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12 April 2026

Tag: grammar schools

Secondary moderns can be really great schools too

“High scores” in school accountability measures does not always mean that grammars are better schools, says Ian Widdows The grammar school debate inevitably triggers passionate responses on both sides. But many of the arguments put forward share a common factor – an assumption that grammar schools are “superior” to their non-selective, secondary modern neighbours. A […]

DfE names 16 grammar schools that will split £50m expansion cash

The 16 grammar schools that will split the government’s first round of expansion funding have been named by the Department for Education. According to the Daily Mail, the schools will share the first £50 million from the selective schools expansion fund. The pot of money provides capital funding for grammar schools to create new buildings […]

Grammar school ordered to tweak admissions policy following second home row

A heavily oversubscribed grammar school has been ordered to amend its admission arrangements after a parent complained that it discriminated against wealthy individuals with second homes. The objection was lodged after Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, in Buckinghamshire, rejected an application from a child who lived three miles from the school – well within its catchment […]

Grammar schools asked to prioritise poorest pupils

The body representing most of the country’s grammar school headteachers will encourage its members to “prioritise” the poorest pupils in their admissions. The Grammar School Heads Association has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department for Education aimed as part of a push to improve access to selective schools for poorer children. The government […]

Summer-born pupils disadvantaged by ‘unfair’ 11-plus test, adjudicator rules

An Essex grammar school has been ordered to age-weight the results of its 11-plus entry exam after the admissions watchdog found that the test disadvantages summer-born children. In a ruling thought to be the first of its kind, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator said a lack of any age standardisation in the 11-plus test […]

Researcher: A private tutoring tax ‘would level grammar school playing field’

A leading education researcher wants a new tax on private tutoring services, to help “level the playing field” for lower-income pupils trying to get into grammar schools. Such a tax would be particularly vital to counteract parents who use private tutors to “coach” children for the 11-plus entrance test, said Professor John Jerrim of the […]

Progress 8 is biased towards grammar schools – here’s the solution

The school progress measures were a step in the right direction, but in their current form they can only partially correct for intake ability, writes Tom Perry As we have known for decades, and the data clearly shows, raw attainment scores such as schools’ GCSE results say more about schools’ intakes than their performance. The […]

Beware the return of the grammar school zombies

Is the grammar school policy about to get a second wind? Contributing editor Laura McInerney considers the possibility and how Labour should respond. Ugh. It appears the grammar school zombie may be alive after all. The appointment of grammar-loving Damian Hinds to the top job suggests there may be another attempt to resurrect selective schools […]