The Conservative party is to end its traditional support for grammar schools and focus instead on city technology colleges and city academies.

Shadow education secretary David Willetts insists such a move is "not political correctness" but a way of increasing social mobility.

Speaking before he revealed his plans to a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference, Mr Willetts said it was "one of the big scandals in our country today" that children from poorer backgrounds did not have the same access to high educational achievement.

"It's not just the grammar schools; it's also many of the top academic performing comprehensives as well," he told the Today programme.

Mr Willetts says his party is advocating "a fresh look" but stressed that the Tories had no plans to close existing grammar schools.

"Where grammar schools survive, they will certainly carry on," he continued.

"I've no desire to fight a battle with parts of the country where local authorities have decided to keep them; that's fair enough and we fully understand that."

He said the "the way forward is city technology colleges and academies" and pledged that the Tories were "more serious about carrying forward this idea that Tony Blair launched than [prime-minister-in-waiting] Gordon Brown is".

But teachers' unions have reacted with scepticism to the Conservatives' stated aims, with Chris Keates, the general secretary of the Nasuwt union, saying: "Neither parents nor the profession will thank politicians for focusing on structures rather than standards.

"All children should be entitled to benefit from the highest standards of education. This should be provided within a democratically accountable state sector not by handing over schools to the private sector."

Speaking yesterday, Mr Brown said he "will continue to support and finance" trust schools, city academies and specialist schools as he had done while chancellor.
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