After Targeting Private Schools, Labour Will Set Its Sights on Grammar Schools: We Must Expand Them, Not Abandon Them

After Targeting Private Schools, Labour Will Set Its Sights on Grammar Schools

Author: Stephen James.

Published: 14th September 2024

Labour's recent imposition of VAT on private school fees is not just an attack on independent education--it's a signal of the broader ideological agenda they intend to pursue. Once private schools are effectively targeted, Labour's next focus will be grammar schools. These institutions, long associated with academic excellence and social mobility, could face a similar onslaught from a Labour Party driven by the politics of envy. Robert Jenrick, the Conservative MP, has wisely suggested lifting the ban on new grammar schools, and this proposal should be a rallying cry for Conservatives across the country. It's time to expand, not abandon, grammar schools to ensure that the brightest children, regardless of background, have the opportunity to excel.

Labour's VAT Policy on Private Schools Foreshadows an Attack on Grammar Schools

Labour's decision to impose VAT on private school fees has sent shockwaves through the education sector, with many experts warning of the broader implications for both independent and state schools. However, this is only the beginning. Labour's history of opposition to selective education suggests that grammar schools will be the next target of their punitive policies.

Labour's Attack on Private Schools

The introduction of a 20% VAT on private school fees by Labour represents a stark departure from the previous status quo. By implementing this tax, Labour claims it is creating a fairer education system by redistributing resources to state schools. Yet, the likely outcome of this policy will be thousands of students leaving private schools and entering the state system. The consequences will be significant: overburdened schools, overcrowded classrooms, and job losses in the independent sector.

Far from levelling the playing field, Labour's VAT policy threatens to destabilise the entire education system. By driving students into an already strained state system, the quality of education across the board could suffer. Grammar schools, often seen as the next best alternative to private education, will be placed under unprecedented pressure.

Grammar Schools as the Next Target

Labour's hostility towards selective education is well-documented, dating back to Harold Wilson's government, which made significant efforts to phase out grammar schools in favour of a comprehensive education system. Today, this opposition remains strong. Labour figures such as Carl Smith have openly expressed their desire to eliminate grammar schools, viewing them as bastions of privilege and inequality.

In this context, Labour's VAT policy on private schools should be seen as the first step in a broader agenda to dismantle selective education. Once private schools are sufficiently weakened, grammar schools will be next on the chopping block. This is not speculation but a logical extension of Labour's long-standing ideological commitment to comprehensive education.

Evidence from Labour's History

Labour's past attempts to eliminate grammar schools offer a clear indication of their future intentions. In the 1960s and 1970s, successive Labour governments worked to reduce the number of grammar schools, replacing them with comprehensive schools. While these efforts were not entirely successful, Labour's commitment to this cause has never wavered.

The imposition of VAT on private school fees is a strategic move that weakens independent education while preparing the ground for an assault on grammar schools. By targeting selective schools, Labour seeks to complete its "comprehensive revolution," eroding educational choice and standardising outcomes across the board.

Grammar Schools Are Vital for Social Mobility and Academic Excellence

While Labour views grammar schools as divisive, these institutions play a crucial role in promoting social mobility and academic success. They provide bright students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, with an opportunity to excel in an environment tailored to their academic abilities.

Grammar Schools as a Tool for Social Mobility

Grammar schools have long been recognised as engines of social mobility. They allow academically gifted students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive, offering them a pathway to higher education and professional success. In areas where comprehensive schools may struggle to deliver the same level of academic excellence, grammar schools provide an essential alternative.

Data consistently shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds who attend grammar schools outperform their peers in non-selective schools. A report from the Sutton Trust found that 39% of grammar school pupils come from households with below-average incomes, highlighting the role that these schools play in improving life chances for those from less privileged backgrounds.

Addressing Labour's Criticism

Labour's argument that grammar schools exacerbate inequality is based on the notion that selective education disproportionately benefits the affluent. However, this narrative overlooks the fact that grammar schools provide an escape route for bright students in deprived areas. In many cases, these students would otherwise be left to languish in underperforming schools, with little hope of realising their full potential.

By expanding grammar schools, we can ensure that more students from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to high-quality education. Rather than deepening inequality, this would level the playing field, offering opportunities to those who need them most.

Jenrick's Vision for Expansion

Robert Jenrick's proposal to lift the ban on new grammar schools is a crucial step in the right direction. His vision for the expansion of these schools aligns perfectly with Conservative values of choice, opportunity, and meritocracy. By increasing the number of grammar school places, we can ensure that more children, regardless of their background, have access to the best possible education.

Jenrick's proposal is not about returning to a bygone era of selective education but about creating a modern, inclusive system that rewards talent and hard work. In doing so, we can protect and enhance the role that grammar schools play in promoting social mobility and academic excellence.

Expanding Grammar Schools Is the Conservative Solution to Labour's Misguided Policies

In the face of Labour's attacks on educational choice, Conservatives must stand firm in their defence of grammar schools. Expanding these institutions is not only a way to counter Labour's punitive policies but also an opportunity to reaffirm Conservative values and improve the education system for all.

Preventing Overcrowding in State Schools

With Labour's VAT policy on private schools expected to push thousands of students into the state system, grammar schools will face increased pressure. In areas such as Kent and Lincolnshire, where grammar schools are already oversubscribed, this could lead to severe overcrowding, undermining the quality of education.

The solution is simple: expand grammar schools. By creating more grammar school places, we can relieve the pressure on existing schools and ensure that high-achieving students have the opportunity to thrive. This is a common-sense approach that benefits both students and the wider education system.

Conservative Principles of Meritocracy and Opportunity

Conservatives have always believed in the importance of meritocracy--the idea that individuals should succeed based on their talents and hard work, rather than their background. Grammar schools embody this principle by offering bright students the opportunity to excel, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

By expanding grammar schools, we can create a system that rewards ability and provides opportunities for all. This stands in stark contrast to Labour's approach, which seeks to level down rather than raise standards across the board. Conservatives must push back against Labour's politics of envy by promoting a system that celebrates excellence and encourages aspiration.

Labour's Vision vs. Conservative Values

Labour's vision for education prioritises equality of outcome over opportunity, seeking to impose a one-size-fits-all model on students with different talents and abilities. This approach risks stifling ambition and undermining the quality of education for all students.

Conservatives, on the other hand, should focus on raising standards and creating more opportunities for success. By expanding grammar schools, we can ensure that every child has the chance to reach their full potential, regardless of their background. This is the true meaning of fairness--offering opportunities to those who work hard and demonstrate academic ability, rather than holding everyone to the same standard.

Conclusion

Labour's VAT on private schools is only the start of a broader attack on educational choice. If left unchecked, this policy will be followed by an assault on grammar schools, institutions that are vital for promoting social mobility and academic excellence. Conservatives must act now to defend these schools and expand them to ensure that more children have access to the opportunities they provide.

Robert Jenrick's call for the expansion of grammar schools is the right approach. By standing firm in our commitment to meritocracy and opportunity, we can protect the future of our education system and reject Labour's politics of envy. The time to act is now--let's expand grammar schools and secure a brighter future for all our children.

The Author: Stephen James

Stephen James is an award-winning teacher, specialist leader of education, and founder of Conservative Friends of Education, as well as Folkestone & Hythe Conservative Association chairman.