Grammars dominate election debate (From This Is Local London)

Grammars dominate election debate

4:03pm Friday 29th May 2009 in

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GRAMMAR schools dominated a debate between election hopefuls in High Wycombe last night.

Conservatives and Labour candidates clashed over coaching, out-of-county placements and investment ahead of next Thursday’s Buckinghamshire County Council poll.

It was called by the town-based Muslim Parents Association over the major gap between white and ethnic minority grades. The council is the local education authority.

Backing grammars Zahir Mohammed, a Tory candidate and sitting councillor, said: “The grammar school system is there to ensure those with different abilities can excel in their own environments.”

He said: “I started at Cressex School, I am not embarrassed to say that, then I moved to John Hampden Grammar then went to university. I have seen the best of both systems.”

He added: “We make sure that each child has an equal opportunity to perform in that environment.”

Labour’s Ian Bates said he did not oppose the selective system but the “quality of opportunities” was not evenly spread as more money went to grammars.

This meant upper schools Cressex and Highcrest could only be rebuilt with extra Government cash – and the condition that only these schools would benefit.

Fellow candidate Nigel Vickery said of Cressex: “It was the school who went after it – not the county.”

Yet Conservative Arif Hussain said: “A lot depends on the parents and the way children have been brought up – the Government can only do so much.”

John Barlow, agent for Wycombe Labour, who asked the first question, raised the issue of coaching towards the 11+, restricted in state primary schools but not private schools.

He referred to a comment to Bucks Free Press from county education boss Marion Clayton that coaching helped get children into grammars.

Mr Barlow said: “I found it difficult to understand how the Conservative candidates can say it is such a marvellous system when your own leader says it comes down to whether you can afford extra tuition to get in there.”

Mr Mohammed said research on coaching benefits was “mixed” – but he thought it did make a difference.

Yet he disagreed with Mr Barlow’s belief Muslims would not benefit as they are less well off.

Social factors such as a lack of parental interest in education hits Muslim achievement, he said.

Mr Mohammed, a member for Downley, Disraeli, Oakridge & Castlefield, said of the community: “Economically it is quite wealthy in places. There are resources out there to get coaching.”

And he said: “Most cases that I know, children that attend private schools will keep attending private schools. They will not attend the public schools.”

A primary teacher told the panel – chaired by Bucks Free Press editor Steve Cohen – that coaching “definitely does have an impact on children’s results in the 11+”.

One struggling pupil got coaching and missed grammar entry by two points she said – prompting Mr Vincent to say it is “galling” for them to miss out and out of county pupils get a place.

He said this “can’t be right” and spoke of “kids from Harrow whose mummy and daddy can your boarding fees”.

Mr Bates said grammars had bigger sixth forms which attracted more money, improving facilities for all years. “There is no comparison, they have better facilities,” he said.

But there was “no disparity” between funding Mr Mohammed said and about as many children left the county to go to school as came in.

And he said of upper school children: “They should be seen for the potential they have, not because they didn’t get the pass mark.”

Mr Hussain, a Royal Grammar School governor, said: “If you look at the majority of the Muslim population in Wycombe they are uneducated themselves.”

Of the 20 per cent gap between GCSE scores for ethnic minorities and white British children, he said: “There will be a gap until the future generations are in a position to teach their children from the word go.”

The Liberal Democrats and UK Independence Party had said they were unable to put forward a candidate, association chairman Rafiq Raja told the audience last night at The Environment Centre, Holywell Mead.

He did not mention The British National Party, the other party standing at the poll.