ENGLAND’S
grammar school SYSTEM EXPLAINED
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS WERE PHASED OUT IN MANY PARTS OF ENGLAND IN THE 1970S, BUT THEY STILL EXIST IN SOME AREAS AND ARE POPULAR WITH PARENTS KEEN TO SECURE A TOP-QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN. WE EXAMINE HOW THE GRAMMAR-SCHOOL SYSTEM WORKS, AND OFFER GUIDANCE ON APPLYING FOR PLACES.
G
rammar schools are government-funded secondary schools. They are the only state schools in England that are allowed to select their pupils based on
academic ability.
Until the 1970s, pupils in England and Wales were required to sit what was known as the 11-plus exam, to determine which secondary school they would attend – a grammar (for the higher achievers) or a secondary modern. This system was eventually replaced by a system of comprehensive schools, which admitted pupils of all abilities.
Most grammar schools were phased out, either becoming comprehensives or being converted into private schools, but many were allowed to maintain their status and still exist today. With 80 per cent of Grammar schools rated ‘outstanding’ by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), their popularity continues. In 1998, Tony Blair’s government banned the creation of new grammar schools. There have now been no new grammars for more than 50 years, although existing ones are allowed to expand – controversial plans to extend one of Kent’s grammar schools by means of an annexe in a town nine miles away received government approval in 2015 and Weald of Kent Grammar School, Tonbridge opened in September 2017. Prime Minister Theresa May’s early days in office were marked by her proposal to lift the ban on new grammar schools. However, the plans were short lived and, following the loss of the Conservative majority in the 2017 election, the plans were scrapped. The ban on new grammar schools still remains.
POPULARITY OF GRAMMAR SCHOOLS Grammar schools remain extremely popular, largely thanks to their indisputable academic success. They are available in some, not all, parts of England. Certain counties, such as Kent, Essex, Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire, are well known for supporting the grammar school system. There are around 160 grammar schools in England, out
of 3,000 state secondary schools, plus a further 69 schools in Northern Ireland. The schools are not fee-paying but some (though very few) have boarding facilities, for which there is a charge.
In 2010, around 1,050 grammar-school pupils were studying at Oxford or Cambridge, and in 2016, 97 per cent
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
