Cameron faces fresh grammar school challenge from his own frontbench

12 April 2012

Graham Brady: For the chop over rebellious grammar school comments?

A frontbench Conservative MP has revived the grammar school debate by releasing data showing the value of selective education.

Figures given to a newspaper by Europe spokesman Graham Brady indicated that in areas with no selective education 42.6% of pupils get five or more GCSEs at grade A -C including English and maths,while the figure is 46% in partially selective areas.

They showed 49.8% in areas where all pupils take the 11-plus.

He told the paper: "These facts appear to confirm my own experiences: That selection raises the standards for everyone in both grammar and high schools in selective areas.

"I accept the party's policy on grammar schools. But it is vitally important that policy should be developed with a full understanding of all of these facts, which might lead to the introduction of selection in other ways, including partial selection in academies and other schools."

Mr Brady, a former grammar school pupil, was among the first Tories to challenge the party leadership's decision to drop a commitment to bring back the system, under which pupils were selected by ability.

The announcement of the policy by shadow education secretary David Willetts earlier this month led to the sharpest bout of discontent in the Tory ranks since Mr Cameron became leader 18 months ago.

Mr Cameron has now declared the row "over", insisting that he wanted to focus instead on academic setting within non-selective schools in the hope of creating "effectively a 'grammar stream' in every subject in every school".

But the row heightened speculation at Westminster that the MP's position may be under question in the reshuffle of the Tory frontbench widely expected after Gordon Brown takes over as Prime Minister on June 27.

The Altrincham and Sale West MP was given a dressing down by Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin and told to stop making public comments outside his brief.

A party spokeswoman said: "Graham has been severely reprimanded by the Chief Whip and told to stick to his brief."

David Cameron seems to be courting controversy, provoking a fresh Tory row by suggesting that pupils could be selected on grounds of race.

The idea would allow schools in ethnically-mixed towns to admit even numbers of white and black children.

Combative: David Cameron called his education critics 'inverse class warriors'

David Willetts, the party's education spokesman, said the move would help tackle growing racial segregation.

Official figures revealed that this is becoming widespread, particularly in schools in northern mill towns such as Burnley and Blackburn.

But Tory MPs questioned why their leader was considering selection by race while dropping support for selection by ability through grammar schools.

Mr Cameron has called those who defend grammars "inverse class warriors" who were opposing him only because of his own Eton background.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said he wanted his three children to be educated at state schools.

He added: "At risk of becoming inverse class warriors, they (his opponents) appear to be saying that someone who went to a public school cannot possibly understand, still less reform, state education in a way that delivers aspiration and opportunity for all."

The Tory plans would enable city academies to choose children by a range of criteria - except ability.

Mr Willetts claimed that introducing a race quota would improve integration.

"There are parts of England where our towns are divided by race and religion into two very distinct groups," he said.

"We are keen to invite a whole range of charities and organisations to set up academies.

'In those communities which are deeply divided we could use the creation of new academies to improve links between the communities by setting the aim of recruiting students from both those communities.

"No one can be forced to apply for a school and we don't want to bus children around. But we do see potential for a positive role in tackling the growing ethnic segregation in our schools."

Mr Willetts said that a Tory Government would not "coerce" schools or parents into accepting race quotas. But the plans would involve encouraging charities to set up academies which promoted integration.

Some city academies already select pupils according to faith.

Mr Willetts added: "We could say, as part of the funding contract that the Department for Education had with the charity, one aspect of the school's admission policy is they have a good ethnic mix."

His comments were backed up by figures which showed that Blackburn is one of the most racially-divided towns in terms of education.

Four out of nine secondary schools there attract more than 90 per cent of their pupils from just one community.

However, one unnamed Tory MP who is a staunch supporter of grammar schools, said: "The notion that you cannot choose pupils on the basis of academic ability but you can on the basis of race, or sporting ability or religion, does seem very strange and surprising.

"It gives rise to the view that a lot of what has been said in the last few days has been motivated by an effort to outmanoeuvre the Labour Party, rather than develop policies in the interests of the future education of children.

"It also suggests that this has been a strategicallymanufactured row by the Tory Party and is not a sensible debate about education."

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Sarah Teather said: 'The Tories are displaying breathtaking inconsistency in their thinking on education.

"They continue to oppose measures such as a fair admissions code, ballots and banding that are intended to ensure a mixed intake but now claim to be in favour of selecting pupils by race.

"If certain ethnic groups believe they will be unwelcome at particular schools, they won't apply. And giving schools the ability to pick children by race will make no difference."

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