First Grammar School In 50 Years 'To Get Go Ahead'

Kent Council wants to proceed with plans to expand the number of grammar school places in the county amid growing parental demand for more selective education. In a controversial move, they are proposing to take advantage of new Government powers that allow existing schools to expand to take additional pupils.

A report to be considered by the council on Thursday recommends opening a satellite campus for around 120 pupils a year in the town of Sevenoaks. It would be the first time that a dedicated new grammar school has been opened in England since the 1960s.


Experts claim that it could open the floodgates to more schools in other regions with academically selective education systems. One grammar school in Torquay, Devon, has already proposed expanding into a town around 10 miles away. The proposals are likely to be condemned by opponents of selective education who claim that it undermines local comprehensive schools and harms children who fail to win places.

But Chris McGovern, a former head teacher and chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said there was "huge demand" for grammar schools. Nationally, it is believed that as many as half of pupils who pass the 11-plus - the traditional grammar school entrance exam - fail to get in because of the sheer competition for places. Last week, it emerged that children are being required to score as much as 99.5 per cent in entrance tests to secure places at the most sought-after schools.

"Anything that can be done to give parents more access to the education they want for their children must be welcomed," he said. "The education system must reflect parental wishes and I hope other areas will be brave enough to go down the same road as Kent."

Only 164 grammar schools remain in England following the expansion of comprehensive education in the 60s and 70s. Since the late 90s, the construction of entirely new grammar schools has been banned. But Coalition reforms allow existing schools - including grammars - to grow in areas with the greatest demand.

Kent currently has more grammar schools than any other English county. But Sevenoaks - in the west of the county - has no academically selective schools and is served by just one comprehensive. Every day, around 1,150 pupils make a round trip of around 25 miles to attend grammars in other towns.

Some 2,620 local people have now signed a petition calling for the creation of new provision in Sevenoaks. A council report - to be considered at a meeting of the authority on Thursday - recommends "pursuing proposals" to expand other grammar schools in west Kent to create a new "annex" in the town.

All nearby grammars are single-sex so the authority is proposing creating two separate schools for boys and girls on the same site - taking around 60 pupils each a year. They would eventually cater for around 840 pupils.

Kent also wants to create around 60 additional non-selective places, probably by expanding the local Knole Academy. The council has yet to secure the commitment of nearby grammar schools, although it is hoped pupils could enrol at the new annex by 2015.

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