David Cameron’s restatement of the Conservative position on schools should have calmed down the flurry of dispute when David Willetts made his original speech. It was good to read, in DC’s own words, that this is not a "Clause IV" moment, and good to see that we do still believe as?? a party in the excellence?? of the surviving grammar schools and want to keep them. Graham Brady and Nigel Evans have given strong voice to the case to keep the Grammar schools??we have, encouraged by a BBC ever willing to seek a "split" in the Conservative party.??Once ??they??realise David Cameron??and??Graham Brady??agree the BBC??may find it less exciting sport.

The Conservatives need to learn from the presentational mistake of the Willetts speech. It should have been tweaked following the Shadow Cabinet meeting which considered it, to take full account of the views of all those Shadow Cabinet members who represent places with grammar schools and who wanted our support for them to be clearer in the text. Then all could have been united in presenting the new point - that we have some answers on what to do about standards in the vast majority of schools that are not grammars, where the battle of playing fields will be fought in the next election.

David Willetts now needs to work up his ideas of the creation of a grammar stream in every comprehensive, on how the new Academies will be run, financed and how they will choose their pupils, and on the introduction of synthetic phonics into every primary to teach reading more effectively. He should have a busy summer filling out the details and persuading the teaching unions this is the way to go.

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