As thousands of children prepare to take the 11-plus in the annual scramble for a place at one of Kent’s grammar schools, could a ban on new ones be lifted under a new Conservative leader?

Political Editor Paul Francis reports.

With the cost of living crisis and the fragile economy dominating the Conservative leadership race, education has been lower down the agenda than perhaps it might have been.

But when candidates are interrogated by members, there is always one topic that is guaranteed to come up: grammar schools. It is a totemic issue for many party supporters who would dearly love to see the legislation prohibiting new selective schools scrapped.

In the multitude of hustings taking place up and down the country, the two would-be leaders have responded cautiously, with Truss arguably being the more committed of the two contenders.

She has spoken of a desire to see “more grammar schools in every area” and at one meeting said: “I send both of my daughters to a grammar school but they only had that choice because we’re in a particular part of London. I want people to have that choice right across the country.”

Sunak also appeared to back the idea but he rowed back from a specific pledge to back new selective schools, saying that he would back expansions where population increases created additional demand for places.

Responding to a question about whether he would support more grammar schools, he said: “Yes…I believe in education excellence and I believe education is the most powerful way we can transform people's lives.”

Either way, neither candidate has given what could be described as a fully-fledged endorsement of a generation of new grammars.

Why? One reason has been that both candidates have seen how previous party leaders have stumbled over the issue in the face of simple parliamentary arithmetic.

Theresa May was forced to drop her bid to scrap the legislation after the then education secretary Justine Green said plans to do so would not get through Parliament.

Boris Johnson was equivocal on the issue when he was campaigning to be leader but had a renewed enthusiasm for the idea as he tried to salvage his job.

He let it be known that he was open to the idea after MPs in the so-called ‘red wall’ seats pressed him to scrap the ban.

And even among MPs and advocates of grammar schools, there is a recognition that in many areas who retain a selective system, it is one that is skewed towards those with the means to improve the prospects of securing a place through private tuition.

Efforts to counter what has been described as the “coaching culture” - particularly in west Kent - have had a limited impact.

Kent County Council sought to tackle this through a “tutor-proof” test and more explicit warnings to state primary schools that they were not permitted to prepare children for the test.

But it takes only a cursory internet search to find any number of private tuition centres promising to get children through the test by adopting the very things the council says should not happen.

Many blatantly emphasise their success rate and offer tuition in verbal and non-verbal reasoning - key components of an exam supposedly “tutor proof.”

Add in the number of grammar school places offered to pupils from fee paying independent prep schools and you get a sense of the nervousness politicians have about being seen to back a system that is genuinely meritocratic.

The reality is that grammar schools have disproportionately fewer disadvantaged pupils based on free school meal take-up, the generally accepted measure of social deprivation.

Data compiled by the campaign group Comprehensive Future illustrate the gap: just 5.9% of children attending Kent’s grammar schools are in receipt of Free School Meals, compared to 22.8% of pupils in Kent’s non-selective schools.

That is not to say that that grammar schools are doing nothing to narrow that gap.

In west Kent, the Skinners Academy has admissions arrangements under which eight places of the 160 available are reserved for those in receipt of Pupil Premium. A further two places of those not in the immediate catchment area are reserved on similar grounds. Modest though these numbers are, there was a time when such a policy would not have been countenanced.

While the clamour by Conservative backbenchers to scrap the ban grows, the enthusiasm for what would represent a major policy shift is not necessarily shared by government figures.

The short-lived education secretary of state Nadhim Zahawi, was circumspect, saying he wanted to tap into the DNA of grammars and spread it to other schools.

He also committed to protect existing grammar schools rather than expand them.

Others say that amid the multitude of other challenges facing schools the focus on grammars is distracting.

“This aged debate detracts from the real issues schools are facing..."

Jo Bartley of Comprehensive Future, is scathing about the campaign focus on grammars.

“There are glaringly obvious problems that need to be fixed, like a shortage of teachers, more funds for school energy bills, and plans for the post-pandemic attainment gap. Grammar schools, by their very nature, can't work for all children. Kent has average GCSE results and a woeful attainment gap, our grammar school system is not something we should wish on other counties.”

Jon Andrews, Head of Analysis at the Education Policy Institute, said: “This aged debate detracts from the real issues schools are facing. Whether it be reducing educational inequalities, combatting teacher shortages, or even just supporting schools in meeting vastly increased operational costs, grammar schools aren’t the solution.”

Whether the new Conservative party leader will seize the moment remains to be seen. But with the prospect of schools losing staff and shutting down the central heating to tackle spiralling energy bills, it might seem an odd priority.