EDUCATION Secretary Charles Clarke has hinted that the Government may be prepared to make it easier for anti-grammar school campaigners to abolish selection.

Mr Clarke, who addressed a secondary heads conference in Ashford, says he would review the regulations on grammar school ballots amid complaints they stack the odds against those who wish to trigger public referendums.

His pledge coincides with a further attempt by campaigners in Kent to kick-start the complicated process. STEP – Stop The Eleven Plus – has again asked the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) for a list of those parents in Kent who would be eligible to vote in a referendum.

Mr Clarke, who held a private meeting with the anti-grammar campaign group after the conference, said he agreed with his predecessor Estelle Morris’ description of the 11-plus as “divisive and iniquitous.”

However, he made clear the Government would leave the final decision up to parents.

He added: “I do not think that selection through the 11-plus is the right way to do things. When we came to power we thought very carefully about whether we should as a Government do something or whether we should have a ballot procedure. We decided on ballots and I am happy with that."