Elizabeth Lewis, head teacher

of the Dover Girls Grammar

School, who wants to see a change

to the Kent selection procedure.

A DOVER head teacher is calling for a change in the way school selection takes place for children at the age of 11.

Elizabeth Lewis, head teacher of the Dover Girls Grammar School, said the present procedure was being used as a political football. She believes more girls should be going to her school this September than the 86 that have so far been selected.

Miss Lewis, who moved to Dover a year ago, said she wants to see all schools being allowed to carry out their own tests - under the supervision of the Department for Education or the county council - and she wants borderline and head teacher appeals to be conducted outside the area.

A total of 176 girls wanted to come to this school this year before they sat the Kent selection test, but only 77 of them got through," said Miss Lewis.

"As a result of appeals and people moving into the area, we now have 86 coming this September. We could take up to 100.

"There must he another 14 girls out there who would benefit from a grammar school education."

She blames the national and local political scene, for the situation and says she is angry that selection is being used as a political football.

Miss Lewis said there was a collective lack of ambition in the Dover area and she also attacked some primary school head teachers for putting their own political and idealistic opposition to grammar schools before the best interests of their children.

"We have 42 feeder primary schools but less than half of them are represented at this school," she said. "Why should that be?

"Some heads actively discourage their pupils from taking the test because of their own beliefs. If I was to limit what the girls here should do by my own politics and beliefs it would be unthinkable. Limiting their choice is the opposite of what we are supposed to be doing as educators."

Miss Lewis said she did not think it was right that the first-stage appeals against non-selection should be dealt with locally by people who knew the children and their families.

Calling for schools to be allowed to set their own entrance tests, Miss Lewis said she hoped teachers and education officers would be honest enough to stand behind the concept of choice so that schools could genuinely take the correct proportion of pupils.

Parents should be aiming high for their boys and girls, she said, and more children should be entered for the test, encouraged by their primary schools.

Miss Lewis pointed out that the Dover Boys Grammar School - which is grant maintained - had set its own test this year and expected to admit more than 110 boys in September, compared with 90 last year. Its tests are designed to assess the potential of the prospective pupils, rather than just their ability at the age of 11.