Political row as top grammar school becomes the first to be placed into special measures despite 95% A-C GCSE results, Daily  Mail

24 March 2009

A grammar school with a 96 per cent GCSE success rate has been threatened with closure after inspectors criticised its 'outdated' race equality policy.

Stretford Grammar was branded 'failing' by Ofsted inspectors who also singled out its sex education programme. They said the school's curriculum was 'inadequate', while admitting academic standards were 'exceptionally and consistently high'.

The Manchester school is the first grammar in Britain to be placed into special measures, putting it at risk of closure if it does not improve. But the decision has caused fury, with school supporters accusing the Government of hostility to grammars.

Robert McCartney, of the National Grammar Schools Association, said: 'This report seems ludicrous. Here you have a school getting almost 100 per cent five A* to C GCSEs and they are getting caned because they're not allegedly up to the mark in some non-academic subjects.

'This smacks of a plot, another line of attack, to try and undermine grammar schools. Ministers have a skewed idea of what is really valuable to children in education. You wonder how many comprehensives are failing on the criteria this school is alleged to have failed.'

Full article at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1164129/Political-row-grammar-school-placed-special-measures-despite-95-A-C-GCSE-results.html