PRIME minister Theresa May’s plans for a new generation of selective grammar schools have been cautiously welcomed by Hampshire education chief Peter Edgar.

But the PM’s proposal, as part of a drive to make Britain “the great meritocracy of the world”, was slammed by Cllr Darren Paffey, the Labour-held education cabinet member at Southampton City Council.

The PM was accused of “putting the clock back” by chief schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw, who warned that a return to grammars would halt momentum towards better results in the state system.

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In her first major policy speech since becoming PM, Mrs May insisted that there will be “no return to secondary moderns” – the so-called sink schools of the pre-comprehensive era which were blamed for consigning the majority of children to academic failure.

Instead, she said her reforms were designed to provide “a good school place for every child and one that caters for their individual needs”.

“This is not a proposal to go back to a binary model of grammars and secondary moderns, but to build on our increasingly diverse schools system.

“It is not a proposal to go back to the 1950s, but to look to the future, and that future I believe is an exciting one. It is a future in which every child should have access to a good school place. And a future in which Britain’s education system shifts decisively to support ordinary working class families.”

Cllr Edgar, himself a product of Gosport Grammar School, gave the news a cautious welcome.

“I welcome the statement that it is not going back to the previous binary system. In Hampshire we believe every young person matters, right across the ability range.”

Cllr Edgar pointed out that 88 per cent of Hampshire schools are rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ and outperforms Kent, which has a grammar system.

“In some areas it may be the answer, in some areas of Hampshire. We do not know, we will investigate and respond to the Green Paper.

“If it is not right for Hampshire then I do not believe it will happen. People will not bring forward something that is not going to work.

“But anything that we will feel will be to the detriment of any young people in Hampshire, whether bright or special educational needs, we would not be recommending that route to schools or the government,” added Cllr Edgar.

Martin Tod, Lib Dem Winchester city councillor, said: “The evidence from areas such as Kent and Buckinghamshire is that dividing children into grammar schools and secondary moderns when they’re 11 delivers a worse education overall – and that it’s particularly bad for children from poorer areas.

“The last thing we want is to bring that failed system to Hampshire or to Winchester.

“In today’s world every single child from every background needs to be getting the best possible education. It seems barmy for the prime minister to want the government and the Conservative Party to give up on that goal. Although when you look at the Conservatives’ massive cuts to children’s centres, it’s not a total surprise.

“That doesn’t mean things can’t be improved. We need more initiatives like the Pupil Premium, more investment in early years and to keep learning from the best performing schools and areas. We certainly don’t need half-baked plans to return to grammar schools and secondary moderns.”

Dr Darren Paffey, at Southampton City Council, said: “This is a bad thing. Her predecessor thought it was a bad thing. Anyone investigating the evidence thinks it is bad policy.

“I am not aware of any interest in setting grammars up in Southampton. We are interested in working with the family of schools in Southampton in raising standards for everyone, targeting our efforts where it is shown to be most effective, at early years and comprehensives.

“Kent shows a minority do better but the majority of those in comprehensive do worse.”

“Seventy years of evidence show they work for very few. I’m surprised the secretary of state [Justine Greening] who went to a comprehensive wants to bring grammars back. If the government has £50 million to spend on grammars they should be putting this money in to raise standards in the existing system and into Sure Start.

“The government is out of touch with broader society, with Tory thinking. It is out of date.”

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “We will fail as a nation if we only get the top 15-20 per cent of our children achieving well. We’ve got to – if we’re going to compete with the best in the world – get many more children to achieve well in our schools.

“My fear is that by dividing children at 11 and by creating grammars and secondary moderns – because that’s what we’ll do – that we won’t be able to achieve that ambition.”