the Government’s social mobility tsar, Alan Milburn, warned that a return to grammars could be “a social mobility disaster”.

Removing the bar on selection in state schools, which was kept in place by her predecessor David Cameron, Mrs May argued it was “completely illogical to make it illegal to open good new schools”.

The Prime Minister is today putting an end to speculation about her schools policy by announcing proposals to allow new grammars, ending an 18 year ban on new schools, as well as giving the green light for existing grammars to expand.

One in five places – and one in four at the Aston school – are reserved for pupils who are eligible for the “pupil premium”, extra funding given by the government for pupils eligible for free school meals or who have left local authority care. Many grammar school students continue to perform exceptionally well at GCSE, A-Level and the International Baccalaureate and, as a effect, many transfer to top university destinations both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

The Prime Minister told a private meeting of Conservative MPs on Wednesday evening that she wanted to create a “21st century education system” with an “element of selection”.

Reports last month suggested Mrs May was considering overturning Tony Blair’s ban on new grammar schools by sanctioning around 20 institutions in mainly working class areas in an effort to improve social mobility.

The sources confirmed she said, to cheers in the room: “We already have selection, haven’t we?”

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “Theresa May’s argument for grammar schools is so flawed that it does not stand up to the most basic scrutiny”.

New grammar schools are not a solution to that.

“Hundreds of our children go outside the borough to attend a number of grammar schools every day”. Boris Johnson says the “beneficiaries” of selective education can be seen all over the House of Commons. However, the test is designed, parents with more resources – financial, social and educational – will be better able to help their children pass it.

The prime minister presented her plans to allow new and expanded grammar schools, as well as existing comprehensive schools in England, to start selecting by ability.

But in a speech in central London, May also set out new proposals to force independent schools to contribute more to the state sector if they want to keep the charitable status that brings sizeable tax advantages.

This focus on creating more “good” schools can also lead to a drain on the best teachers from other types of schools.

She told the gathering that the best state schools have become the preserve of Britain’s elite, effectively shutting out the majority of children from the best education.

“Politicians – many of whom benefited from the very kind of education they now seek to deny to others – have for years put their own dogma and ideology before the interests and concerns of ordinary people”, May said. But new grammar schools are likely to attract the brightest pupils from Catholic families as well. [Grammar schools] may want children to be learning two or three languages, they may want a more knowledge rich, a more intensive academic education that goes way beyond the curriculum that is delivered by the GCSEs. Those who don’t want a child’s whole schooling to be determined at age 11 should actually be in favour of grammar school expansion: it offers additional opportunities for later developers at sixth form.