Although the government has announced that it will release a response to the ‘schools that work for everyone’ consultation in the Spring, The Grammar School Heads’ Association (GSHA) has released a document detailing meetings with government officials suggesting new grammars may open by 2020.
As the Managing Director of an 11 plus education company based in Solihull, I am encouraged by this news; bringing an end to the ban on grammar education will have a positive effect on a generation of children that are in desperate need of academic opportunities. We are living in an age of research which shows children cannot be grouped into one category of learner or ability, so how can we be expected to provide only one type of school to suit all?
The GSHA document stated that new ‘opportunity areas’* (announced by Justine Greening) will be prioritised for the creation of new selective schools, however, “no areas are excluded where there is parental demand”. This is not only encouraging to areas of poor social mobility and child poverty, but to areas such as Birmingham and Manchester where grammar schools are in such high demand. In an article published in September, Solihull MP Julian Knight commented that he ‘would not stand against a Grammar School in Solihull’ indicating that even local government are in support of selective expansion in areas of parent demand. With short term proposals claiming new selective places may be opened at current Grammar Schools via on-site or annex expansion, I am hopeful that we will in fact see new grammar schools in our area in the near future.
Furthermore, the document also considers the possibility of a new national selection test. I have always anticipated the introduction of a national test and welcome the idea; it not only promotes fairness across the board but also provides opportunity and mobility to children everywhere.
At KSOL, we believe in the importance of developing a ‘can-do attitude’ by teaching a foundation curriculum and resilience learning to all children, providing them with the skills and ability to tackle any kind of exam. Every single child has the right to receive an education that will cater to their individual needs, and supporting the return of Grammar Schools alongside academy and independent schools will ensure that this happens.
Managing Director of KSOL, Aron Dhunna.
*Opportunity areas to include Blackpool, Derby, Norwich, Oldham, Scarborough, West Somerset, Bradford, Doncaster, Fenland and East Cambridgeshire, Hastings, Ipswich and Stoke.
© Copyright 2017 – Key Stages Online
