Plans to expand a Marlow grammar school in to Maidenhead have been supported by MP Dominic Grieve as he addressed the growing need for school places across the town.

Speaking out about the proposal for Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School for the first time since it came to light last autumn, Mr Grieve said he would be “entirely supportive” of the school if it decides to expand.

The follows the decision made by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to approve proposals to spend £200,000 towards exploring the expansion of the school on West Street in October last year.

Mr Grieve said: “I am entirely supportive of Borlase if they think they can do it. I have always supported the ability to open new grammar schools full stop in areas where grammar schools already exist.

“The government has not been willing to go quite as far as that but the reality is if Borlase is able to open an annex that annex will be affectively like us having a second new school.

“But it is really up to Borlase how they take that forward.

The Royal Borough initially shelved grammar school expansion plans in September 2015 until a decision was made to expand the Weald of Kent School in Tonbridge to a site in Sevenoaks, Kent.

The decision to create an annex school sidestepped the ban on the opening of new grammar schools, which was put in place to reduce selective education.

And on the “selective” education system Mr Grieve said: “I am a total pragmatist about this – I don’t think there is any kind of magic with the grammar school system but we have one in Bucks and it seems to work well.

“It would not be working if in fact the secondaries were offering very poor quality education but in Marlow, thanks to Great Marlow School, this is not the case.

“The overall level of education in Buckinghamshire is one of the highest in the country. I would not interfere with something which seems broadly speaking to be working quite well.”

A progress review on the exploration of the annex school is due to go ahead this month.