THE head teachers of Woolmer Hill, in Haslemere, and Rodborough School, in Milford, are among 64 heads from Surrey’s state-maintained secondary schools, who signed an open letter on Monday to the Prime Minister, expressing their “vehement opposition” to plans for more grammar schools in England.

The hard-hitting letter to Theresa May and Education, Secretary Justine Greening, from Surrey secondary heads, voices “deeply held, vehement opposition to the Government’s proposals to create a selective, segregated, two-tier state-funded system” of education.

“At its best, the government’s selective school proposals represent further confusion and fragmentation of England’s education policy,” they state.

“At it’s worst, this policy is predicted on a nostalgic and unrealistic vision of society, the debate around which deflects attention from the real issues facing schools today: continuing funding cuts, an unassuaged and escalating recruitment crisis and the introduction of new GCSE qualifications with yet to be defined grade boundaries and, in many cases, ill-prepared specifications, to name but a few.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “Grammar schools have a track record of closing the attainment gap between children on free school meals and their better-off classmates and 99 per cent of grammar schools are rated good or outstanding. We want all children, whatever their background, to have access to an education that will unlock their talents. That’s why we will scrap the ban on new grammar schools and make more good school places available, to more parents, in more parts of the country.”