The Tory right are "thrilled" with the education secretary, Nicky Morgan, for giving the green light to what "everyone but her is calling the first new grammar school in 50 years", says Gaby Hinsliff in The Guardian. Officially, the new Sevenoaks campus will just be an extension of the existing Weald of Kent grammar in Tonbridge (seven miles away), "not the beginning of a nationwide resurgence for selective education", but that's not how everyone will see it. Whether or not she intended to, Morgan may be "opening an educational Pandora's box".
No she isn't, says Sam Freedman in the FT. Firstly, the decision will be challenged; secondly, many of the existing 163 grammar schools would not want to dilute their selectivity by expanding; and thirdly the government has shown no sign of wanting to abolish the 1998 Act that outlaws creating new grammar schools. Indeed, under David Cameron, there has been a shift in Conservative policy to "improve the system as a whole".
Take the pupil premium, which has redistributed money to schools with more disadvantaged intakes, or the system of pairing good schools with struggling ones. Grammars actually "reducesocial mobility". Disproportionately few children from poor backgrounds pass the 11-plus, in part because their parents cannot afford tutoring, and in local authorities that still have selection, poorer children do worse than in the rest of Britain.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
It strikes me as bizarre that grammar schools are the only type of school explicitly banned by law, says Charles Moore in The Daily Telegraph. It's like "banning new bookshops because they make the illiterate feel inferior". The idea that it is "automatically wrong" that some people are richer or better educated than others is a "defiance of reality, of the power of incentives and of human freedom itself".
The "weirdest" thing about our attitude to schools is that we expect a uniform system. Why can't we accommodate every type of school from free schools to comprehensives, academies, church schools, state boarding schools and schools with fewer exams or little curriculum? Society gives itself a headache "if it tries to equalise opportunity. What it can do is maximise it. In the field of education it is hard to imagine this happening without more grammar schools."
-
Why now is the right time to invest in biotechThe biotech sector holds huge potential for investors, with strong growth and attractive valuations. Here's the best way to play it.
-
Zoopla: Busiest home buying May since 2021, but property asking prices slideBuyers return to the market after the end of higher stamp duty thresholds and post-Easter lulls, but average sales are £16,000 below asking price
-
It’s been 16 years, but the UK economy finally has a chanceOpinion The UK economy has been dealing with one crisis after another since 2007. Policymakers now have a chance to fix some of the underlying problems holding back growth.
-
The “plan for growth”: what Truss and Kwarteng got rightOpinion The Tories’ “plan for growth” has got off to a bad start, but their reforms can still transform Britain
-
Investors should get ready for a political revolutionOpinion Liz Truss will beat Rishi Sunak, cut taxes, and then shake up the Bank of England, says Helen Thomas
-
Who will be the next prime minister and what are the bookies’ odds?News The Tory leadership contest is in its final phase. Matthew Partridge reports on the contest and looks at who the bookies’ favourite is.
-
The public may have reached its limit for tax risesEditor's letter The UK tax burden is now at a 70-year high. And, while there may be some reason to hold off on cuts right now, taxes are too high because the state tries to do too much. Perhaps it should do less, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
-
Boris Johnson's exit leaves Britain with a towering in-trayBriefings Britain’s economic problems are rapidly piling up after the last few years of drift and chaos. What should we do first?
-
Backtracking on HS2: the state of high-speed rail in the UKBriefings The government has found a reverse gear on the controversial high-speed rail project. But does backing out now make sense?
-
Why the government's plan for funding social care is a lousy oneEditor's letter Insisting that people use their property wealth to pay for social care is perfectly reasonable, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
