Grammar schools are in the news again as the government is considering allowing more to open. Trafford Conservative council has long trumpeted the results its grammar schools obtain.
What it doesn’t say is what effect segregation at 11 has on pupils ending up in other schools. Recent evidence from the Sutton Trust and others shows that the advantage to those attending grammar schools is more than outweighed by the disadvantages for pupils attending other schools.
In particular, the most disadvantaged pupils (those getting free school meals) are most badly affected and the attainment gaps between pupils are made worse, reducing any chance of upward mobility for those from poorer homes.
It was long ago shown that performance tests at 11 are not a good guide to potential ability and it is high time that Trafford followed the rest of the country in moving to a fully-comprehensive system.
Martin Wright
Sale
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