Marco PM demo - 15 Sep 2016

Grammar schools are likely to benefit wealthy families without raising overall standards, says the OECD's head of education.

Andreas Schleicher said international evidence suggested that selection was not linked to improving schools.

He said bright pupils in England were not getting enough opportunities, but grammar school tests were not reliable.

"Any kind of one-off test is likely to favour social background over true academic potential," he said.

Education Secretary Justine Greening has published plans calling for more selective schools in England, and a Department for Education spokesman said any new grammars would "prioritise the admission of disadvantaged pupils".

Meritocracy?

Mr Schleicher, the think tank's education director, was presenting the OECD's annual report comparing education systems across the industrialised world.

He said there was no relationship between increasing selection and how well school systems performed.