Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled plans last year to overturn the ban on opening grammar schools, including a £50m annual government subsidy to support selective schooling places. In April, delegates at the National Union of Teachers' national conference voted to oppose the plans, arguing they ignored evidence of the harmful effects of selective schooling on disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs.
The law on grammar schools
There is a general prohibition against state-funded schools selecting pupils on the basis of academic ability, with the exception of grammar schools that have had selective admissions arrangements in place since 1997. Under the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 (SSFA 1998), a grammar school is defined as one that selects all (or substantially all) of its pupils on the basis of general (academic) ability. The SSFA 1988 placed a restriction on the creation of new grammar schools, which was restated in Section 39 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. However, the act does allow for the expansion of existing grammar schools subject to compliance with strict criteria.
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