Prime Minister, Theresa May appointed Justine Greening as Education Secretary, replacing Nicky Morgan, in her reformed cabinet this month. Justine Greening moves from her position as Secretary of State for International Development and also takes on the post of Minister for Women and Equalities.In an interview on the Andrew Marr BBC television show Ms Greening has taken a bold stance on the subject of grammar schools suggesting that she could be “open-minded” about future expansion of the selective school system.

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What is grammar school?

Grammar schools are government-funded secondary schools and the only state schools in England that are allowed to select all their pupils based on academic ability.The system was phased out in the 1970s and was eventually replaced by a system of comprehensive schools, which admitted pupils of all abilities. Most grammar schools became either comprehensive schools or were converted into private schools, but some were allowed to maintain their status and still exist today – around 160 in England.In 1998 Tony Blair’s government introduced restrictions on the creation of any new grammar schools. There have been no new grammar schools for more than 50 years, but this is set to change, as plans to extend one of Kent’s grammar schools by means of an annexe in a town nine miles away received government approval in 2015.

Green light for grammar school expansion?

"The setting in which schools find themselves has actually changed quite dramatically,” Ms Greening told Andrew Marr, “it's gone from really being a binary world in many respects to being an education world where there are many different schools now that have many different offers. So I think we need to be prepared to be open-minded."The education debate on grammar schools has been going for a very long time, but I also recognise that the landscape in which it takes place has changed fundamentally."I think we need to be able to move this debate on and look at things as they are today, and maybe step away from a more old-fashioned debate around grammar schools and work out where they fit in today's landscape."With Prime Minister Theresa May having attended a grammar school herself, it is widely acknowledged that she supports the selective schools system.

Relocate Global’s new annual Guide to International Education & Schools provides a wealth of advice to anyone searching for a new school in the UK and in an international setting, and offers insights into what it takes to make the right school choice. 

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