Are grammar schools better than other state schools?

What Are Grammar Schools?

Grammar schools are state-funded secondary schools that admit pupils based on academic ability, typically assessed through the 11-plus exam, representing just 5% of UK secondary schools with around 163 institutions serving 140,000 pupils. These schools focus on academic rigour and select high-ability students at age 11. They operate within the state sector, unlike private schools, but prioritise entrance exams over catchment areas.

The history of grammar schools traces back to the 1944 Education Act, which established a tripartite system of grammar, technical, and secondary modern schools. This aimed to match education to pupil aptitude. In the 1960s, comprehensivisation policies reduced their numbers from over 1,300 to 163 today, shifting many areas to non-selective comprehensive schools.

Today, 92% of grammar schools are in England, concentrated in selective areas like Kent and Buckinghamshire. They feature a rigorous curriculum, high discipline, and streaming by ability to support high-achieving pupils. Extracurricular activities and homework policies further enhance student achievement.

Main grammar school counties include Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Birmingham, and Trafford. These areas show clusters on maps of selective education. Parents often research these regions for school choice and consider house prices near grammars due to demand.

Selective Admission Process

The 11-plus exam, taken by Year 6 pupils in September or October, tests verbal reasoning (VR), non-verbal reasoning (NVR), maths, and English, with pass marks typically 110+ on a 121-point scale. This process ensures schools take in high-ability pupils suited to their academic focus. Preparation helps children build skills in these areas.

Follow these numbered steps for the 11-plus process:

1. 1Register by June, such as the Kent deadline on June 1.
2. 2Practice with papers from providers like Bond or CGP, which experts recommend for familiarity.
3. 3Sit the exam, typically including VR (50 questions/25 minutes), NVR (50/25 minutes), and Maths (50/30 minutes).
4. 4Receive results by October half-term.
5. 5Get secondary school offers on January 31.

Oversubscription uses criteria like distance (often 0.5-2 miles), siblings, and looked-after children. In areas like Kent (36% qualified in 2023) and Birmingham (23% qualified), competition is fierce. Parents may use private tutoring to boost chances.

Types of Other State Schools

Comprehensive schools admit all ability ranges within catchment areas, comprising 85% of UK secondary schools and educating 3.2 million pupils with non-selective pupil intake.

Academies make up 79% of secondaries, funded independently from local authorities. They include converter academies, which opt out voluntarily, and sponsored ones backed by external groups. Converter academy growth has seen more than 200 established since 2010.

Free schools offer new provision from diverse providers like charities. Faith schools, numbering around 35% selective within their faith community, prioritise religious criteria alongside ability. There are 3,200 comprehensives compared to 163 grammars in the state sector.

These non-selective schools contrast with grammars by serving mixed pupil intake. Parents often compare options via Ofsted ratings and league tables when navigating school admissions.

Comprehensive Schools

Comprehensive schools serve entire ability ranges from a defined catchment, using pupil banding or random allocation in oversubscribed cases to maintain mixed-ability intake.

Admissions rely on catchment-based criteria in 90% of cases, with banding dividing applicants by prior attainment into quartiles for fair access. For example, Tower Hamlets uses fair banding to balance abilities across year groups.

Class structures feature mixed-ability teaching in 70% of lessons, with setting common in Maths and English for targeted support. This approach aims to foster collaboration among high ability pupils and underprivileged students.

This table highlights key differences in pupil progress and structure between grammar and comprehensive schools.

Academic Performance Comparison

Grammar schools consistently outperform comprehensives by 30-40% in attainment measures, with 98% achieving 5+ GCSEs (Grade 4+) vs 68% national average (2023 DfE data). This performance gap reflects selective admissions via the 11-plus exam, drawing high-ability pupils into rigorous environments. Comprehensive schools, serving mixed-ability intakes, face broader challenges in boosting overall results.

The Sutton Trust (2016) highlighted grammars delivering results 5 grades better at GCSE on average. Progress 8 scores further illustrate this, with grammars at +1.06 compared to 0.03 for comprehensives, showing superior pupil progress. These metrics underscore how selective education correlates with stronger academic outcomes.

Ofsted ratings distribution favours grammars, with a higher proportion rated outstanding for teaching quality and curriculum rigour. Comprehensives often excel in inclusive practices but lag in top-tier attainment. Parents weigh these factors alongside catchment areas and oversubscription criteria when considering school choice.

Examples from Kent show grammars achieving 82% Grade 5+ in English and maths, versus 55% in local comprehensives. Such regional disparities fuel debates on grammar school expansion and equity for underprivileged students. Longitudinal studies suggest peer group effects and discipline levels contribute to these differences.

GCSE and A-Level Results

In 2023, grammar pupils averaged Attainment 8 score of 75.5 vs 49.1 comprehensives; 71% grammars achieved Grade 7+ in English/Maths vs 14% nationally. These figures from DfE data reveal stark contrasts in GCSE results. Selective intake enables focus on high-ability pupils, enhancing overall achievement.

MetricGrammarComprehensiveGap 9-7% English73%18%55% EBacc entry85%40%45% Progress 8+1.060.03+1.03

A-Level performance mirrors this trend, with 68% achieving AAB+ in grammars versus 18% in comprehensives. Value added measures like Progress 8 highlight how grammars accelerate student achievement beyond intake potential. Regional examples, such as Kent grammars' strong EBacc participation, demonstrate curriculum rigour in action.

Experts recommend parents review league tables and Ofsted reports for context on exam results. Factors like smaller class sizes and homework policies in grammars support these outcomes. For gifted children, this environment fosters motivation and university progression, including Oxbridge entry.

