Less than half of grammar school pupils are now white British, with their proportion falling from 66 per cent to 44 per cent in a decade, figures from the annual school spring census show.
The sharpest declines were recorded in Kent, Greater Manchester, Essex, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and West Yorkshire, as more pupils from Indian, Pakistani, African and Chinese backgrounds entered selective schools.
At Reading School in Berkshire, applications from white British families fell from 49 per cent to 13 per cent this year. Head teacher Chris Evans said some parents feared their children would be “hot-housed” if they gained a place.
Hot-housing refers to pushing young children towards advanced teaching before they are naturally ready, and Mr Evans said the concern was discouraging some families from applying.
He also pointed to the high-stakes nature of grammar school entrance tests, saying white British parents could be deterred by the cost of paying for years of maths and English tutoring. Private 11-plus tuition costs £37.50 an hour on average, while some tutors charge up to £100.
Grammar school demographics change across England
Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham saw its white British pupil population fall from 75 per cent to 34 per cent over the same period. Indian pupils rose from eight per cent to 30 per cent, while the proportion of Chinese pupils increased from 0.3 per cent to 5 per cent.
Head teacher James Richardson said the school’s Mandarin provision and strong music activities were popular with certain ethnic groups. He also said word of mouth had helped to build the reputation of the school among Indian families.
“Our Indian community is incredibly strong – we have the largest Diwali celebration in the southwest at Pate’s every November,” he said. “When the families talk to each other, they share their successes and perceptions of the school and its reputation grows.”
At Dartford Grammar School for Girls in Kent, the proportion of white pupils dropped from 52 per cent to 7 per cent. Over the decade, the African pupil population rose from 14 per cent to 37 per cent, while Indian pupils increased from 7 per cent to 16 per cent and Chinese pupils from 1 per cent to 4 per cent.
Head teacher Sharon Pritchard said it was “difficult to know precisely” why the change had occurred, although the local population had altered “to some degree”. She said the school’s improving academic performance may also be attracting applications from further afield, with nearly 80 per cent of GCSE grades this year at grades 7 to 9.
Other grammar schools have attributed the changing balance partly to rising aspirations among second-generation immigrant families, as well as differences in the willingness of families from different ethnic backgrounds to move into catchment areas or accept long journeys. Some pupils travel for more than an hour to attend a grammar school.
Professor Lucinda Platt, of the London School of Economics, said foreign-born pupils were now more likely to be degree holders, making newly arrived families more keen to secure a better education for their children.
Reading School has introduced outreach work with nearby schools to address what Mr Evans described as misconceptions that grammar schools do not prioritise sport or the arts. The proportion of white British applicants rose to 15 per cent this year, from 7 per cent in 2024.
The school has identified local feeder schools and changed its 11-plus examination to a less predictable “tutor-proof” format, with the subject changing each year so pupils cannot prepare for a fixed test through tutoring.
Mr Evans said the ethnic make-up of schools was not the important issue, but that grammar schools should reach their local communities and all schools should serve the communities around them.
