Greening reinforces that grammar schools will not mean a return to the 11-plus

Education Secretary Justine Greening has defended the government’s proposals to reintroduce grammar schools, saying it will 'absolutely not' mean a return to the 11-plus entrance exams.

Speaking on ITV’s Preston on Sunday, Greening reinforced that the proposals would not mean a return to the 'binary system' of the 1950s and that new grammars could have multiple entry points for pupils that develop after the age of 11.

She said: “This is absolutely not about a return to the 11-plus, and one of the areas we are consulting on is whether children should be able to go into selective schools at different ages, rather than just at age 11. We have to understand that children develop at different paces and our education system needs to reflect that.”

Greening also declined to confirm the number of new selective schools that could be introduced, citing that decisions would be made at a local level.

She added: “In terms of the numbers, that is going to be up to the local communities. I want to see parents have more choice. We think it’s wrong that in this particular part of the education system, while there is so much more additional choice come into play in recent years, grammars have been put to one side.

“We want a 21st Century education system but that means we have to look at the role grammars can play.”