A government minister has admitted that closing grammar schools in the 1960s and 1970s was a mistake.
Education Minister Lord Adonis, who is a close ally of Tony Blair, said the preoccupation with the comprehensive system had "destroyed" good schools.
Instead of helping children from less well-off families, closing grammars in the past had actually "reinforced class divisions", he said in a magazine interview.
Lord Adonis, who has previously been criticised after it emerged he considered sending his children to a private school, added: "If I could redo the 1960s and 1970s education policy, I'd do it very differently."
Jenny Jones, secretary of the National Grammar Schools Association, said: "Having acknowledged that it was a negative step to close grammar schools, the Government should put their money where their mouth is, back selective education and stop closing those grammar schools that do remain."
Meanwhile, Kent County Council is considering changing admission policies for grammars so that pupils are continuously assessed for a period of time beforehand, rather than just winning a place by passing their 11-plus.
Ian Craig, KCC's director of operations for children, families and education, added: "We are looking at whether or not we can change the testing processes to make them better.”
POSTED: 25/01/2007 17:56:27
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