Secrecy shrouds the revamped 11 Plus exam as questions continue to go unanswered about the selection process, according to a campaign group.

The new exam was created by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University and was introduced last year.

Campaign group, Local, Equal and Excellent (LEE), has accused Buckinghamshire County Council of trying to dodge questions put to the local authority over the admissions test.

Yet the politician leading the council’s education select committee has defended the scrutiny process, explaining that the responsibility lies with the county’s grammar schools.

On Tuesday, the council’s education, skills and children’s services meeting met.

LEE representatives said they were informed the grammar schools would be attending the meeting to answer questions the campaign group have submitted surrounding how fair the test is.

Rebecca Hickman, LEE spokesman, said: “I think that what we have been most shocked about is the lack of transparency - and the lengths that Bucks County Council and the grammar schools will go to to suppress data and discussion on the 11 Plus exam.

“Local parents deserve proper answers. But with Bucks County Council, we are not even at the stage where we are arguing over the answers. They are not even prepared to ask the questions.

“We should be able to have a grown-up and robust discussion, but the council aren't prepared to take responsibility.

“They have clear legal duties. Above all, they are supposed to champion the best interests of all children.

“And if they don't, then who else will stand up for the children from poorer homes and from Pakistani and African Caribbean backgrounds who do so much worse under the 11 Plus exam?”

LEE said they want answers about how fair the selection process is and whether the council is satisfied that it does not discriminate against those from less affluent backgrounds and ethnic minorities.

The chair of the council’s education scrutiny committee said she is not trying to “stifle” debate on the exam but that the responsibility of the content of the exam does lie with the grammar schools.

Councillor Valerie Letheren said: “It (the 11 Plus debate) was never meant to be heard on Tuesday.

“When we spoke of the November meeting before, we were talking about the one on November 19, in which three headteachers of the grammar schools have been invited to attend the scrutiny meeting.”

Conservative representative, Councillor Letheran, said she is not being political and that she wants a “free debate”.

Members of the public will not be allowed to question the grammar school headteachers at this month’s meeting – only committee members will be able to do so.

She added: “I’m not trying in any way to stifle any questions from my committee. It (the 11 Plus exam) is the heads’ and grammar schools’ responsibility.

“They commissioned a company to write the new 11 Plus and the test is whether it’s more fair or not. And I think we want every child to have a fair chance. It’s not that we are fudging it or holding it back.

“It is the grammar school’s responsibility. They are academies and academies have the right to say who goes to their school or not.”

David Williams, Wycombe Labour's Parliamentary candidate, said the “flawed” 11 Plus exam will hinder children across the county while questions continue to go unanswered.

Mr Williams said: “Bucks County Council is trying to wash its hands of any responsibility for the content of the 11 Plus test, saying it is all the responsibility of the grammar schools. But Bucks County Council does have responsibilities; it just chooses to ignore them.”