A NEW grammar school should be opened in Maldon, a top councillor has claimed.

Rodney Bass, county councillor for Heybridge and Tollesbury, said he wanted to see a grammar school return to the town during a debate on the issue at a full meeting of the council.

There was a grammar school in the town from 1608 to 1970, when what is now the Plume Academy was established as a comprehensive school.

Last week, Essex County Council voted to voice their support for the government’s plans to create more grammar schools.

The government intends to lift the ban on new grammar schools but Prime Minister Theresa May said this would not mean they would be reintroduced in every town or city in the country.

Speaking at the full council meeting last Tuesday, Mr Bass: “In my humble submission the biggest mistake in education was the introduction of the bog standard comprehensive.

“It wasn’t even a binary system, it was a unitary system that was at- tempted to be foisted entirely on this country and on this county.

“Fortunately Essex, and Kent rather better than Essex, managed to resist that socialist doctrine.”

Mr Bass described the single 11- plus assessment as a “weakness”.

He said: “Unlike some I do not disown my own heritage. I was fortunate to win a place at King Edward VI in Chelmsford when there was also a grammar school at Maldon.

“By the way, I want to see a grammar school back at Maldon as well.

“There was a system, the weakness of it was there was just a single attempt that you had just at the age of 11.

"We need therefore to introduce flexibility and mobility to get true social mobility which is our aim.

“But it is sad that people do, in my view, speak with a degree of hypocrisy about this subject of education.

“Nobody denies the excellence of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, yet that is subject to the most stringent selection process albeit at a slightly later age than 11.”

Ray Gooding, councillor responsible for education, welcomed the rule change but did not comment on where new grammar schools could go.

He said: “In saying that, we applaud the outstanding work of head teachers and staff at the county’s existing secondary and grammar schools, which has led to nine out of 10 Essex schools being rated as good or outstanding.

“As a council, we are committed to ensuring all pupils receive the best possible education and the green paper sets out ways in which all schools can share their expertise to the benefit of children and young people.”