REDDITCH MP Karen Lumley met with all five high school heads in her constituency on Friday ( December 9) to discuss, among other things, fairer funding and Government proposals to increase diversity in selective education.
Mrs Lumley had previously aired her disapproval of any plans to expand the grammar school system, first mooted in early September, saying that her own experience of them had been extremely poor and that selective education created division within the education system.
And at Friday’s meeting with the heads of RSA Academy Arrow Vale, Saint Augustine’s Roman Catholic High School, Trinity High School, Tudor Grange Academy and the newly-formed Ridgeway Academy, all broadly agreed with her.
A Government consultation on the plans, during which teachers, children and parents were asked for their views, came to a close on Monday (December 12).
“It was agreed at the meeting that while grammar schools are popular with many parents, it was actually a myth they provide a better education and the results just don’t back up this romantic view,” said Mrs Lumley.
“It was universally agreed that, after some degree of turmoil within the Redditch schooling system in recent years, what we needed now was a period of stability, not more change, and I have now agreed to write to the Secretary of State affirming our views.
“Schools in Redditch have improved hugely over recent years, and I cannot believe that grammar schools will have any further beneficial effect.”
Regarding fairer funding, details of how Worcestershire schools will benefit from a new national funding formula to ensure every school will have funding matched to need, are expected before the end of the year.
“While I am disappointed that the formula will not be implemented until the academic year 2018/19, which is a year later than previously envisaged, we have been fighting for this for many years in Worcestershire and I am excited to see what effect it will have on the education of our children,” said Mrs Lumley.
