Petition · past parliament
Stop plans to allow more secondary schools to select children by ability.
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
Selection is divisive, lowers attainment and harms children and families. Selective areas have the largest achievement gaps in the country. The 11+ selects on the basis of prior opportunity and social background. Poorer children, including high ability poor children, lose out most.
Various studies show that selection depresses achievement across the system and does not help social mobility.
The 75% of children who fail the 11+ suffer a severe blow to their self-esteem and motivation at a critical time in their development. Figures suggest that these children go on to do worse at secondary modern than they would have at a comprehensive.
In selective Bucks, the 11+ pass rate for FSM children was 4% in 2014, compared to 20% for state pupils and 53% for private school pupils.
The 75% of children who fail the 11+ suffer a severe blow to their self-esteem and motivation at a critical time in their development. Figures suggest that these children go on to do worse at secondary modern than they would have at a comprehensive.
In selective Bucks, the 11+ pass rate for FSM children was 4% in 2014, compared to 20% for state pupils and 53% for private school pupils.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 10 Sep 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 12 Sep 2016 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
12 Sep 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.