A respected academic has raised the concerns after the Conservatives claimed that selective schools have more “ordinary, working class” children than non-selective schools (as a proportion of intake).
The exact manifesto claim states: “Contrary to what some people allege, official research shows that slightly more children from ordinary, working class families attend selective schools as a percentage of the school intake as compared to non-selective schools.”
However, Alice Sullivan, professor of sociology at University College London, has dismissed the “startling claim” as “clearly false” and accused the Conservatives of a “quite clear sleight of hand”.
The basis of the Conservative claim comes from how “ordinary, working class family” is defined.
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