Plan for new grammar school blocked by Michael Gove
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...hael-Gove.html
Plan for new grammar school blocked by Michael Gove
Michael Gove has blocked plans for a new grammar school "annexe" in Sevenoaks, Kent, following legal advice that it fell foul of eduaction legislation introduced under Labour
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Originally Posted by Telegraph
A plan for the biggest expansion of grammar schools in 50 years has been blocked by Michael Gove after being branded “illegal”, it was announced today.
The Education Secretary’s advisers insisted proposals to create hundreds of new places in Sevenoaks, Kent, failed to clear bureaucratic obstacles put in place by the last Labour government.
The move will be seen a significant blow to supporters of selective schooling who hoped it would act as a test case to effectively enable the roll-out of more grammar schools across England.
It also caused outrage among some of the 2,600 local parents who signed a petition demanding the creation of a new academically selective state school in the town.
Today, the Conservative leader of Kent County Council insisted that parents had been let down in the face of a “massive need” for more grammar school places.
Cllr Paul Carter criticised the expansion of state-funded free schools “of all different shapes, sizes and religious denominations” while ministers block plans for more academic selection.
But the Department for Education insisted the door was still open to more grammar school places provided they passed the legal test.
Labour introduced legislation shortly after winning power in 1997 banning the opening of any more grammars because of the party's long-standing opposition to academic selection.
However, England’s 164 existing state grammar schools can grow to meet additional demand from parents for more places.
In Kent, it had been hoped that one of the county’s selective schools could open a satellite campus in Sevenoaks – a town currently lacking its own grammar – for up to 1,300 boys and girls.
The site, which has already been granted planning approval by the council, would have its own staff but share the name and governing body of an existing school.
Two schools – Invicta Grammar in Maidstone and Weald of Kent Grammar in Tonbridge – had submitted separate bids to open the new “annexe”.
But both were turned down by the DfE’s Education Funding Agency on Friday because it believed they constituted an attempt to open a wholly new school – banned by the 1998 legislation – rather than a satellite campus.
The main problem surrounded the fact that both “sponsor” schools were single sex girls’ schools, while the annex would be mixed. The annex was also to control its own admissions arrangements, operate a separate curriculum and appoint its own deputy and assistants heads.
A DfE spokesman said: "Neither of the proposals which were put to us complied with the law. We will of course look closely at any further applications to expand schools into Sevenoaks.
“The two schools whose applications were unsuccessful are free to revise their plans and re-submit them."
Government sources insisted ministers will not attempt to rewrite or axe the existing legal framework altogether because such a move would spark opposition from Liberal Democrats within the Coalition.
Mr Carter said he had a meeting with Mr Gove on Thursday and had been told that the DfE was “genuinely open” to another application in coming months. The council is now in talks with other schools with a view to submitting a fresh bid.
Kent already has more grammars than any other county in England – 32 – but a surge in the birthrate means it must find thousands of extra places over the next few years.
The pressure is particularly acute in Sevenoaks where there are no grammars, meaning children have to travel more than 30 miles a day to get to the nearest selective school.
Mr Carter said: “At the moment, this country can have a free school of all different shapes, sizes and religious denominations yet we can’t demand grammar school provision against massive need, which is an uncomfortable position for a Conservative-led government to be in, in my view.”
Roger Gough, the council’s cabinet member for education, added: “This decision from the secretary of state is a setback for the council and the people of Kent, who have put their faith in, and strong vocal support behind, a legitimate and democratic process to campaign for selective education in Sevenoaks.
“My personal perspective has always been that such a strong movement of local democracy, through an effective petition and purposeful dialogue with parents, deserved to win support at a national level.
“We will be examining carefully the points raised by the Secretary of State in making his decision, and discussing them with the two schools concerned and looking at what next steps we might take, in the light of his comments.”
The useless Tories strike again.
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Originally Posted by Best-rated Telegraph comment
So ...... do we have a Labour government in power? .... last time I looked they had been dumped by the nation because all their policies had failed the nation. Get a grip and defy the PC brigade and give our children a chance in life with decent grammar schools.
Of course the children of the politicians won't have to attend crap comprehensives and instead attend the Church schools, the private schools and the remaining grammar schools. This is especially true of the Labour Party - which hates the grammar school system and trashed the lot of them - many of whom send their own children to grammars, public schools and Church schools. Now isn't that funny? I wonder why that is.
Luckily though this move will help gain support for the political party that's doing rather well in Kent and which does want to bring back the grammar schools nationwide. If the Tories can't even bring back the grammar schools in true-blue Kent, what are they good for? Time to replace them.
Thoughts?