Social Mobility and Equity

Only 8% of grammar pupils are eligible for free school meals compared to 27% in comprehensives. Grammars admit 13% disadvantaged pupils versus 28% in non-selective schools, according to 2023 DfE data. This gap raises questions about social mobility in selective education.

IFS analysis from 2022 shows grammars often increase middle-class advantage. Families with resources prepare children for the 11-plus exam, widening the attainment gap. Sutton Trust 2021 data highlights 30% of grammar pupils from top two social quintiles against 15% from bottom two.

Educational equity remains a core debate in the UK education system. Selective admissions favour those with access to coaching, impacting underprivileged students. Non-selective schools better reflect diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Government policies on grammar school expansion aim to balance meritocracy and egalitarianism. Critics argue cream-skimming leaves comprehensives with residual challenges. Parental choice and catchment areas further influence equitable access.

Access for Disadvantaged Pupils

Despite a 15% FSM6 intake target, grammars achieve 8.2% FSM6 in 2023. Pupil premium students in grammars gain a +1.2 GCSE grades advantage. This shows potential benefits for those who gain entry.

Challenges include 11-plus coaching costs of £30-£50 per hour, limiting access for low-income families. Fair access protocols help, with 25% of London grammars expanding pupil premium places from 2018-2023. School banding and random allocation aid diversity.

Success stories stand out, like Wilson’s School with 22% pupil premium pupils, topping national rankings. Tauheedul Islam Girls' Grammar serves 45% disadvantaged pupils with top Progress 8 scores. These examples prove grammars can support high ability pupils from varied backgrounds.

Long-Term Outcomes

Grammar school pupils are 3x more likely to attend Russell Group universities (52% vs 17%) and earn 18% higher lifetime earnings (£340k premium). The Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) shows grammar schools add about 2 A-level grades to pupils' results. This points to stronger preparation for higher education and careers.

OECD data highlights an earnings premium for those from selective education. Grammar leavers often enter professional fields due to rigorous curricula and high expectations. Such outcomes fuel debates on social mobility through school selection.

Over time, grammar pupils show better educational attainment and economic productivity. Experts note peer group effects and motivation levels boost lifelong learning. However, critics argue this widens the attainment gap in non-selective schools.

Longitudinal studies reveal grammar alumni with higher university admissions rates and graduate earnings. Parental involvement and discipline levels contribute to these trends. Policymakers weigh expanding grammars against comprehensive system equity.

University Entry and Careers

53% of grammar pupils enter Russell Group universities vs 18% from comprehensives; Oxbridge rate stands at 3.4% vs 0.5% (UCAS 2023). These figures underscore selective education's edge in higher education progression. Grammar schools focus on exam preparation and pupil progress.

DestinationGrammarComprehensiveRatio Oxbridge3.4%0.5%6.8:1 Russell Group53%18%2.9:1 Earnings age 28£32k£27k1.2:1

In Slough, grammars send 65% to Russell Group vs 22% from local comprehensives. Longitudinal data shows grammars with +12% in professional occupations. This reflects teaching quality and curriculum rigor.

Grammar pupils benefit from high ability pupils in their intake, aiding motivation and peer effects. Careers often include fields like law or medicine, per DfE metrics. Yet, comprehensives serve diverse needs, including vocational paths and apprenticeships.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critics argue grammars exacerbate inequality by cream-skimming highest ability (top 25% ability range) leaving comprehensives with residualisation effects.

Key concerns include social selection favouring wealthier families. The Sutton Trust highlights a £3k coaching advantage for the 11-plus exam, tilting odds towards those who can afford private tutoring.

Comprehensives lose their top 20% ability pupils to grammars, as noted in Gorard 2016 research. This creates uneven pupil intake and strains resources in non-selective schools.

House prices carry a £50k premium near grammars due to catchment areas. Brain drain also damages comprehensive Progress 8 scores by 0.15, widening the attainment gap.

Main Criticisms

Opponents of selective education point to four major issues. First, social selection masks as merit through coaching disparities noted by the Sutton Trust.

• Coaching advantage: Families spending £3k on 11-plus prep gain unfair edges in verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests.
• Ability drain: Gorard 2016 shows comprehensives lose top 20% high ability pupils, harming school standards.
• House price premium: Properties near grammars cost £50k more, limiting access for lower-income parents.
• Progress 8 impact: Brain drain reduces comprehensive pupil progress by 0.15, affecting league tables and Ofsted ratings.

These factors fuel educational equity debates, with cream-skimming linked to middle-class flight from all-ability schools.

Counterarguments

Supporters highlight grammars' value-added measures exceeding 1.0, boosting student achievement beyond intake quality. They excel in GCSE results and A-level outcomes for high ability pupils.

Social mobility benefits bright poor children, offering rigorous curriculum, discipline levels, and extracurricular activities. Grammar alumni show strong university admissions and Oxbridge entry rates.

Research suggests peer group effects in selective settings raise motivation levels and teaching quality. Value added accounts for pupil progress, countering raw exam results critiques.

Policy Debate

The debate pits grammar school expansion against Labour's proposed ban. Sunak's Conservative policy aims to create more selective places for gifted children from underprivileged backgrounds.

Labour favours the comprehensive system, arguing it promotes egalitarianism and reduces socioeconomic background divides. Unions like the NUT oppose selection, citing attainment gaps.

Think tanks offer mixed views: some back meritocracy via entrance exams, others warn of opportunity costs for SEN provision and mixed ability teaching in non-selective schools. Parental choice remains central amid oversubscription criteria debates.