Statistics behind grammar school applications claim

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Education

On 11 February, the Department for Education said:

'Grammar schools are also popular with parents, with around 15 pupils choosing a selective school as their first preference for every 10 selective places offered.' https://www.gov.uk/government/news/impro...

I should be grateful if you could give me the official statistics to back up this claim.

I should also be grateful if you could let me know the proportion of these first preferences which were from parents whose children either failed or did not take the selection tests and were therefore ineligible to apply for a place in a selective school.

Yours faithfully,

J Downs

MINISTERS, Department for Education

1 Attachment

Thank you for contacting the Department for Education, you will usually
receive a reply within 15 working days.

You can find out how the department processes your personal information by
reading our [1]Privacy Notice.

 

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear J.Downs,

Thank you for your recent enquiry. A reply will be sent to you as soon as
possible. For information; the departmental standard for correspondence
received is that responses should be sent within 20 working days as you
are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your
correspondence has been allocated reference number 2019-0007615.

Thank you

Department for Education

Ministerial and Public Communications Division

Tel: 0370 000 2288

 

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Department for Education

Dear Ms Downs 

Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 21^st
February 2019. You requested:

 

1.    the official statistics to back up the claim that around 15 pupils
choose a selective school as their first preference for every 10 selective
places offered; and

2.    the proportion of these first preferences which were from parents
whose children either failed or did not take the selection tests and were
therefore ineligible to apply for a place in a selective school.

 

On your first question, the official statistics are here:

 

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

 

On your second question, because any preference is a valid preference, the
Department does not collect the data you have requested.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by
an independent review panel, which were not involved in the original
consideration of your request. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2019-0007615. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:

[2]https://www.education.gov.uk/contactus and quote your reference number.

 

Yours sincerely

Mark Earl 

Web: [3]https://www.education.gov.uk
Twitter: [4]https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
Facebook: [5]https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
2. https://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
3. https://www.education.gov.uk/
4. https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
5. https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

Joanne Bartley left an annotation ()

The DfE apparently do not understand how applications to grammar schools work in areas that operate an 11-plus test.

A significant proportion of first choice applications to selective schools (34% in Kent) are from parents whose child cannot attend a selective school due to their child not gaining an 11-plus pass. This shows the level of dissatisfaction with testing in grammar school areas, with parents feeling their child is 'selective' while the 'system' tells them their child requires a less academic education.

Kent County Council, advise parents to put a grammar school as a choice in their school application if a child fails the 11-plus, just IN CASE they may decide to appeal later. It is impossible to appeal for a grammar school place unless you put one on the school application form.

So of course, many parents do this to keep options open, but as we're talking about a type of school that needs a test pass, this is effectively judging 'popularity of grammar schools' by judging 'parents who think their child is grammar school standard.' This is not at all the same thing!

In Kent in 2017, there were 3,013 selective school applicants who placed a grammar school as a first choice preference and of that application number 1,037 children were 'not selective' as KCC phrases it. So the DfE are regularly using a statistic that does not take into account lack of eligibility to attend a grammar school when they 'prove' the popularity of this type of school with these stats.

It's mostly proving parents want their child to be judged smart in a system that divides them horribly into two 'types' needing differing education.

The UK Stats Authority warned the DfE to consider the nuance of this stat, but they don't seem to bother.

J Downs left an annotation ()

I have written about this here: https://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2...