Theresa May unveils her plan for education revolution

WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Theresa May unveiled a blizzard of new education reforms today including grammar school entrance exams at 14 and 16 and ordering independent schools to do more for the state system.

In a speech that ruffled feathers on all sides of the education establishment, she announced:

  • A second chance for children who fail the 11-plus, with the opportunity to enter a grammar at 14 and 16.
  • A threat to remove the tax-free  status of fee-paying schools, with “a tougher test” being considered on the amount of public benefit they will be expected to provide in future.
  • Selection systems made more “tutor-proof” by relying on wider criteria than exams that children could be coached to pass.

Mrs May hit back against claims her plans would fuel inequality by insisting she wanted to turn Britain into “the world’s great meritocracy”.

She promised more help for children from low-income working families earning between £16,000 and £21,000, saying the current policy of directing cash to those on free school meals was too crude.

The new proposals came on top of the plans trailed in the media that could see thousands more selective schools across Britain, with the 163 grammars allowed to expand and new ones being set up.

They triggered fierce opposition from some quarters, with the chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, warning of a “backward” step that would “halt” the dramatic recent improvements in London schools.Conservative MP Dr Sarah Wollaston said the reforms clashed with Mrs May’s own vow to reduce social inequality.

She said: “I think we need to be very careful that we’re not ending up giving one message but introducing policies that go in the opposite direction.” Mrs May’s threat to the tax-free status of independent schools appeared to borrow from ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband’s policy manifesto.

Praising Westminster School and Eton among others for lending expertise and facilities to local state schools, she said: “I want all independent schools with the appropriate capacity and capability to take these kinds of steps.”

She suggested they could offer free places to poorer children or even open and manage new free schools. And in a clear threat to the finances of those who refuse, she said: “Through their charitable status, private schools collectively reduce their tax bills by millions every year.

“And I want to consult on how we can amend Charity Commission guidance for independent schools to enact a tougher test on the amount of public benefit required to maintain charitable status.”

Speaking in central London, the Prime Minister gave a passionate defence of her ideas. She said the Brexit referendum had exposed a hunger for “real, profound change” and she set her goal as “a good school place for every child”. She declared: “I want Britain to become the world’s great meritocracy.”

Today’s proposals include allowing new grammar schools, and letting the existing 163 grammars expand — possibly subject to quotas of poorer pupils and requirements to sponsor feeder schools in low income areas.

Other changes include forcing universities to help schools before charging the highest fees, and allowing faith schools to select all pupils according to religious belief.

Mrs May said the current postcode lottery was unfair to people on low incomes.

“It’s no good being told you can choose a better school if you move to a different area or pay to go private,” she said. “Those aren’t choices that you can make. And they are not choices that you should have to make.”

But Sir Michael, a former trailblazing London headteacher, demanded: “If grammar schools are the answer to social mobility, why aren’t there more in London which is the stand-out performer in our nation?”

He added: “We will fail as a nation if we only get the top 15 per cent to 20 per cent of our children achieving well.”

On the extra freedoms for faith schools, Dr Wollaston said: “This in my view is completely wrong, to be going in a direction of actually putting those barriers back up and bringing in segregation by religion of children’s parents.”

Education Secretary Justine Greening, asked if rich parents would simply hire tutors to get their children through entrance exams, said the Government was looking for “very open” selection procedures.

But Labour’s Angela Rayner said new grammar schools would “entrench inequality and disadvantage”.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in