The growing number of parents pulling their children out of private schools because of the credit crunch is set to increase pressure on the state education system in Kent.
Mark Dance, cabinet member for education at Kent County Council, told Kent on Sunday the “special circumstances” of the economic downturn mean the Government should allow another grammar school to be built in the county.
Peter Read, an independent education advisor working across the county, said: “There is intense pressure on grammar school places in west Kent. There is certainly the capacity for another grammar school, particularly taking into account the children who are crossing the county boundary.
“I think that pressure is going to increase given the current credit crunch because west Kent is where the highest proportion of parents live who send their children to private schools.”
The Local Government Association (LGA) surveyed 150 councils in England and found that 6.2 per cent had already been contacted by parents applying for state school admissions for pupils in private education.
Responses from individual councils were not being released, but Mr Read said his advice service had already experienced a “flurry” of enquiries from people in Kent wanting to switch from private to state education.
He quoted a national newspaper which predicted an “unemployment bloodbath” next year after it was revealed by the Office of National Statistics last week the amount of people claiming job loss benefits had reached more than one million – six per cent of the workforce.
“It is a major problem for people wishing to switch from private to state schools,” Mr Read said.
“I think the problems are going to get considerably worse. Private schools are going to suffer because people cannot afford the fees and the charitable status issue will push fees up.
“There is a cold wind building around the private sector. A consequence of that is that parents in private schools at primary age are looking ever more at places at good Kent state schools, but specifically grammar schools.”
KCC said it was too early to say whether the credit crunch had seen an impact on the number of pupils sitting the county’s 11-plus exam, the Kent Test, for entry into its 33 grammar schools.
Record numbers of parents entered their children for the test this year – around 11,500 compared to 9,500 in 2007. An additional 250 children passed the test this year.
Cllr Dance said more children sat the Kent Test because the timing of the exams had been moved so that families would know the results before they applied for secondary school places.
Asked to respond to concerns that as more parents take their children out of private education they will want to have access to the county’s already oversubscribed grammar schools, he said: “If you follow that line of thought through then I should be allowed to have another grammar school.
“Another grammar school would make-up that extra impact – that would be the fairest thing to do.
“If there was real impact on the system that is something I would vehemently press for. The need would be there, but because of this government we are not allowed to build on grammars, which is unfair in times like these.
“These are special circumstances we should be able to look at during special circumstances and react to them.”
Education expert and former headteacher Mr Read said parents were also finding problems with other top non-grammar schools. He said: “Parents are finding that popular non-selective schools are equally full and in many cases have very long waiting lists.”
He said his advice website was still receiving 200 hits a day in the week leading up to Christmas.
“My sense is the level of concern not just about grammar schools, but about other places in good Kent state schools is rising.
“There will be more pressure on good Kent state schools next March [when appeals can be filed] than ever before,” he added.
For more information visit Mr Read’s website at www.kentadvice.co.uk.
POSTED: 27/12/2008 17:00:00
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