New grammars?

[HPFA]

Surely new grammars are dead?

Grammar schools : For the few not the many

Hmm apparently it's not entirely impossible

schoolsweek.co.uk/what-happens-to-grammar-schools-in-a-minority-conservative-government/

And a tweet suggesting that Brady who chairs the 1922 committee is a big fan of grammars and might support her staying as leader in return for her continuing to push them.

It just shws how appalling TM is that it can even be thought that she might continue with this policy having manifestly failed to get a mandate for it.

I think Laura McInerney is trying not to get her hopes up but I cannot see how Tory MPs, who must be absolutely furious with TM, could be persuaded to put up with all the grief of implementing this policy, which has now been shown to have no electoral benefit.

And some good news, the proportion of MPs who went to comprehensives has now reached 51%. And among the new MPs that rises to 67%.

www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/influx-of-new-mps-means-fewer-privately-educated-members-than-in-previous-parliament/

I thought in northern Ireland grammar schools were the thing?

I thought in northern Ireland grammar schools were the thing?

They are. But education is a devolved matter. So the DUP would not be voting to protect grammar schools in Northern Ireland, TM would be using DUP votes to impose them on what is effectively a different country.

Because May is so tin-eared, educationalists are worrying that she might still try to impose them without the mandate she sought. And they're assuming that she will try to use parliamentary shenanigans to get her way. Political commentators are assuming that such a weakened government would find it impossible to impose a controversial policy.

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/dup-tories-election-hung-parliament-education-policies-a7782656.html

Also, don't forget that school cuts became an important issue election, partly due to the amazing success of the NUT's campaign. Many Tory MPs are expecting that extra money will be found for schools. And the NUT has been quick to point out that there is now no mandate for the policy.

www.teachers.org.uk/news-events/press-releases-england/general-election

Isn't decent funding a completely different issue to grammars? Surely the fair funding policy will have to go through. It's very existence highlighted the huge unfairness with funding. Scrapping it will be like saying "who cares" to some schools getting a whole lot more money than others.

Interesting that one of the key drivers behind the Free School Network and increasing the numbers of Grammar schools was a chap called Nick Timothy .......

Gavin Barwell, a former Tory MP (just lost his seat) who has just been appointed the new Chief of Staff in place of Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill is....a fan of grammars :(

And Graham Brady, the chair of the powerful 1922 committee is a grammar fanatic. He has apparently said that in the light of a reduced Tory majority he would accept a modest pilot of grammar school plans. I'm not sure he realises that they've already been piloted extensively in Kent and Buckinghamshire or that to pilot more would require a change in the law.

FFS you have no mandate for this

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/more-modest-pilot-new-grammar-schools-could-be-table-says-tory-mp

Really can't see how the Tories could get the votes through Parliament to repeal the Act that currently bans new grammars being established. Graham Brady is just fantasising.

Laura McInerney tweets that when the earth returns to ashes there will only be cockroaches and Graham Brady going on about grammar schools.

It's utterly boneheaded. There will be a new election soon so any new grammars policy would have to go in the manifesto. Do they want ANYTHING in the manifesto that reminds people of the earlier disaster?

So we've got Justine Greening back as Ed Sec, which is nowhere near as bad as the rumour that we were going to get Jeremy Hunt!!!

She's useless. She'll go along with whatever she's told to.

Wonder what she thinks of the DUP given she's a lesbian.

Laura McInerney seems to have finally convinced herself that new grammars are off the agenda (although with a reservation)

schoolsweek.co.uk/is-the-grammar-school-nightmare-finally-over/

My hope is that if we have seen it off this time, that will be it within the Conservative party. They put it before the electorate, it raised no enthusiasm, it will do nothing but cause trouble in the future.

Like her I didn't dare think it might be over until I read 'grammar schools will not be included in the Queen's speech'. If it's not there, it's dead for now. And as it was Theresa May's personal project, given that her brand is now toxic, I can't see her successor wanting to be associated with it.

Hopefully.

I would have thought that new grammars are well and truly off the table.

You would have thought so till Graham Brady started banging on about them the other day!

Justine Greening needs to woman up. Reports are that she didn't want grammars, wanted more funding for schools, wasn't told about scrapping universal free meals. What exactly was she doing then?

I'm not anti-grammar, but it's clear that a majority of people don't want this and political time and effort is being squandered over a lost cause. If we are worried about high achievers being stretched the realistic option is to make sure there is adequate setting in comps.

TM has gone much further than the critical mass of the populace wants on a raft of things. I think her days are numbered. She has swung wide enough to give JC the centre ground!

'You would have thought so till Graham Brady started banging on about them the other day! '

Don't expect anything else. His constituency is probably the most affluent part of Trafford, so Grammars are likely to be a big deal for the people who vote for him.

The Telegraph thinks that new grammars will not go ahead:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/theresa-may-puts-brexit-heart-queens-speech-ditches-policies/

This is actually the second Telegraph article I've seen that has linked "social, care, foxhunting, grammars" together as unpopular policies. If these could be linked in Conservative MPs minds that would be really helpful in seeing off any future attempts.

They just said on BBC News that TM'S flagship policy to create new grammar schools may be reduced to a pilot. I just hope they don't carry out the pilot near us!

Graham Brady was the one who mentioned a pilot.
a) that would require a change in the law and
b) we already have a pilot! Kent! Buckinghamshire! They don't work!

Bbc news saying that in the Queen's Speech, flagship Conservative manifesto policies that found no place in the government agenda include:
Grammar school plans are reined in, with a promise only to work with Parliament to bring forward proposals for school improvement "that can command a majority"

This from Laura (the other one)

twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/877498113447137280

And Council Leader in PM's constituency seems to think they've gone

www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/gallery/maidenhead/116885/tory-grammar-school-proposals-dropped-in-queen-s-speech.html?refresh_ce

What do you think is meant by proposals for school improvement "that can command a majority?" Is that the new technical colleges mentioned in your second link?