THE FOUNDER of an academy chain has slammed the Government’s plans to expand grammar schools.

Sir Rod Aldridge, the millionaire philanthropist behind Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) and Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA), criticised Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposal to allow grammar schools to set up satellite schools.

Sir Rod told The Argus that it would be damaging to young people.

He said: “I am very much opposed to grammar schools, which I think is a U-turn, frankly.

“I experienced what it was like not to pass and therefore being thought of as being inferior. I don’t care how the Prime Minister said it will be dressed up – it will damage young people who are possibly on that cusp of whether they get in or don’t.”

The plans would reverse decades of cross-party consensus since Tony Blair banned the creation of new grammars in 1998.

Minutes of a Government meeting reveal the PM’s new grammar schools could be highly selective and could take just the most clever 10 per cent of children. Currently the country’s England 163 grammar schools take the brightest 25 per cent of pupils.

The Government also wants to develop “coaching-resistant tests”, the document disclosed.

It is part of what Mrs May has described as a “pragmatic” approach to increasing the number of school places at good and outstanding schools, of which grammar schools make up a large percentage.

Sir Rod suggested the Government should focus its attention on comprehensive education.

He said: “With our academies, we feel we can achieve as much, if not more, by having a mix of academic abilities, and to strip some of those people away from a school is not a very good policy at all.

“I think a comprehensive answer is the better alternative.”

Aldridge Education, which sponsors BACA and PACA, has transformed the failing schools which were widely regarded as the worst in the city.

Sir Rod also denounced former PM David Cameron’s plan to make all schools academies.

The proposal received great opposition and was eventually scrapped last May

He added: “I think it would have been a big disaster.”