HEADTEACHERS of Wiltshire's two remaining grammar schools have welcomed the Government's proposal to allow new grammar schools to open.

Both Dr Stuart Smallwood head of the boys' school Bishop Wordsworth's and Michele Chilcott head of girls' school South Wilts Grammar are taking extra pupils and agree with Prime Minister Theresa May's claim that the new policy would give children the chance to access a high quality academic education irrespective of their background.

But North Wiltshire James Gray while backing the general principle of expanding grammars does not think it necessary for Wiltshire to have more grammar schools.

The former grammar school boy said: "We are very fortunate in North Wiltshire in having simply outstanding comprehensive schools in Royal Wootton Bassett, Calne, Purton and Malmesbury and of course in neighbouring Chippenham

"So I am not at all sure that I detect any need for, nor any appetite for a new grammar school in the area. When your education is as good as it is in our local schools, why change it?"

Neither of the two Salisbury grammars have discussed building satellite schools in other towns as is happening in Kent but they are expanding their own intake.

Dr Smallwood said: "At Bishop’s we have been working hard to try to encourage applications from all parents locally. We have changed to a test that is less susceptible to the influence of intensive coaching, we have changed our admissions criteria and we from September 2017 we will be admitting more boys into Year 7.

"That all helps, but the basic problem is that there are very few grammars left so that many parents simply do not have the choice of that route through secondary education in the first place."

He said his school's year 7 intake would go up from 128 to 160 from September 2017 and this would allow the school to take more boys from outside of Salisbury.

He said: "We have a number of over subscription criteria in the school’s admissions policy – the final one of which is distance from the school as the crow flies. So more boys will come from outside Salisbury.

"At present around 60-70 per cent of our boys come from within approx 5 miles of the city centre." He said the school did not lay on transport and most pupils used a public bus or train.

Mrs Chilcott said that her school too had expanded and had increased numbers of girls admitted at year 7. She said: "At SWGS we have been working hard to improve entry for all students to the school.

"We have made changes to our admissions criteria and introduced a free familiarisation test, available to all students, which takes place the week before the 11+ exam itself.

"We have also recently increased the numbers we admit into year 7. Any plan that helps to address the issue of social mobility is welcomed. There is not one clear or simple answer to this issue, but all parents want the opportunity to send their child to both a good school and one best suited to their needs. We look forward to reading the government’s proposals in the Green Paper."