New grammar schools in England
Should England allow new state-funded academically selective grammar schools to open?
Compare the inherited legal settlement, carefully designed selection for social mobility, and ending academic selection.
Leading proposals
Retain existing grammar schools but keep the ban on new selective schools
Allow existing grammar schools to retain selection while continuing the statutory prohibition on new grammar schools.
Reconstruction: existing designated grammar schools may continue selective admissions and lawful expansion, but no new state-funded selective schools may open and non-selective schools may not convert to full academic selection.
Qualification: this is the current legal and inherited baseline. The latest explicit DfE position located predates the July 2026 government; it is not a newly confirmed Burnham-government decision.
Source: DfE position reproduced by Comprehensive Future · Open reference
Permit carefully designed selective provision for social mobility
Allow selective schools, streams or partial selection with outreach and disadvantaged-pupil access measures.
Reconstruction: permit selective provision where design advances social mobility, including schools, grammar streams or partial selection, with outreach, preparation support and disadvantaged access measures.
Caveat: the principal source is from 2016. Current preferred design and safeguards should be reconfirmed.
Source: Centre for Social Justice — Selective Education and Social Mobility · Open reference
Phase out academic selection and end the 11-plus
Move remaining grammar schools to comprehensive admissions through a managed transition.
Reconstruction: set a date to end the 11-plus and move remaining grammars to all-ability admissions through local transition. Use fair, transparent admissions across publicly funded schools.
Caveat: older illustrative transition dates have passed; a new schedule is required.
Source: Comprehensive Future — Our Manifesto · Open reference
Compare proposals
| Shared metric | Retain existing grammar schools but keep the ban on new selective schools | Permit carefully designed selective provision for social mobility | Phase out academic selection and end the 11-plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutoring and selective preparation | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| University progression | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| Travel and access | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| Attainment gap | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| Access by disadvantage | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| Disadvantaged-pupil attainment | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| Attainment of non-selected pupils | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
| Attainment of selected and high-attaining pupils | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied | No forecast supplied |
forecasts
Forecasts
No forecasts yet
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