Pupils in Buckinghamshire are missing out on nearby grammar school places because more out-of-county children than ever before have sat and passed the 11-Plus exam for 2017 entry, campaigners claim.

Campaign group Local Equal Excellent (LEE) has slammed the latest figures from Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC), which they say prove the controversial test is failing.

The figures suggest just over 45 per cent of pupils outside Bucks are passing, compared to 26 per cent in the county, while more children in Wycombe are failing to pass the so-called "tutor-proof" 11-Plus exam introduced in 2014.

Spokesman Rebecca Hickman said: “This is just more evidence that the new 11-Plus test in Buckinghamshire has been an abject failure and has resulted in more, not less, unfairness for our children.

“Put simply, Bucks grammar schools are no longer serving our local communities. Children from families who cannot afford tutoring or private schooling are being driven out, while the influx of non-Bucks children means that we are seeing year on year 11-Plus pass mark inflation.”

The claims come after suggestions earlier this year that the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) had “conceded” in a response to a Freedom of Information request that it had no evidence the 11-Plus was, as claimed, resistant to tutoring.

Having pored over the figures, LEE campaigners say the number of children in the Wycombe district passing the test is lower than it was before the new exam was introduced in 2014, despite there being more than 120 extra pupils taking the exam this year than in 2013.

LEE claims that in 2013, out of 1,770 Wycombe pupils who took the test, 447 passed, while in the 2017 entry figures from Bucks County Council, only 413 pupils are shown to have passed out of the 1,893 who took the test.

In addition, 678 pupils from London passed the Bucks test this year, up from 570 last year.

The group also claims that figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request suggest that the number of Bucks state school pupils passing the 11-Plus has gone down for the first time in four years, despite more pupils taking the test.

Zahir Mohammed, BCC cabinet member for education and skills, said: “The education system in Buckinghamshire is highly regarded with the majority of our performance indicators above the national average. 

“We remain focused on championing education for all children. 

“A key priority area for us is to continue improving outcomes for vulnerable children and those at risk of underachievement.

“The data published by Local Equal Excellent would seem to suggest that more grammar schools are needed outside of Buckinghamshire for those aspiring to secure grammar school education in London and elsewhere.”

To see the figures, go to www.buckscc.gov.uk/education/schools/admissions-and-moving-school/policy-hub/grammar-school-statistics.