YP Letters: Educate yourself on grammar school claims

IT took less than a month but Theresa May’s new government appear to be floating another massive change to education policy – the re-introduction of grammar schools. I’m sure this announcement will gain favour from some, but ask yourselves a question: Is the call for more grammar schools based on hard facts and evidence or yet another example of policy birthed in emotion and knee-jerk reaction?

Let us look at some hard facts about the perceived success of grammar schools. The big claim from those that are calling for their re-introduction is that they are engines of social mobility. In reality, only three per cent of those who attend grammar schools claim free school meals – the piece of data used to determine the pupil premium and hence develop the group of children from which social mobility should be measured. This compares with 18 per cent in your average comprehensive school. Also four times as many pupils who attend grammar schools came from the independent sector.

In fact grammar schools are used more as cheap private-style education than engines of social mobility. We need more policy rooted in evidence and research. Education is too important for emotion to drive policy.