Grammar Schools Cleared Over ‘Unfairness’ Claims

THE Schools Adjudicator has rejected claims that two top performing grammar schools in North Yorkshire do not provide fair access to education for children and fail to give parents enough information about how to get places.

Five parents from the Skipton area had complained to the independent watchdog about the admissions policies of both Ermysted Grammar School and Skipton Girls’ High School, which select pupils on the basis of academic ability.

Pupils applying for a place at either school sit a verbal and non- verbal reasoning test which is administered by North Yorkshire County Council.

The complainants claimed the schools’ admissions policy and the council were failing to ensure fair access to education because the tests disadvantaged poorer communities who could not afford coaching to help their children through the test.

Adjudicator John Simpson said as grammar schools both Ermysted and Skipton Girls High School were entitled to select pupils on the basis of ability. He said the entrance test did provide fair access to education and said that claims that the schools were socially exclusive were beyond his jurisdiction.

However he did suggest North Yorkshire Council’s admissions forum carry out an investigation into the social and ethnic make up of each school in the authority to “help inform local debate” on the issue of selective education. He also rejected claims that the schools failed to provide enough information to parents on the selection process.

But Mr Simpson did find that both schools and the council were not complying with the Government’s mandatory code of conduct for admissions because they could not demonstrate that their admissions policies were ensuring no discrimination existed on grounds of disability, race or religion.

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