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<p>The department can confirm that none of the 16 successful applications to the Selective
Schools Expansion Fund (SSEF), announced 3 December 2018, applied for a satellite
expansion. As we have done for the bids that were successful in round one, we will
publish the Fair Access and Partnership Plans for schools that were successful in
round two. The department does not intend to publish full SSEF bids as they contain
commercially sensitive information.</p><p> </p><p>Admission authorities for grammar
schools are responsible for setting their selection tests, including determining the
pass threshold. The department wants more pupils to be able to attend Good and Outstanding
schools, and 98% of grammar schools are Good or Outstanding schools. Where the pass
mark is determined by the admission authority to be a disproportionate barrier for
entry for disadvantaged pupils in comparison to their non-disadvantaged peers, it
could be considered appropriate to set a lower test pass mark for children eligible
for pupil premium funding. Equally, grammar school admission authorities may raise
their pass mark if they consider this appropriate. The admission authority would have
to consider the impact of the changes on the allocation of places and their stated
pupil admissions number.</p><p> </p><p>The School Admissions Code requires all admission
arrangements to be fair. A selection test is part of a school’s admission arrangements.
The majority of schools who select on academic ability or aptitude age weight the
results of their selection test. Where a selective school who admits on academic ability
or aptitude does not age weight test results and a parent considers this unfair, they
may raise an objection to the schools adjudicator, who has previously issued determinations
on this particular issue.</p><p> </p><p>The progress 8 scores for all individual secondary
schools, including non-selective schools, are available online at the department’s
Find and Compare schools website. The department also publishes data on pupil progress
8 scores in non-selective schools in all highly selective areas in “Key stage 4 and
multi-academy trust performance 2018 (revised)”[1]: Selective and non-selective school
performance data (of which one component is Progress 8 scores) is analysed by the
department as part of ongoing consideration of school performance across the country.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/806276/2018_Revised_National_tables.xlsx"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/806276/2018_Revised_National_tables.xlsx</a>.</p>
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