The education secretary has praised the “ethos” of grammar schools and has said he wants to spread their “DNA” throughout the education system.
During a visit to an East London primary school marking the launch of the Schools White Paper, Nadhim Zahawi said today (28 March) that he wanted to absorb more grammar institutions into a “family of multi-academy trusts”, while still protecting their status.
When asked whether he would be open to the creation of new grammar schools too, he said the ethos of the schools was “fantastic” and added: “Their DNA I want to spread in the system”.
But the education secretary’s remarks were met with a lukewarm reaction from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank, which said research had shown that pupils performed just as well at high-quality non-selective schools.
Speaking about grammar schools to journalists at the event, Mr Zahawi said many were already in high-performing multi-academy trusts.
He added: “We will continue to make sure that they feel that they can join that journey and be protected as well.”
Responding to Mr Zahawi’s comments, Bobbie Mills, senior researcher at EPI, said it was “unclear” what DNA the education secretary was referring to.
She said: “While encouraging schools to work together to share best practice is, of course, positive, research has consistently shown that the outcomes of grammar schools largely reflect the characteristics of their intake.
“Pupils with high prior attainment perform just as well in high-quality non-selective schools. It is therefore unclear what the specific ethos or ‘DNA’ of grammar schools the secretary of state wants to be shared.”
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, also expressed confusion at the remarks.
She said: “We’re not sure what the education secretary means by his remark that he wants to spread the DNA of grammar schools. There are many excellent schools of all types.”
Previous research by the EPI found grammar schools had no overall attainment impact, either positive or negative, and “did not find a significant positive impact” on social mobility.
In a speech to staff and parents at Monega Primary School in Newham, Mr Zahawi laid out the paper’s pledge for all schools to have joined, or be in the process of joining, a “strong” multi-academy trust by 2030.
The White Paper also includes the expectation that schools stay open for at least 32.5 hours a week and introduces new targets at both key stage 2 and GCSE.
Zahawi wants to avoid a ‘bidding war’ for school funds
Asked at the launch event for the White Paper if funding for schools would be increased to help them meet the catch-up costs, Mr Zahawi said: “We can get into a sort of bidding war about whether we spend £5 billion on recovery or more.”
He said, when he was vaccines minister, he didn’t focus on how many vaccines were in the warehouse because it didn’t matter, adding: “They had to get into people’s arms.”
He concluded: “It’s the same with children. I’ve got to focus on the outcomes.”
Zahawi trusts teachers to ‘do the right thing’ on school day length
In reaction to the news that mainstream schools will be expected to operate 32.5 hour weeks from September 2023, several school leaders, who run settings where hours are just below this, have said they will be forced to make minor adjustments to timetabling to meet the new rules.
One assistant headteacher said they had previously reduced lunchtimes at their school by 15 minutes, and would now simply extend it again rather than adding teaching hours.
Asked what the aim of the policy was, if schools could do this to meet the new guidelines, Mr Zahawi said: “I trust teachers to do the right thing on this.
“What I’m trying to get to is a place where every school meets the 32.5 hours and they’ll do it in different ways. But I trust teachers. You have to trust the frontline.”
Improved ‘teacher quality’ will bring schools up to higher standard
Mr Zahawi was asked at the event what needed to be improved in order to help drive up the standards desired by the White Paper.
He said: “So the first one is teacher quality, which is why we have our big focus on evidenced high-quality training for teachers.
He added: “If you have a great teacher in the classroom, magic will happen.”
