The May Meritocracy

The prime minister has outlined her 'ambitious' education reforms. Credit: PA

So Theresa May has now made her first ‘big speech’ since she became Prime Minister.

And after four days of news about the creation of new grammar schools, she set her education reforms in the context of her plans to create a fairer society.

She told us that she wants to make Britain one of the "great meritocracies" in the world.

Now in a country with as many historical and constitutional ties to a class-based society as ours - that is quite some challenge.

A meritocracy is a society governed by people selected according to merit or talent.

And this government has made a good start: the Cabinet has the lowest proportion of privately educated members (so the highest proportion of state educated members) since 1945.

Theresa May's cabinet has the lowest proportion of privately educated members. Credit: PA

And in today’s speech, Mrs May set out how she intends to create that ‘Great Meritocracy.’

And she has in her sights on those who voted for Brexit.

Those, who Mrs May says, voted Leave to send a message that they no longer want to be ignored.

She singled out a group who she wants to reach: those who earn £19,000 to £21,000 per year who are, she said, ‘not rich’ and ‘not well off.’

May said she wanted the education system to benefit more children from poorer backgrounds. Credit: PA

Education policy she said has previously been targeted - rightly - at those families in receipt of Free School Meals.

That means pupils who have parents who earn less than £16,000 per year.

But now she wants to help a different group: those not well off - and not on benefits.

People who can’t move house to areas near good schools and people who can’t afford to tutor their children to help them pass exams for selective schools.

The reforms are aimed at improving educational attainment. Credit: PA

The four ways she intends to improve schools are these:

  • Force universities to pay fewer bursaries to poorer students and sponsor or set up new state schools

  • Allow faith schools - she really means Catholic ones - to admit more pupils based on faith - rather than limit to 50%.

  • Force private schools to do more to help state schools - sponsor, share facilities etc. - in order to qualify for ‘charitable status’ and benefit from tax breaks as a result.

  • Dramatically increase selection in state schools.

Theresa May believes that in a true meritocracy, "we should not be apologetic about stretching the most academically able to the very highest standards of excellence."

As a former grammar school girl herself, it’s something that is much easier for her to say than it was for her predecessor, David Cameron, who famously went to Eton.

Her big challenge now is to prove how selective schools (Theresa-style) will not cream off the brightest and best.

There are many concerns that it will leave a two-tier system in England: high-achieving and less high-achieving schools.

She told us there would not be a "binary choice" as there will be many types of good schools and selective schools will admit pupils from poorer families.

In other words, the government plans to slap a quota on selective schools.

She also wants a tests at age 11, 14 and 16 - rather than only at 11.

And the tests will be designed to spot ability - rather than reward those in middle class families who have been tutored.

She will turn her meritocratic ambitions next to housing, productivity, jobs and economic growth.

But she has started with schools.

And in grammars she could not have chosen a more divisive policy area.