Trafford Residents Against The Expansion of Grammars

1. Existing grammar schools mainly benefit wealthier families. The vast majority of students sitting the grammar school entrance exams have private tuition for one to two years before the exam. This is unaffordable for low income families putting their children at a significant disadvantage when sitting entrance exams.

2. Consequently, Trafford grammar schools have very few students from low income families (receiving Free School Meals ). Whilst 19.4% of Trafford's students receive Free School Meals only 6.7% of the borough’s grammar schools do. The reason for the lack of FSM students at grammar schools is not that they are less intelligent than students from wealthier families; it is simply FSM families cannot afford private tutors to help them pass the grammar entrance tests. Importantly, these tests also include topics that are not taught in the National Curriculum at state primary schools, leaving those students whose families cant afford private tutors very much less prepared than those who can.

3. Furthermore, over four times as many children are admitted to grammar schools from private primary schools than children on free school meals. Private schools are not required to follow the National Curriculum and can therefore put much more time and resources into focusing on the grammar school entrance exams.

4. Since TRIES was established we are finding that more and more Trafford parents are against the expansion of selective education because of its impact on family stress levels and finances, its failure to meet the needs of children with special educational needs, and its judging 75% of those sitting the grammar entrance exams as failures at 11 years of age.

One Trafford parent wrote to TRIES in 2016 outlining the stress and discrimination that Trafford's selective education system has placed on her family:

"Despite being clever, and being tutored, my son failed, by five marks. He was 10 years and 6 weeks old when he took the exam and he says that he found it very stressful. (I’ve heard of children being sick as they wait in the queue to take the exam, because of the pressure to
succeed.) My son may have just had a bad day, but now he is labelled a failure. Fortunately, he found the positive in the situation, “I didn’t really want to go there anyway, Mum.”

However, he says that some of his friends who also ‘failed’ to make the grade now feel as though they are not very clever even though they are. These children are now 12 years old and have spent the first year of their secondary school careers feeling like failures. These are
not necessarily children who are ‘less academic’ and will be better placed taking a technical career path (whatever that is supposed to mean). Lots of these children are bright, engaged and enthusiastic learners who want to do well. They just didn’t do as well in one exam, on one day when they were 10 years old.

My son is a brilliant mathematician, a “maths genius” according to his maths teacher and he loves computing. His friend is a fantastic writer, but he struggles with his self-belief because he thinks he mustn’t be that clever… because he failed an exam. They will succeed though, but
not because of the selective system. Any success they achieve will be in spite of it. But they will always carry the knowledge that they failed their 11-plus and that makes me sad.

The selective system is divisive. This was demonstrated to me when we attended the open evening at our local grammar school, and the headteacher announced in his welcome speech that, “We only have the best of the best here.” I was appalled. What sort of message is this? If
this is the message given in that school, the kids who go there can only end up thinking they are ‘better’ than others like my boy. How is this good for either set of children or for society?

I have another younger son, currently in Year Five, who is dyslexic. I know that there is simply no point even considering entering him for the grammar school entrance exam as I know he would fail, despite being above average intelligence. It is my understanding that the grammar
school makes no allowances for dyslexic children, such as extra time etc. This sends out a rather strong message that these children are not welcome. In Trafford children with SEN seem to be forgotten about, in favour of lauding our grammar school system.

It feels very much like there is an ‘us and them’ situation in Trafford. Those parents whose children pass can feel somewhat superior, while those whose children don’t make it often feel resentful towards those who do. People won’t admit it, but that is the truth of the situation.
It would be so much better if our children could attend an outstanding comprehensive where they could all receive the best standard of education, but without all the stress and division created by the selective system we experience in Trafford."

Note: If you require access to the sources for the above facts please contact the petition administrator.