Children who attend academically selective schools do no better in early adult life than those who go to comprehensives, according to a report.
Findings published in the British Journal of Educational Studies suggest grammar schools bring little to no benefit in terms of the likelihood of attending university or securing a job. There are about 160 grammars remaining in England, in addition to many selective independent schools.
The authors looked at selective schools in Australia, tracking 3,000 pupils over an 11-year period beginning in 2009, when respondents were aged 15. Pupils took a standardised entrance exam from which the best-scoring were enrolled in selective schools.
As expected, the selective schools featured in the study had a higher proportion of academically high-achieving pupils, as measured by mathematics and reading scores. However, at ages 19 and 25 there was little difference between the educational and employment outcomes of children who attended selective schools versus non-selective schools, the authors said.
While 81 per cent of selective school pupils went on to secure a job or university place at 19 compared with 77.6 per cent of pupils from non-selective schools, this difference disappeared when the pupils were matched on key characteristics including socioeconomic background, gender and geographical location.
Anzeige
At age 25 all outcomes between selective and non-selective school pupils were statistically insignificant, except general life satisfaction. Attending a selective school increased a pupil’s general life satisfaction score by just 0.19 points. By this age, pupils who attended non-selective school were just as likely to go on to study at university or secure a job as their peers who attended selective schools.
However, the researchers did not compare the type of university attended or job secured by those attending selective and non-selective schools.
The authors said: “Studies show that parents wish to enrol their children into selective schools because they believe it will increase the chances of their children getting into a prestigious university, and securing a well-paid and high-status job.”
The authors say more research is needed to determine whether selective schools offer any benefit to academically able pupils and that selectivity should be scaled back within the system if value cannot be proved.
The research paper says: “Similar to grammar schools in the United Kingdom, Australian fully academically selective schools are part of the government sector and select all their students via a standardised and high stakes entrance exam. State governments purport that selective schools ‘make a difference in supporting the development of academic talent and the wellbeing of high potential and gifted students’ … There are no published studies that critically track and compare longer-term outcomes of students who attend selective schools compared to non-selective schools into adulthood.”
Anzeige
It says the results from recent research in the UK are mixed, with some studies showing no significant differences once family background is taken into account, but others suggesting selective school pupils are more likely to attend university and have better labour market outcomes but no more likely to have better health or wellbeing.
Some argue that selective schools are necessary for bright pupils to reach their full academic potential and can offer a means for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to excel, but others believe they disproportionately benefit children from wealthier families whose parents can afford private tutoring to prepare for entrance tests.
Analysis by The Times earlier this year found the average proportion of children on free school meals at grammars in England was 6.9 per cent, compared with the national average of 23.8 per cent.
