The Guardian reports that the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has promised that his party will seek to block any government attempt to create new grammar schools, arguing that these are “not the drivers of social mobility” their proponents claim.

“The Liberal Democrats are the party of education, and that means we believe in an excellent education for all, so any plans to bring in more divisive grammar schools will be utterly opposed by my party,” Farron said, noting that a return to grammars was not in the Conservatives’ 2015 manifesto.

“Those who hold up grammar schools as the gold standard are less keen to talk about what happens to those children who, at the age of 11, are told they are not good enough. What does that do to a young person’s confidence and self-esteem?

“This rose-tinted view of grammar schools might play well for a nostalgic few on the right of the Tory party but make no mistake about it – they are not the drivers of social mobility they would like to claim.”