Grammar schools 'do not improve exam results'

A study by the Education and Policy Institute into government data on selective schools found that once prior attainment and pupil background is taken into consideration, grammar schools do not affect grades, either positively or negatively.

Researchers found that grammar school pupils perform highly in attainment terms, with 96.7 per cent of their pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs, versus the national average of just over 57 per cent in all state-funded schools.

However this high performance was found to be driven by the very high prior attainment of pupils in grammar schools and their demographics.

Meanwhile, the study found that pupils who are eligible for free school meals are under-represented in grammar schools.

Only 2.5 per cent of grammar school pupils are entitled to free school meals, compared with an average of 13.2 per cent in all state-funded secondary schools.

Researchers also said they found that grammar schools had no significant positive impact on social mobility.

The gap between children on free school meals attaining five A*-C GCSEs, including English and Maths, and all other children was found to be wider in selective areas than in non-selective areas - at around 34.1 per cent compared with 27.8 per cent.

David Laws, chair of the Education Policy Institute, said he hoped the findings would ensure that the debate around grammar schools is informed by evidence rather than "hunch or prejudice".

"It is clear from our analysis that creating additional grammar schools is unlikely to lead to either a significant improvement in overall education standards or an increase in social mobility.

"Indeed, without far more success in getting poor children into grammar schools, the total attainment gaps between poor children and richer children could well increase.

"Quite simply, there are far too few children from lower income families who attend grammar schools, and although these schools generally deliver good results for their pupils the attainment gap widens because it is not those from disadvantaged backgrounds who benefit."

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: "This report could not be more timely, and its conclusions could not be more devastating for the government - that there is no evidence that overall educational standards in England would be improved by creating additional grammar schools.
 
"The government needs to take careful note of the report's finding that good, non-selective schools provide as good an education for the most academically able pupils as do grammar schools.
 
"Theresa May has embarked on a disastrous policy of re-introducing grammar schools without a shred of evidence that it will achieve her laudable aim to increase social mobility.

"The government should listen to the evidence and ditch its intention to use 1950s solutions to 21st century problems."

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.