CAMPAIGNERS opposed to Kent's selective school system have renewed their calls for grammars to be scrapped after the Conservative party ditched its support for the 11-plus.

The Conservative party's education spokesman David Willetts has angered several of his parliamentary colleagues in Kent after defending the policy U-turn on the grounds the chances of a child from a poor background getting to a selective school were "shockingly low".

While Mr Willetts stressed that Kent's remaining grammar schools would survive under a future Conservative government, he insisted there was overwhelming evidence that selection at 11 "entrenched advantage" rather than helped poorer families.

He said: "For those children from modest backgrounds who do get to grammar schools the benefits are enormous. But the trouble is that the chances of a child from a poor background getting to a grammar school in those parts of the country where they do survive are shockingly low."

His claim that grammar schools failed to help the less well-off has sparked strong criticism from Conservative MPs and drew what amounted to a rebuke from the Conservative leader of Kent County Council.

Cllr Paul Carter pledged to maintain selection in the country's largest selective education authority and invited Mr Willetts to see for himself how well the system worked.

"Grammar schools are beacons of academic excellence and a 'one size fits all' approach would be a retrograde step," he said.

Maidstone and the Weald MP Ann Widdecombe also distanced herself from Mr Willetts.

"I fundamentally disagree with him. I went to Maidstone Girls Grammar school recently and there were students from all sorts of backgrounds there.

"If anybody suggests that grammars do not help the poor, they need only visit one of the many that there are to realise it is not the case. You either have the ability or you do not. I am saddened."

Thanet North Conservative MP Roger Gale also took Mr Willetts to task, saying the claim was astonishing.

He said: "Cameron's policy not to introduce more grammar schools is not new. What is new is the astonishing suggestion that because few grammar school children do not receive free school meals this means that children from poorer families do not benefit from grammar school education."

But the Conservatives found themselves in the unusual position of being supported by the Kent campaign group STEP – Stop The Eleven Plus. Spokesman Martin Frey said: "We welcome this recognition of the reality. This should be an opportunity for Kent to review its own position on selection.

"As all the main parties are now agreed selection is not appropriate, Kent has a good opportunity to get a proper education system attuned to the needs of the 21st century."