Responding to news that many grammar schools plan to give priority in admissions to pupils on free school meals who pass their admissions tests, James Turner, Director of Programmes at the Sutton Trust said:

“We welcome this announcement as an important step forward and hope it will help with some of the access issues we identified last year. However, admissions policies are just one part of the equation. It is vital that the tests are as unbiased as possible. Schools should also reach out to a wider group of schools and pupils if the link between income and access to grammar schools is to be narrowed. We are working with the grammar school heads, the King Edward’s Foundation in Birmingham and others to help address these issues.”

You can find our report on access to grammar schools here.