§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards the retention of the remaining grammar schools; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerThe draft circular "Providing for Quality", issued for consultation in August 1986, makes it clear that in exercising his statutory duty to consider on their individual merits proposals for the reorganisation of schools the holder of my office will have regard, inter alia, to parental preference for retention of grammar schools and to whether the established quality of the school was likely to be sustained. He would normally approve the closure of a school only if he were satisfied both that it was unlikely to be able to sustain its established quality and that the alternative provision would be better.