Drop prejudices against grammar schools, urges headteacher in BBC documentary

Mission: Desmond Deehan of Townley Grammar in Bexleyheath, which features in BBC2’s Grammar Schools: Who Will Get In?
BBC

The head of London’s biggest grammar says people’s prejudices against selective schools are wrong.

Desmond Deehan, who runs Townley Grammar in Bexleyheath, said his school had a wide mix of rich and poorer pupils and a diverse ethnic population, and did a lot of work to support disadvantaged children.

But he admitted more must be done to ease the pressure on those trying to win places at grammars.

He spoke as Townley was featured in BBC2 documentary Grammar Schools: Who Will Get In? It also follows the Government announcement that grammars will be given £50 million to expand if they agree to improve admissions from disadvantaged children.

Mr Deehan, who has been head there since 2009, said that until he became a teacher he had no idea grammar schools existed, and he had to reconsider the “common perceptions”.

He added: “Townley challenges all of those prejudices. A wide socioeconomic mix, diverse ethnic population with a high Black African population, especially for a grammar, and a mass of very human challenges makes this an inspirational environment to lead in, and gives a sense of purpose I doubt I could realise as a headteacher anywhere.”

Students at grammars were vulnerable to all the mental health issues of their peers in other schools, but also had the pressure of high expectations, he said. “The selective test can be a highly pressured time, but my experience is this does not come from the schools but from parents and families, many of whom can unwittingly displace their anxieties onto their children. We must all do more to address this.”

He admitted catchment areas of many grammars have become dominated by the white middle class — but out of the top 100 most socially selective schools, only six are grammars, he pointed out.

Some 1,500 pupils attend Townley. In the first episode of the documentary, shown on Tuesday, two pupils from a local primary were given extra tuition for their 11-plus exam, but both failed. However a girl who did not have any extra lessons passed.

The next episode, next Tuesday at 9pm, follows children at Townley and nearby comprehensive Erith School. Last year just 23 per cent of Erith pupils reached a grade 5, equivalent to a high C or better, in both English and maths GCSEs. At Townley 98 per cent reached that benchmark.

Mr Deehan said: “We cannot place able students in schools where they will underperform just to make some of us feel more comfortable about social inequality. Neither can we ignore the able students who do not attend grammar schools and are equally deserving of investment.”

He said Townley supported disadvantaged children to enable the brightest to join it, including running open events about the selection process and outreach activities in primaries.

“Most recently we have reserved 14 places for students on free school meals, in addition to those we recruit through our usual admissions. It means that our three per cent free school meal rate will rise to six per cent,” he said.

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