Turning our back on Grammar Schools is betraying our nation’s youth

“The Conservatives are to abandon their support for grammar schools by saying academic selection is unfair to poorer families and limits social mobility,” the article read. I paused. I couldn’t believe what I had just read. I reviewed it a second time. A third time. It still said the same, and at that point my heart truly sunk and my body was filled with an intense anger not felt since the Government’s betrayal of the Sunlight Centre in my Constituency of Gillingham and Rainham.

Reading through the comments on ConservativeHome when the news broke this morning, I quickly discovered that I am not alone by far. In particular, Jennifer Wells highlighted the part of this idea which will lose us the most votes: “Eton-educated Cameron and grammar school boy Willetts should not be denying the choice of an excellent education to others. It’s a bit like them pulling up the ladder behind them.”

I have long held the belief (for about six years, now) that Grammar Schools are a valuable tool in aiding the learning of our most gifted students. Whereas Comprehensives sometimes hold students back, Grammar schools allow people like me to advance further than many Comprehensive teachers would not believe possible.

It needs to be accepted that there are students from all walks of life who can, and indeed have, benefitted from Grammar schools. Having spent the last five years of compulsory education at Rainham Mark Grammar School in Gillingham, I have seen students whose parents earn from between £10,000 and over £100,000 a year do equally as well throughout their time at Rainham Mark.

The major obstacle in getting into a Grammar school isn’t wealth, but intelligence. And while some intelligence comes naturally, the rest comes from the willingness to work hard for your achievements. And while I won’t be rushing to cancel my membership because of this outrage, I do suggest that there are some members who have become increasingly annoyed by the outright rejection of core beliefs, when only a compromise is necessary to win votes.