Until the previous year, I was the Member of Parliament for Buckingham, which is located in one of the few counties where education is entirely selective. In the town, there are two publicly-funded secondary schools located next to each other, a grammar school, and a secondary modern school. The Royal Latin, the only grammar school in the area, was founded way back in 1423 and looked like the embodiment of confidence and utmost excellence. On the other hand, the Buckingham School was relatively less traditional, and served the students who had not passed the 11-plus exam, admirably.
Both the schools welcomed me warmly, but the civic and political establishment in Buckinghamshire showed much more interest in the grammar school. An "us and them" attitude appeared to exist, where grammar students were encouraged to feel superior, and many of the secondary modern students likely resented them. Later, there was more collaboration between the headteachers of the two schools in small ways, which included sharing of facilities and joint art and drama events, which aimed to bridge the gap.
Of course, I did my best to support both the schools as a local MP, and I did not question the selective system myself for quite some time. I believed that the education system had undergone too many structural changes, and we had to deal with the system as it was. Besides, I was aware that a significant proportion of my Conservative voters were in favour of grammar schools.
Looking back, I find it surprising that during my twenty-two years as an MP, I received very few challenges to the selective system with only a small number of letters protesting about it. However, whenever disturbed parents approached me, it was mainly to ask for my help in getting their child into a grammar school.
But my opinions about grammar schools have changed recently. A part of me is influenced by my general left-leaning political outlook. When David Cameron became the leader of the Conservative Party, he said that the party should not focus on grammar schools. His stance intended to provide a broad perspective to the Conservative Party and not limit it to a narrow and backward-looking outlook. And he was right.
I never understood why Theresa May made expanding grammar schools a primary component of her premiership, although I suspect her former Chief of Staff, Nick Timothy, a grammar school supporter may have influenced her. When she was the Shadow Education Secretary, and I was her junior team member responsible for grammars, she preferred to talk about the schools in general and avoid any selective school issues.
However, I think Theresa May was correct then and wrong now, and I was wrong before and right now. I gradually understood that selecting students at the young age of 11 harms the child’s self-esteem severely. I’m not sure if my elder son would have passed an exam at ten, but at 16, after getting an education at a comprehensive school, he earned 11 GCSE passes, ten of which were at the top grade 9. I firmly believe that intelligence cannot be measured at the age of eleven, as children grow at different rates, and some children thrive intellectually only at university. We also know how a less privileged socio-economic background and insufficient parental education can negatively impact children’s education. Therefore, it’s harder for children from these backgrounds to perform well in any exam.
In the past, I subscribed to the notion that grammar schools aided bright working-class children’s opportunities. However, while that may have been valid when legendary tennis player Fred Perry was a student at the grammar school in the 1920s, it’s not the case today. Current figures reveal that around 18.6% of children that attend Buckinghamshire grammar schools come from private schools, and between 25% to 30% live outside the county.
Buckinghamshire suffers from a significant achievement gap between children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) and those who are not, compared to neighboring authorities. According to data released by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2015, only 32.2% of FSM children in Bucks attained five or more GCSEs at grade C or above, while 71.4% of non-FSM children achieved the same. This shows a staggering gap of 39.2 percentage points, which is significantly higher than the 13% disparity in Luton.
My family’s experience has greatly influenced my views on comprehensive education. My three children attend Holland Park School in west London, which is led by the highly energetic Colin Hall. It is a highly disciplined school, and the teachers keep a close eye on every student’s progress. If a child is struggling, they get all the support they need to improve their learning. Although the school workload can be overwhelming, especially since the curriculum was overloaded after Michael Gove’s reforms, my kids continue to thrive.
Holland Park School is one of the most diverse schools in London. Nearly 17.7% of its students are eligible for free school meals, reflecting the economic and social differences among families. While some students come from wealthy backgrounds and live in multi-million-pound houses, others live in social housing and are even affected by the fatal Grenfell Tower fire. Despite the contrasting circumstances, the school fosters an environment of inclusivity and multiculturalism.
In my opinion, the only way to bring about change in selective areas is through nationally-promoted policies, rather than locally-picked policies. Grammar schools are outdated, and we should phase them out. Our energy policies are not decided by local authorities; why should education be?
Both political parties need to take an open and honest stance on comprehensive education and promote it everywhere. Educational disadvantage has only grown more prominent during the pandemic, and it is time to take action. The evidence is clear: high-quality comprehensive education can benefit lower-achieving students without harming their more advanced peers. When coupled with social justice, it can have a tremendous impact.
John Bercow will be speaking at the “Is there a comprehensive future?” event hosted by Comprehensive Future on the 10th of December.
