WESTBURY MP Andrew Murrison has revealed he is sceptical about plans to bring back grammar schools, saying he thinks the old 11 Plus exam system was ‘unfair’.
Dr Murrison, a former naval officer and now in his 16th year as MP for South West Wiltshire, made the comments after it emerged that Prime Minister Theresa May intends to bring an end to the 18-year ban on opening new grammar schools.
Andrew Murrison, a Conservative MP who went to a grammar school himself said, “My experience in the 1970s was that everything pretty much hinged on passing the 11 Plus.
“The possibility of moving up or down within the selective school system according to emerging aptitude or attainment was slim, and determination of a child’s direction in life on the basis of one exam at 11 years old just wasn’t fair and I’d be sorry to see it reintroduced.”
The Prime Minister is reported to have the support of a lot of Conservative MPs but there was a big backlash against the plan. Opponents say that grammar schools can cause divisions and that they benefit wealthier families more than those on low incomes.
Both the Liberal Democrats leader, Tim Farron, and Labour leader candidate, Owen Smith, said the plan was a bad idea and could cause segregation.
In grammar schools’ heyday, children had to take an ‘11 Plus’ test which determined what kind of secondary school they would go to. Only the highest achievers were sent to grammar school, while others were mostly sent to lower ability ‘modern’ or ‘technical’ schools.
In 1998, then Prime Minister Tony Blair put a ban on any new grammar schools being opened.
Westbury’s own Matravers was a secondary modern school until the 1970s when it became comprehensive.
Dr Murrison said that a benefit of comprehensive schools was that pupils were supported to learn at different paces.
He told White Horse News, “Setting and streaming are important so that students can proceed at a pace and direction appropriate to them.
“I support existing grammar schools and don’t object in principle to new ones. However, to give my support, I’d need some reassurances about the impact new grammars would have on comprehensives, and the ability to access grammar schooling across the seven years of secondary education.
“I would have little objection to selection providing access was improved. The old grammars had very little fluidity, meaning that your white collar/blue collar prospects were largely determined by your performance in the 11 Plus.”
