Reading School's Diversity Sparks Controversy

Boys at one of Reading's top-performing schools have been defended after figures showed just 13 per cent of pupils are White British.

Reading School is a state selective grammar in Erleigh Road with a history stretching back to 1125. Boys get in by passing an exam; the largest group is Asian Indian, at about 47 per cent of pupils.

The data was seized on by Rupert Lowe MP and others, who called it a "demographic decline."

Local politicians say the focus should be on fair access and praising pupils who earned their places.

Councillor Rob White (Green, Park), the leader of his party on Reading Borough Council, said: "I completely reject Restore Britain's attempt to present that diversity as a threat.

"The important question is whether bright local children from every background have a fair chance of getting into Reading School, regardless of their ethnicity or how much their parents can afford to spend on tutoring.

"I welcome the school's work to break down those barriers and encourage more local families to apply.

"Green Party policy which I support is to end selection by ability and move towards an inclusive education system rather than grammar schools."

Councillor James Moore (Liberal Democrats, Tilehurst), the leader of the Lib Dems on the council, said: "The boys at Reading School have earned their places by passing a tough exam. They are Reading boys, and they deserve to be celebrated for their hard work. They should not be held up as a symbol of 'demographic' decline.

"Talk of 'demographic security' and 'resisting' children because of their ethnicity is ugly and divisive, and it has no place in Reading.

"Our town has always been at its best when families from every background live, learn and work side by side.

"There is a real question here, and the school itself has put its finger on it: are bright boys from every part of Reading, and every income bracket, getting a fair shot?

"Families who can pay for expensive 11-plus tutoring will always have a head start. Children in some of our neighbourhoods, including many White working-class boys, are being left behind long before exam day.

"So I welcome Reading School prioritising boys from Reading postcodes, including in my own ward of Tilehurst, and from nearby state primaries. I also welcome its new test, which is designed to make tutoring pointless. Parents in Reading should know that this outstanding school is free and open to their sons.

"The lasting fix, though, is investing in early years, primary schools and SEND support right across Reading, so that talent, not a family's bank balance, decides how far a child goes."

Cllr Moore initially said the school had been singled out as an example of "demographic replacement" by people who had "never set foot in our town."

Responses have been requested from other parties on the council for comment.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter