§ 11. Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations she has received regarding selection in schools. [33208]
§ Mrs. GillanMy right hon. Friend receives frequent representations about all aspects of school admissions and organisation.
§ Mr. FrenchIs my hon. Friend aware that Gloucestershire never abandoned selection or grammar 332 schools, despite the most vigorous and determined opposition to them and the absolute determination of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties to bring about their abolition? Is she further aware that the result has been highly motivated pupils and a very high academic attainment, which applies to pupils who have been selected and those who have not?
§ Mrs. GillanMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. Where grammar schools have been retained, the standard of education is high. The Conservative party has clearly laid out its plans in the White Paper. The Conservative party is the party of choice. Of course, the Labour party has always had choice—the choice to support the national curriculum, the choice to support testing, the choice to support inspection and the choice to support the raising of standards, but it has chosen not to support those excellent changes.
§ Mr. BarnesWhy has the Secretary of State changed her mind about selection since her statement in 1994?
§ Mrs. GillanIt is typical of Labour Members to keep harking back to something that occurred 20 years ago—[HON. MEMBERS: "Two years."] Their policies are 20 years old and their thinking on education is from Neanderthal times.