PARENTS who have established Trafford Residents for an Inclusive Education Service (TRIES) will be leafletting and petitioning Trafford residents in Sale Town Centre on Saturday, October 29, against the Government’s proposals to expand selective education. They will be joined by Trafford NUT and members of Trafford Labour Party. Trafford is the only Greater Manchester borough that retains a selective education system based on grammar school entrance tests at 10 or 11 years of age.

Cllr Jane Baugh Shadow spokesperson for Children and Young People’s Services said, “I welcome these events across the borough because it is important we listen to residents views on their children’s experience of a selective educational system. "We have excellent schools in Trafford and outstanding staff but we have to ensure that every child has equal opportunities and is able to develop to their full potential. It is a fact that only a small percentage of children on free school meals attend our grammar schools.”

TRIES, Trafford NUT and Trafford Labour Party have already had a successful Day of Action against the Government’s proposals in Altrincham Town Centre on October 1. Steven Longden, acting chairman of TRIES, said, “It is simply not acceptable to expand a two-tier system of education that will further segregate students based on the wealth of parents, favouring those who can afford private education or tuition to ensure their child passes grammar entrance exams. "Currently, 19.4% of Trafford’s secondary age students are from low income families (receiving Free School Meals ) whilst less than 6.7% of the borough’s grammar school students fall in to this category . The Government’s proposals will make this situation worse. "Trafford’s secondary modern schools are mostly good or outstanding and recent research by the Education Policy Institute has shown that high ability students perform just as well in these schools as grammars.”

“Since TRIES was established we are finding that more and more Trafford parents are against the expansion of selective education because of its impact on family stress levels and finances, its failure to meet the needs of children with special educational needs, and its judging 75% of those sitting the grammar entrance exams as failures at 11 years of age. "TRIES is committed to giving a voice to these parents. We will be taking our campaign out to the town centres of Trafford over the next 12 months in an effort to defeat the Government’s damaging proposals. Anyone who wishes to come and show their support or help out with our leafletting and petitioning activities in Sale Town Centre on October 29, 11am to 2pm is most welcome, even if you’ve only got a spare 10 minutes.”