OXFORDSHIRE’S education boss has said she will now take no action to bring back grammar schools after the county council voted to reject steps to reintroduce the system.

Cabinet member for education Melinda Tilley – who previously said she was ready to fight headteachers, politicians and teaching unions on the matter – had to step back when fellow councillors voted to oppose any move from central government to lift the ban on new grammars.

Councillors clashed on the pros and cons of the grammar system for an hour on Tuesday at a full meeting of the council.

Eventually 37 voted in favour of opposing a shift to the grammar system, with 14 against. Nine abstained.

Mrs Tilley said: "Strictly speaking I can’t move ahead after that vote. My point now is that we have to wait and see what happens with government.

"I was disappointed with some of the vitriol and some of the councillors being entrenched in their positions.

"I just hope people don’t talk down what ends up being the alternative to grammar schools. Not everybody is an astrophysicist.

"But I’m certainly not going to be doing anything".

Under the "tripartite system" introduced in the 1940s pupils who passed the 11-plus exam went on to study at grammar schools while the rest went to secondary modern schools.

Labour councillor Gill Sanders brought the motion to council and urged fellow councillors to oppose the "extremely retrograde step" of lifting the ban on grammar schools imposed by Tony Blair 18 years ago.

Mrs Sanders said: "The whole idea is abhorrent. To increase the number of selective grammar schools means a reintroduction of secondary moderns.

"I took the 11 plus. My parents didn’t put pressure on me but a lot of parents of other children did.

"When some failed they were devastated.

"I remember the day of the results. Those of us who passed were called to the front and those who failed had to applaud us.

"Even at 10 I thought that was dreadful."

Mrs Tilley said during the debate: "This motion is much too premature. We need a proper debate in this chamber when we know what the proposals are.

"I don’t see why it has to be done as it was 50 years ago, for crying out loud.

"We could make it more lucrative for schools to seek out children from poorer backgrounds by giving them a bigger premium. I have been accused of being entrenched in my view but I would suggest the opposition is more entrenched.

The Prime Minister has said she wants to lift the ban on new grammar schools but no timescale has yet been put forward for when it might happen.