Southend East Labour PPC: Southend parents get “raw deal” over schools
Labour prospective Parliamentary candidate Kevin Bonavia has raised concerns over how many children from Southend primary schools reach grammar schools in the area.
Mr Bonavia has reacted to figures that emerged from Southend Borough Council’s Children and Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee meeting earlier this week.
The figures show that 46% of admissions to Southend’s four grammar schools will come from Southend primary schools this year.
Another figure that has caused some concern is apparent disparity between one school and another.
For example, the figures show that 21 out of 124 pupils at Thorpe Greenways schools will attend grammar school, whilst out of 192 Bournemouth Park Road and Porters Grange pupils, seven will go to grammar school.
Mr Bonavia said: “I have two serious concerns with these figures.
“First they reveal a very worrying disparity in educational achievement between different areas of the town.
“Second, whilst Southend’s grammar schools may have a well deserved reputation for academic excellence, they do not seem to be benefiting the vast majority of local children.
“Parents and taxpayers in Southend may well think that they are getting a raw deal.
“I believe that schools should put their own communities first.”
