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Last week the grammar school debate was re-opened with the announcement that a new annexe grammar will open in Sevenoaks. For good reasons, there is substantial concern from the left about the possibility of a new splurge of grammar school 'annexes' in local authorities which managed to retain selection. If this begins to spread beyond the 36 authorities that retained some form of selective entry at 11, this would be very worrying indeed. For those living within or next to grammar school areas, the polarising effects of grammar schools are very real. I am not particularly interested in rehearsing the debates around effects on 'social mobility' – there's plenty of research showing the social selectivity of grammars, the effects of tutoring, and the detrimental effects of creaming off for those who don't pass the 11+. The problem, I think, is more about how we view selection in education in general rather than grammar schools per se.
