The proportion of poorer pupils attending grammar schools has increased by less than 1 percentage point in four years, despite extra funding and an agreement with government aimed at making them more inclusive.
Ministers even admitted some selective schools had seen a decline in inclusivity, and urged leaders “to challenge themselves to do more”.
A Department for Education evaluation found just 7.9 per cent of children in England’s 163 grammar schools in 2021-22 were eligible for pupil premium funding, up from 7.2 per cent in 2017-18.
The report examines the impact of a memorandum of understanding between the DfE and Grammar School Heads’ Association (GSHA), in place between 2018 and 2022.
