The present government suggests that grammar schools are a means of achieving upward social mobility (USM) for young people identified as both disadvantaged and high academic achievers (Gorard & Siddiqui, 2018). It appears keen on extending the current grammar school provision based upon this rationale, as evidenced by the creation of the Selective Schools Expansion Fund (DfE, 2018).
Existing literature that examines adults who have experienced USM concludes that whilst conferring some benefits it can also result in psychological stress (Friedman, 2014, 2016, Manstead, 2018, Reay, Crozier & Clayton, 2009, 2010). Research thus far around grammar schools has focussed primarily upon whether those identified as disadvantaged have as much chance of attending as ‘non- disadvantaged’ peers, or upon the academic outcomes of attendance. Less has been explored concerning the first-person experiences of disadvantaged students who access grammar schools, and potentially experience USM.
Using eligibility for free school meals (eFSM) as a proxy indicator for disadvantage, this research examined the experiences of 6 participants who were either past or present grammar school students who were eFSM. There were two phases of data collection, the first being the completion of a repertory grid (Kelly, 1956), and the second being an individualised semi- structured interview, informed by a Slater (1977) analysis of each participant’s grid. A thematic analysis was then conducted across the interview data of all participants.
Five themes and their relationship to each other suggest that grammar schools may offer some benefits upon disadvantaged pupils who attend, such as increasing aspirations via exposure to other, more affluent peers. However, this may come at the price of accepting a stigmatising narrative concerning one’s own more modest background and result in behaviours that seek to conceal and hide this background, as students explore their identity at the boundary of two social fields.
The findings raise ethical considerations regarding the potential cost of social mobility for some. Factors which may contribute to pupil resiliency as they navigate life between their home and school environments are also explored, and implications for EP practice at both the school level and at a policy level are considered.
