Attending a grammar school has no impact on wellbeing, research shows

Attending a grammar school has no impact on children’s wellbeing and school satisfaction, according to a recent study.

What we asked you and your parents

When you were 11, we asked you and your parents which school you had applied to, with ‘grammar school’ being one of the response options. We also asked you about your attitudes toward school, academic wellbeing, and self-esteem, and gave you a short vocabulary task.

At age 14, we repeated some of the questions of the Age 11 Survey, including school motivation and engagement, wellbeing and self-esteem. We also asked you about your expectations and aspirations – including whether you thought you might go to university – and asked you to complete a short vocabulary task.

What the researchers found

Findings highlight that school attitudes, academic wellbeing, self-esteem and aspirations are unaffected by selective education. Attending a grammar school has no impact on young people in that respect. They did however find that there was a positive impact of attending a grammar school on the short English vocabulary test.

Why this research matters

Many parents and families place great emphasis upon their child getting a place at a grammar school. This research shows that children’s well-being, aspirations and behaviour are largely unaffected by going to a grammar school.

Find out more about this research

The full scientific paper was published in the British Journal of Educational Studies in January 2020.