It looks like there are moves to change things judging by this press article ...
Children from poor families are being allowed to jump the queue for sought-after places at top-performing grammar schools for the first time.
Until now, priority for oversubscribed places has been given to children who have passed the 11-plus exam and live closest to the school.
But a rule change introduced by Education Secretary Michael Gove now means schools can offer poor children places ahead of better-off youngsters who live nearer – with heads picking up hundreds of pounds in extra funding.
At least four grammars, where up to six pupils compete for every place, are among the first wave of state schools making the changes, risking a backlash among parents who fear they could lose out.
The move follows criticism that better-off families are boosting their chances of getting into grammars by first sending children to independent schools, where class sizes are considerably smaller, and then moving them back into the state system once they have passed the 11-plus. Heads say this undermines the original aim of grammars in promoting social mobility.
In Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury Grammar, Aylesbury High School and Sir Henry Floyd Grammar are giving priority to children granted free school meals because their families are on benefits or earn less than £16,190.
As these children are eligible for the ‘pupil premium’ – extra Government funding allocated to recipients of free school meals – the schools will benefit by £900 per pupil this year.
Another grammar, Lawrence Sheriff at Rugby, Warwickshire, is also introducing new criteria that will allow it to favour children on pupil premiums over others who live closer.
Campaigners say parents who do not qualify for free school meals but are on low incomes would be infuriated by the changes. Margaret Morrissey, of pressure group Parents Outloud, said: ‘This is blatantly unfair. A child should be admitted to a selective school on merit, and it should have nothing to do with the family’s financial position. This is a form of social engineering.
‘Everything seems to go against parents who provide for their children and support their education. Mr Gove seems to be doing everything in his power to make life more difficult for them.’
Oversubscribed: Grammar schools have previously had to chose on the basis of how close pupils live
Oversubscribed: Grammar schools have previously had to chose on the basis of how close pupils live
Chris McGovern, of Real Education, said: ‘Free school meals are a very poor indicator of social background.’
However, Stephen Lehec, head of the 1,300-strong Aylesbury Grammar, founded in 1598, said: ‘These are people who need a leg-up. If they pass the 11-plus and need free school meals, they are often doing really well despite their circumstances.’
Peter Kent, head of Lawrence Sheriff, said just one parent had so far objected to the change, but the school hoped to regain the ‘socially diverse mix’ it had 15 or 20 years ago.
About 1.9?million children are eligible for the pupil premium, which is given to those who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the previous six years.
The Department for Education said: ‘The pupil premium priority was introduced to give children from low-income families a better chance of accessing good schools which they may not otherwise have considered.
‘All pupils must pass entrance tests before being considered for a place at a selective school.’