A GRAMMAR school which was rapped over its 11 plus test was targeted because of political motives, according to a headteacher.

The anonymous complainant who reported Colchester County High School for Girls to the Schools Adjudicator never applied for their child to attend the school, headteacher Gillian Marshall said.

Instead, it is understood the complainant applied for a Kent school.

Mrs Marshall said the parent reported her school because it was at the top alphabetically of the list of schools run by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex.

She said: “The Government body will only investigate a school, not a body such as the CSSE. They have no idea about us. We were chosen because we were top of the list.

“We understand it is a political group which is against the school.”

The school was ordered to change its admissions process for September 2019 last week when a schools’ adjudicator said she found summer-born babies had less chance of being admitted.

The adjudicator said they were less likely to reach the high standards of those children born in September because the test was not age standardised.

Mrs Marshall said she welcomed the investigation, which had gone on for a year, as it had assessed all aspects of the test.

She said: “It has been very beneficial because that test has been looked at thoroughly.

“Every aspect has been investigated and [age standardisation] is the only thing which has been called upon. So it has given the 11 plus a clean bill of health.

“The decision will apply to every single school within the CSSE.”

However, despite welcoming the report, Mrs Marshall said the decision to age standardise the 11 plus was in direct opposition to Government tests such as GCSE’s, which do not have to undergo the same process.

She said: “At the end of the day you don’t have any age standardisation for Government tests. SATS and GCSE’s have never had it, and yet it’s not even considered.”

The school, and all nine other CSSE schools, including Colchester Royal Grammar School for Boys, are expected to bring the age standardisation in by September 2019.