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The Schools’ Adjudicator has dismissed a series of objections made by a local parents’ group against the new admissions policy for the King Edward VI grammar schools in Birmingham. Heath Monk, Executive Director for The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham said: “We are delighted with the decision of the adjudicator, confirming that our new arrangements are lawful and that all due process was followed.” The proposals were the subject of significant, and often heated, debate during the consultation process which started in November 2018. A group of petitioners secured airtime in the national media and created a crowdfunding portal to pay for their legal challenge. Heath Monk added: “We knew that our changes would be controversial. Unfortunately, some of the information that was circulated by campaigners was simply wrong - and this has led to many parents living outside Birmingham believing that their children will not be able to get a place in our selective schools. That was never the case and we urge parents whose children achieved a high score in the entrance test to put our schools on their list of preferences. There will be a significant number of out of catchment places available, as we have always made clear.” “The changes to our admissions policy were designed to improve the chances of high attaining children from disadvantaged backgrounds attending selective schools, as well as provide greater priority for local families.” The King Edward VI Foundation is not just about selective schools - the latest school to join the “family” is King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy, which was opened last week by King Edward’s School old boy Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands. The charity now has two independent schools, six selective schools and 3 comprehensive Academies, all of whom are adopting a more collaborative approach to learning and extra-curricular activities in order to support our mission of making Birmingham the best place to be educated in the UK. Please follow this link for the full report.