Emergency resolution: Grammar schools

This Conference believes that the Tory Government’s announcement in the spring budget 2017 to allow and fund the proliferation of grammar schools will have a detrimental effect on education. Privatisation of the national education system under academisation has already undermined Local Education Authorities and the entire education system. This Conference also believes that the narrative of choice in education, sponsored by the Tory Government, needs to be robustly challenged. This narrative of choice implies that parents should be able to choose not to send their children to bad schools. However, all schools should be properly funded excellent schools and not chastised by bogus league tables and spurious testing regimes.

This Conference recognises the damage austerity cuts has already had on education. The continued redistribution of funding away from state schools to the private sector and now grammar schools will further exacerbate the growing crisis in our schools. 

Therefore, Conference instructs the Executive Council to endorse and support appropriate campaigns which call for the re-establishment of a properly funded state school education system and its associated supporting education framework, to deliver a fair education system for all.