Grammar Schools: Disadvantaged

(asked on 7th February 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children receiving free school meals who attend a grammar school were measured as having (a) high and (b) low attainment prior to entering that school in the last year for which data is available.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 26th February 2018

The attached table shows the number and percentage of pupils, at the end of key stage 4[1] in 2016/17, who were eligible for free school meals[2] and attended a selective school[3], split by their prior attainment band[4].

[1] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.

[2] Free school meal eligibility is taken from the schools census record for that year. Pupils who do not have their eligibility recorded are counted as part of the ‘all other pupils’ grouping.

[3] Selective schools admit pupils wholly or mainly with reference to ability. These schools are formally designated as grammar schools.

[4] Pupils are grouped based on their performance in reading and maths at key stage 2. Indicators are shown for:

Low attainers = those below the expected level (level 4) at key stage 2; Middle attainers = those at the expected level (level 4) at key stage 2; High attainers = those above the expected level (level 4) at key stage 2.

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