Plans to expand a Marlow grammar school to Maidenhead were given support by the council last night.

Members of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead approved proposals to spend £200,000 towards exploring the expansion of Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, on West Street, at a meeting of the cabinet last night.

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

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.

However the council said their approval is subject to any legal challenges made to the expansion of the Weald of Kent expansion.

Deputy Leader of the council, Cllr Simon Dudley raised concerns, saying that grammar schools do not provide the same ‘social mobility’ that they used to.

He said: “We have to ensure grammar schools give people from lower income families the same chances they did in years gone by and help them move up the ladder.

“I am pro-choice for parents but we have to be mindful that grammar schools do not apparently provide the same social mobility that they used to.”

“It’s about quality of opportunity. We want to give the brightest and best from all backgrounds the same opportunities and at the moment grammar school statistics are not reflecting that.

“We need to work with Borlase to make sure the grammar school ethos remains the way it used to be.”

Cllr Philip Bicknell said Borlase’s is the only grammar school in the area that has expressed an interest in expanding so far.

A progress review is die to take place in April 2016.