At last week’s PMQs I was pleased to have the opportunity to raise and highlight the important contribution of Medway’s grammar schools to local education and our North Kent communities.
Our local grammar schools have provided a good education and numerous opportunities for hard-working young people from a genuine cross-section of backgrounds, allowing real social mobility to occur. Similarly, our grammar school’s influence and relationships with affiliated primary schools has seen positive intervention that has resulted in improved Ofsted results, particularly in Rochester and Strood.
Given that good education for all is a key priority for our Prime Minister, it was doubly pleasing she recognised that we have nearly 11,000 more children in good and outstanding schools across our wider area. I believe it is no coincidence that this success has been achieved where grammar schools have benefited the community as a whole.
While it is the Government’s ambition to remove the legal ban on expanding or opening new grammar schools, I am supportive of the aim, to see our grammar schools working to continue improving standards across the education system. It is right that the Government’s education consultation is looking at the benefits grammars can bring to primary schools within their community and I look forward to seeing this area progress going forwards.
The full session of last Wednesday’s PMQs can be viewed here: http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/09118eb8-a027-4e6a-a6ae-7de9252e137b