Grammar schools already back disadvantaged children, new statistics reveal
UP TO one in eight pupils being taught in grammar schools come from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, statistics have revealed.
Up to 12.5% of children in selective schools in the East Midlands receive the pupil premium
Figures released by the Department for Education show that 12.5 per cent of pupils attending selective schools in the East Midlands receive the pupil premium, only awarded to the most disadvantaged children.
Grammar schools are at the forefront of giving admissions priority to disadvantaged pupils as one strand of their commitment to improving social mobility
In the West Midlands, one in 10 children attending grammar schools receive the pupil premium, while across England as a whole 8.5 per cent of children being taught in selective schools receive the top-up, which also entitles free school meals.
The top-up also entitles to free school meals
The figures fly in the face of critics who claim competition for grammar schools is so fierce that only the wealthy can score highly enough on the admission test to gain a place.
Grammar schools likely to widen attainment gap
Almost half of grammar schools are prioritising the poorest in admissions to boost social mobility
Jim Skinner, chief executive of the Grammar School Heads Association, said: “Grammar schools are at the forefront of giving admissions priority to disadvantaged pupils as one strand of their commitment to improving social mobility.”
Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to defy critics of her schools revolution
Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to defy critics of her schools revolution because of the debt she owes to her grammar school education.
Every school in England will be free to convert to a grammar or selective school under plans drawn up earlier this month by Mrs May.