Pupil Premium Grammar School Expansion: Kent and Medway (revised)

I don’t know the details of plans for all the successful schools, although I have prepared a separate article looking at the astonishing turn around for The Rochester Grammar. You will, however, find a list of their names here, along with some examples of the incentives offered.

Targets will be set, although it is difficult to see what sanctions can be applied if schools fail to meet these as the new buildings will then be in place. I have not looked across the country to see if there are any patterns in the successful schools, but the contrasts between Kent and Medway are quite stark.

You will find a full list of applicants here. Those in Kent are: Cranbrook; Highworth; Skinners; Tunbridge Wells Boys; Wilmington Boys and Girls; together with Rochester and Rainham Mark in Medway. I have looked at most of these possibilities and rationale in several previous articles, most recently here. Each of these schools is under pressure to expand. 

The 24 grammar schools offering some form of social mobility encouragement encompass a variety of plans. These include 12 who offer a blanket PP priority such as Dartford Girls’, together with Borden  and Queen Elizabeth’s both offering FSM priority, but in slightly different ways, and Weald of Kent that offers a maximum of 18 PP places. A further seven offer priority to PP or FSM children living in a priority area defined by the school for its general admissions, such as Maidstone Grammar which sub-divides its priority area into two, one for high scorers (when all would get in) and one for other boys (who should also all get in). Tunbridge Wells Boys places PP pupils in each of its two priority areas and also outside these at the top of the category. 

The other three are super-selective schools, all offering a set number of places to the highest achieving pupils on PP or FSM, such as Judd School with 5 places on offer to the five highest scoring FSM boys.

Just seven grammar schools offer no priorities: Dane Court; Dartford; Folkestone School for Girls; Harvey (these last two Folkestone schools, however each offer a large number of places to passing through the alternative Shepway Test with both having amongst the highest proportion of Ever 6 FSM pupils in the grammar school sector in Kent); Mayfield (also admitting extra pupils through the Mayfield Test), proposing FSM priority for 2020-21; Norton Knatchbull; and Simon Langton Boys. 

The six schools with the highest  percentage of Ever 6 FSM comprise all the East Kent grammars apart from Sir Roger Manwoods. The four Folkestone & Dover Schools all operate alternative local tests which should explain the high figures. All serve areas of high social deprivation, especially the two Thanet schools. The six schools with the lowest percentage are all in West Kent. Three are super-selective. Five of the West Kent grammars have recently changed their oversubscription criteria to give some priority to Pupil Premium children, so one would expect to see these percentages increase over the next few years. 

 The six schools with the highest  percentage of Ever 6 FSM comprise all the East Kent grammars apart from Sir Roger Manwoods. The four Folkestone & Dover Schools all operate alternative local tests which should explain the high figures. All serve areas of high social deprivation, especially the two Thanet schools. The six schools with the lowest percentage are all in West Kent. Three are super-selective. Five of the West Kent grammars have recently changed their oversubscription criteria to give some priority to Pupil Premium children, so one would expect to see these percentages increase over the next few years.

The national percentage is 29.1%. It is totally unsurprising that the grammar school average of approximately 10%  is much lower, as the average proportion of Ever 6 FSM children achieving higher KS2 results is lower than for the general population, and so the two are not comparable. Please note that this does not discount the demonstrable fact that too many able PP children do not achieve their full potential, and so are not selected for grammar school. This is what the KCC policy and the actions of many grammar schools are about. What is needed is an incentive, or a pressure to get the remainder to follow suit along with creating a positive attitude in all primary schools, rather than this bribe which will do nothing for the majority of grammars not  involved in the scheme. 

So where do these decisions leave Kent, with increases in its population creating serious pressure points, as it tries to provide 25% coverage of grammar school places across the county? It also has to manage the additional pressure of out of county children seeking Kent grammar places with no control of academy provision.  I have written about these issues several times before, with regard to grammar school expansion here, and looking at pressure on places here. Yes, the number of grammar school places has increased with self-funding, money from KCC (often in return for PP policies) or from government under different financial headings. However, current schools cannot expand indefinitely, some with restricted space cannot expand at all (for example the two Wilmingtons'). Unless government policy changes to allow new schools, KCC will be unable to offer places to all Kent children found suitable for grammar school. This scheme does not address this serious issue. 

The only Medway grammar school offering relevant admission priority is Rainham Mark Grammar School, which offers places to grammar qualified children on FSM, irrespective of place of residence, although most other places at this oversubscribed school go to boys and girls living nearest. This follows a recent complete change from priority for high scorers irrespective of residence. Like the Kent schools, Rainham Mark appears to have been penalised for its success, having introduced the proposed RGS scheme two years too early. 

It is no surprise that of the two TSAT schools, Holcombe appears to be trying to lose its basis for prioritising local boys by restricting numbers, falsely claiming at appeals that the pass standard is much higher, and twice failing in its attempts to turn the school co-educational, the issues at RGS being explored below. The new criteria now being introduced contain no plans to prioritise Pupil Premium boys. 

The proposed criteria will see extra girls drawn from within Medway, which will inevitably hit Chatham Grammar School for Girls (see below) with possible dire consequences. Is this really what the scheme is about?

The school has considerable potential under its new management to rebuild its reputation as a good school serving its local community. Now it appears that government wants to undermine that future and close the school. Surely that is quite the opposite of what this scheme is about. However, Chatham Girls does have a 'Get out of Jail Free' card, in that it it is also looking to out of Medway girls to make up its numbers, the whole making Brexit look quite simple!