Comprehensive Future (CF), the group which campaigns against selective education, has dropped it’s judicial review application into the legality of the proposal for the annex to the Weald of Kent school. The Group have stated the reason for dropping the challenge was that the Government were failing to give them the information they needed to mount a claim. Central to this claim was the refusal of a Freedom of Information request made by the group for the Government to detail how the school would operate as an annex- The proposed annexe will be 10 miles away from the existing school.
The Government stated in response to the claims by the group:-
“We have released all the information required to under the legal process. The news that Comprehensive Future is reconsidering their legal challenge is good news for parents of Kent who will benefit from the extension of the excellent Weald of Kent Grammar School.”
The approach of adding annexes to existing grammar schools it is alleged sidesteps the current 1998 law (School Standards and Framework Act 1998) in force which prevents the formation of any additional grammar schools. Following the anticipated success of the ‘annexe’ way of operating it is now thought that as many as 7 other local authorities are considering employing a similar scheme within their boundary lines.13
