Three practical reforms to make school admissions fairer and move England closer to a truly comprehensive education system.
Comprehensive Future is calling on Andy Burnham’s government to take three practical steps towards ending the unfairness within our school system.
Our commitment to ending academic selection remains unchanged. But alongside this long-term goal, we want the government to act now: end 11-plus selection in partially selective schools, which fill some places by test while presenting themselves as local schools; examine the impact of the 11-plus on children; and expose inequalities in access to grammar schools.
Read more on our Three Asks for Andy Burnham campaign page.
Our three asks
- End academic selection in partially selective schools. Around 40 schools in England still fill a share of their places through an 11-plus test. We’re asking the government to set a date for this to end for future intakes.
- Commission an independent review of the 11-plus and children’s wellbeing. Put children’s experiences at the heart of an independent examination of the pressures and consequences of selection at age 10 or 11.
- Collect and publish information about who takes and passes the 11-plus. Linking test records with the National Pupil Database would reveal inequalities in access to grammar schools and help identify the barriers different groups of pupils face.
These reforms would challenge selective admissions, strengthen public scrutiny and help build the case for wider change. They are stepping stones towards a truly comprehensive education system.
Join the discussion on 25 November 5pm in Westminster
Our forthcoming AGM and panel event will explore these three asks and how we can campaign for change.
Karen Wespieser, co-author of NFER’s The Performance of Partially Selective Schools in England, will draw on her research to discuss partial selection and the case for ending academic selection in these schools’ admissions.
Fiona Lakin, an educational psychologist and doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, will explore the impact of the 11-plus on children’s wellbeing, drawing on her research into stakeholders’ experiences of academic selection at ages 10–11.
Professor Lindsey Macmillan is Professor of Economics at UCL and Director of the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO). She will discuss the case for better data on who takes and passes the 11-plus.
There will be time for audience questions and discussion. Supporters and anyone interested in fairer school admissions will be warmly welcomed.
