Government's '£1m bribes will kill off grammar schools'

Ed Balls is offering £1million 'bribes' for grammar schools to take over secondary moderns, in a fresh assault on selective education.

The Children's Secretary blamed the 11-plus for poor results by comprehensives in grammar school areas.

He said the exam condemns thousands of pupils to feel like failures.

To combat this, secondary moderns which agree to form 'super-trusts' with high-performing schools such as grammars, will be handed £1million over three years.

However, supporters of the 11-plus argued that pressuring grammars to run secondary moderns could dilute standards and 'murder' grammars.

Mr Balls told head teachers that secondary moderns are twice as likely as the average school to feature on the Government's hit-list of schools in which fewer than 30 per cent master the three Rs.

Pupils who fail to get into grammars were too often left to fall behind. 'Let me make it clear that I don't like selection. Some secondary moderns are showing that it is possible to achieve really excellent results.

'But the fact is that selection does make it more difficult for these schools. They still have a much more deprived intake than their neighbouring grammar schools.'

He added later: 'Secondary moderns face particular challenges relative to other schools because of the combination of relative deprivation and dealing with the consequences of the 11-plus.'

As part of the initiative, grammars will be expected to consider working with struggling comprehensives through National Challenge Trusts.

The under-performing school would be shut down and reopened as a trust, supported by a good school and backed by a business or university.

There are six times more students from poor backgrounds at secondary moderns compared to grammar schools

Good schools are also being urged to consider forming ' federations' with under-performing local schools which could include merging governing bodies, budgets and facilities.

'We have said that National Challenge Trusts will draw on around £750,000 over three years of additional financial support.

'But where a National Challenge Trust is the right way forward for a secondary modern, I would expect it to receive more - up to £1million,' Mr Balls told the National College of School Leadership annual conference in Birmingham. Heads in struggling secondary moderns could also be paid more. But Robert McCartney, chairman of the National Grammar Schools Association, said: 'This is just another ploy in a programme of insidious attack upon grammar schools.

'You would end up with slightly-better-than-bog-standard comprehensives at the cost of murdering a good grammar school.'

Referring to Mr Balls' offer of extra cash to heads who step in to run secondary moderns and the offer of £1million to work in trusts, he said: 'My own view is that this is bribery.'

Grammar school ditches GCSEs for O-Level style exam

A grammar school has become the first state secondary to ditch the GCSE in favour of an exam modelled on the O-level.

Bexley Grammar in Kent will replace GCSE science with an international qualification it considers tougher and better preparation for A-level.

Only independent schools offer the International GCSE. Ministers have resisted calls for it to be approved in state schools. Bexley's decision to offer an unaccredited qualification means it will forfeit top league table positions as IGCSEs are not counted in results tallies.

But head Rod Mackinnon said he was 'happy to argue' the switch, which will take place in September, was in the best interests of pupils.

'We think the science national curriculum that has existed for a while may lack a degree of depth and excitement for talented students,' he added. The IGCSE is considered similar to the O-level, as pupils can choose to avoid coursework. Other schools are said to be watching arrangements at Bexley.