Grammar School Education (Hansard, 31 July 1958)

§ 21. Mr. Swingler
asked the Minister of Education to what extent nationally children's chances of receiving a grammar school education have declined in the last five years.

§ Sir E. Boyle
The proportion of 13-year-old pupils attending grammar schools or similar courses in other secondary schools excluding comprehensive schools was 20.9 per cent. in 1953 and 20.3 per cent. in 1957.

§ Mr. Swingler
Will the Parliamentary Secertary recheck these figures? Is it that Newcastle-under-Lyme is peculiar in having suffered a drastic decline in the proportion of children who can receive a grammar school education, or is the introduction of the phrase "courses of a similar character" meant to gloss over the fact that the Minister's policy has whittled down the proportion of children who can get to grammar schools?

§ Sir E. Boyle
No, certainly not. On the whole, plans made by local education authorities for providing new grammar school places will keep up with the current increase in the age groups entering secondary schools, but I hope the hon. Gentleman will not overlook the very great improvement in the secondary modern schools in this country during the term of office of this Government in providing the courses which children require.

§ 22. Mr. Swingler
asked the Minister of Education, in view of the decline in the percentage of children able to enter grammar schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme from 19.5 in 1954 to 15.4 in 1958, what action he is taking to improve education opportunities in the excepted district.

§ Sir E. Boyle
Work is about to start on a grammar school at Kidsgrove, and a technical school at Biddulph has been approved for starting in the current year's programme.

§ Mr. Swingler
Whilst applauding the work done in secondary modern schools to provide chances of taking the General Certificate of Education, may I ask whether the Parliamentary Secretary is aware of the anxiety amongst large numbers of parents at the decrease in the proportion of children who are able to get to grammar and high schools having courses of a certain kind, as shown in this Question? What is the Ministry going to do about that?

§ Sir E. Boyle
Let us pay tribute where progress is occurring. Many pupils from Biddulph and Kidsgrove are going to Newcastle, and they will not need to do so when the schools to which I have referred are completed.

§ Mr. M. Stewart
Does the hon. Gentleman remember that the President of the Board of Trade, when he was Minister of Education, urged the view that steps should be taken to get greater uniformity in the proportion of grammar school places in different parts of the country and to get it to a figure of something like 25 per cent.? Since he made that statement, has any progress been made in either of those directions?

§ Sir E. Boyle
Yes, we have adjusted building programmes to help those local authorities which are most short of grammar school provisions. Notably I would refer to Nottingham and to Salford. I believe that in general in recent years there has been a great improvement in the average level over the country.

§ Dame Florence Horsbrugh
Does not my hon. Friend think that the anxiety over the building of grammar schools has been increased by some of the suggestions made by the party opposite?