Call to increase grammar school access for poorer children
Joe Lepper
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Grammar schools in one of the few counties to retain the selective education system are being called on to do more to improve access for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Councillors in Kent are calling for action after latest figures show just 57 per cent of children in receipt of pupil premium in Kent attend the county’s grammar schools, compared with 79 per cent of similar ability children who do not receive the funding.
Following an investigation by a committee of cross-party councillors, 16 recommendations have been drafted aimed at improving access to grammar schools for those eligible for the pupil premium, which includes those from low-income families, experience of care or from a service personnel family.
Committee lead Jenny Whittle, believes making it easier for poorer pupils to “benefit from a selective education” will help improve social mobility across the county.
She added: “Concerted action needs to be taken to ensure that more academically able children from poorer backgrounds have the same access to selective education as their more affluent peers.”
Action being called for by the committee includes promoting grammar school testing among parents and foster carers of academically able pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium. The council should also monitor the proportion of pupils eligible for the premium who go on to grammar school.
In addition, grammar schools should provide more outreach work in primary schools including mentoring around the entrance exams. They should also ensure they use a range of uniform providers to keep costs low as well as cover the cost of school trips and other expenses for pupils from low-income families.
Free transport to grammar schools, for those living more than three miles away, should also be reinstated by the council for those children eligible for pupil premium. A transport bursary for schools could be another way to improve access for those on low incomes, says the committee.
Whittle concedes that none of the recommendations can be imposed on grammar schools. “We believe, however, that Kent County Council primary and grammar schools have a moral responsibility to work together to support the most academically able children from disadvantaged backgrounds to access grammar schools,” she added.
The committee’s recommendations are set to be presented to Kent County Council’s cabinet on 27 June and full council on 14 July for approval.
Currently, only around 160 of England’s 3,000 state-funded secondary schools are selective grammar schools, with more than 30 in Kent. Other areas to retain this selective form of education include Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire.
