Blunkett rejects cut in grammar ballot numbers

THE Government has rejcted calls to reduce the number of parents needed to trigger a ballot on the future of the county's grammar schools.

Education Secretary David Bunkett said he was not prepared to change the law so that far fewer signatures would be needed to prompt a vote on the 11-plus system in Kent.

He was responding to attempts by Sandwich MP Dr Steve Ladyman to amend the ballot rules.

But, while he rejected the call to lower the threshold, Mr Blunkett has offered to review their aspects of the ballot regulations which could make it easier for campaigners.

His pledge came after the Thanet South MP tabled an amendment to the Government's Learning and Skills Bill, which would have meant just one per cent of eligible parents could be needed to force a ballot, instead of 20 per cent.

Earlier this year, anti-grammar school activists in the county were forced to suspend their efforts to force a vote on Kent's grammars, after attracting just 7,000 of the 45,000 signatures needed.

Mr Blunkett effectively acknowledged that the regulations were weighted against activists. He also promised MPs he would consider whether education authorities should be compelled to spell out what kind of system would be put in place in the event parents voted to end selection.

Difficulties

"There are clearly technical difficulties in areas where a ballot is held throughout an authority, Such problems were experienced in Kent... 45,959 votes were required - an enormous challenge, by anyone's calculations.

"In areas such as Kent, anomalies have been highlighted," said Mr Blunkett.

Campaign group STEP - Stop The Eleven Plus - welcomed the commitment to review the regulations, Spokesman Martin Frey said: "Clearly, the Government has no wish to return to selection, and we welcome that. There are aspects of the regulations which could be changed which would make things simpler."

Support Kent Schools, which campaigns to retain grammars, said the Government should allow everyone a vote. Spokesman Tom Veitch, also a Conservative county councillor, said: "The Government should have the courage to say we do not like the selective system and then simply allow a vote of the entire electorate. Instead, they are trying to weasel out of it. Everyone is affected by the structure of education in their area."

Dr Ladyman said: "For practical purposes, the rules make it impossible to trigger a ballot, so parents and campaigners are likely to try and fail every year. That is no good for anyone as concerned parents, who believe there is a better system of education, don't get their ballot, and schools and parents who support the current arrangements are faced by continuous uncertainty."