The most Socially Selective schools in England.

In the great age of Social-Mobility-By-Grammar-School the alternative was leaving school early, from a secondary modern or technical school with a restricted curriculum. Luckily, since the advent of comprehensive education, if it is done properly, children from more disadvantaged backgrounds can get to Uni and a professional career without grammar schools.

So wait, the thread title should be "The most socially EXCLUSIVE" schools, not "selective", right?

The 2 Reading based grammars on this list take children from right across Berkshire and beyond. The vast majority of children I know who attend have been heavily tutored from the age of 7. It saddens me that kids from families without the means to pay for tutoring are being denied opportunities at schools they may have thrived at a few years previously when tutoring was less of a "thing".

DS attends a superselective that's forever sending out letters to try to up its Pupil Premium numbers but it's obviously not really happening.

DS and DNephew attend two schools alluded to on this thread yet in their fathers' family we were on FSM growing up (I went to a grammar school, but younger sibs didn't because parents couldn't really afford for us all to be there, with more expensive costs) and had two parents who left school with no qualifications at the age of 15...

Make of that what you will.

It shows a great deal about the social mobility (that grammar schools were renowned for) that was common in the UK until the past 20 - 30 years - one of the great and positive things of the 20th Century!

I live in South Bucks and know Slough well! If you are impressed by Slough - well I really don't know what to say!!

Kegs and cchs have pupils from London. Not surprised by this.

Which of those schools are grammar / academically selective?

Many seem to be in grammar areas - Kent and Bucks. How could this be/
Either grammar areas are by nature, cause or result, inhabited by a wealthier demographic (seems unlikely for Kent), or this shows, roughly (with a disclaimer for being numbers rather than %s) that grammar schools these days are socially selective.

I was last in Slough on Christmas day peteneras. I am well aware of the big Tesco, next to the road with "bed in sheds" along the whole length (which depite the council identifying with a special plane they can't seem to actually do anything about). I'm not sure that a large supermarket can make up for a range of social problems.

It is close to some nice areas, but I maintain that Slough itself is not nice. It is the most deprived area in Berkshire. There is a huge drug problem too. In fact lots of drug dealing in the parks near to St Bernards Grammar School.

But I'm probably derailing the thread now, apologies OP.

I know bishops Wordsworth in Salisbury very well indeed and know many parents whose children attend who are entitled to FSM but refuse to claim them and would prefer that nobody at all know they are entitled.

I can think of about 8/9 families amongst my client groups who qualify but don't let on they do.

And for those who still live in the Victorian times, here’s an update of 21st century Slough!

"I'm more at anyone being impressed by Slough."

"Not a nice area is an understament"

You must have had a very cocooned upbringing to be so easily .

When was the last time you visited Slough? Don't know where you come from, but I dare say Slough today is more modern than wherever you are. It certainly has more modern buildings and developments (post 1980's) and I bet, for a start, the Tesco there is easily twice the size of your largest supermarket.

That's not to mention its close proxmity to the world renowned beauties like Eton and Windsor!

My 3 children go to Ripon Grammar school.None of them have been tutored in their lives.We are not posh at all .The school is very down to earth and I would hate anyone reading this thread to be put off applying .

Op: can you clarify - is this fewest FSM of all secondaries, or of selective schools?

Because it is possible that academic selection means fewer pupils from families with proxy markers of deprivation such as FSM. And given that academic success is linked not just to some heritable qualities but very much to early environment, family stability and support for education, it is likely to continue to mean that.

Making exams tutor proof would help a bit.

I went to one of those schools, although it is spelt wrongly on the list. The whole catchment area is quite affluent. There are generally very good employment opportunities in the area so regardless of social demographic it is quite unusual for people to be unemployed and therefore most people have income and don't need FSM. By the time children are at secondary school generally parents have less problem with work/childcare cost issues. I attended quite a few years ago before tutoring was the norm and the percentage of FSM was low then. It had pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and incomes but generally it was normal for parents to be working.

The ranking system is meaningless. Some of the schools listed are quite small (3 form intake) - comprehensive schools tend to be bigger (so will likely have a larger overall number if pupils entitled to FSM).

The head teacher of one of those schools is about to move to be the head teacher at my sons' school. I think it's going to be a bit of an adjustment for him.

As TP this list is pretty meaningless, it needs % FSM values and area % FSM It should also include all relevant low % FSM secondary schools, not just academically selective ones.

I'm more at anyone being impressed by Slough.

Not a nice area is an understament

List is completely irrelevant to me & mine, but for some reason I'm curious about this: How does the source define "selective"?

I track what schools around the country that my kids will never attend achieve
because its linked to my income
why on earth do other people do it?