PLANS to bring back grammar schools by allowing opt-out heads to choose their pupils have been slammed by Bolton councillors. Education chiefs have condemned government proposals to let grant-maintained schools introduce selection tests. And they have also attacked another plan in the same White Paper which would lead to more state-run boarding schools.

Cllr Pauline Spencer told councillors: "I thought they were supposed to be the party of the family.

"But they seem to want to pack their children off to boarding school at the first opportunity.

"They do not understand that the rest of us want to keep our children with us. What we want is investment in all our schools."

Education chairman Cllr Don Eastwood branded the plans as "a bribe" to persuade more schools to opt out of local authority control.

He believed the plans would be used to divert scarce resources from all schools to create a few well funded grammar schools.

Cllr Eastwood added: "Everyone seems to think selection is great until their child does not pass."

The selection and boarding school plans are contained in a government White Paper "Self Government for Schools".

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