Gainsborough: MP arranges a House of Commons debate about Grammar School funding

MP for Gainsborough, Sir Edward Leigh, has organised a House of Commons debate attacking the disparity in per pupil funding of grammar schools.
Queen Elizabeth High School official unvieling of new building and the refurbishment of College House, exterior of College House (w131028-6j)Queen Elizabeth High School official unvieling of new building and the refurbishment of College House, exterior of College House (w131028-6j)
Queen Elizabeth High School official unvieling of new building and the refurbishment of College House, exterior of College House (w131028-6j)

Citing the research of David Allsop, head of Queen Elizabeth’s in Gainsborough, Sir Edward told MPs: “The grammar school that Mr Allsop heads was the least well funded school per pupil in the county.”

“It receives £4,474 per pupil on average, while a similar sized comprehensive school in Lincolnshire receives £6,481 per pupil.”

“If we are to promote educational excellence it is not a good idea to give the best school in Lincolnshire, which everybody tries to get into, only £4,000 per pupil per year, while giving the worst-performing comprehensive in Lincoln, which nobody wants to go to, £7,000 per head per year.”

The MP said he was proud to have two excellent grammar schools in his constituency and hailed them as centres of excellence while saluting county councillors for appreciating their importance.

Sir Edward described the scrapping of grammar schools across most of the country as “one of the greatest policy disasters of the post-war era” and recalled that the schools had achieved “an unqualified and unprecedented level of social mobility.”

In his response the Minister of State for School Reform, Nick Gibb MP, paid tribute to the “exceptional” results achieved by grammar schools in the area.

He said: “Since 2010, 100 per cent of students attending Caistor Grammar School have achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C.”

“At Queen Elizabeth’s High School, 61.5 per cent of A-level grades were A* to B.”

“Those schools are achieving remarkable, high-quality, high-standard academic education results.”