So, last week was so-called "Super Tuesday", or "A-Day", the time when parents of 11-year olds across England found out if their child was accepted into the secondary school of their choice. The government's beloved mantra of 'choice' was well and truly tested, and if last Tuesday was an 11-plus, would have undoubtedly been sent to a Secondary Modern. One in five did not get their first choice of school, but that isn't even the main story. The real sting in the tail was when Ed Balls was forced to admit that some schools were found to be charging parents to secure places.
This shocking revelation was almost a case of life imitating art. The BBC1 schools drama Waterloo Road showed the head of an unpopular inner-city comprehensive school, paying middle-class families to send their gifted children to the school, in an attempt to inspire the more underprivileged students. This seemed an implausible notion, pure fiction, yet at the opposite end of the scale the practice has been proven to occur.
This is an appalling state of affairs, yet some experts believe it is inevitable. Anne West from London School of Economics has investigated admissions procedures.
"Where schools are responsible for their own admissions ... some are likely to use whatever means they can to select their own intake"
There is a certain logic to this, because obviously schools will want to make their lives as easy as possible, and choosing the 'best' pupils will help them achieve their targets and ultimately secure more funding. However, a situation where children are being turned away from the school nearest to them, because they do not come from the 'right family' is something best left in Victorian days. David Laws, schools spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, thinks that the increase in specialism is the problem.
"Ministers should remove the back door power of selection from schools, such as specialist and foundation schools, and concentrate on making every school a good school."
One TV news reporter actually said something akin to children being forced to attend schools which were "simply not good enough." The focus should not be on everyone getting their choice, but to make sure are no 'bad schools' for children to be 'stuck with'. Teachers are trained to the same standards; schools are Ofsted inspected and targeted to the point of death, so why there are still 'good' and 'bad' schools, I am not certain. But I'm sure many teachers teaching in challenging schools will have plenty to say about that and put me right.
However, I am not against specialism or selection per se. I went to one of the few remaining state grammar schools, and think they do the world of good for children with an aptitude for the more academic subjects. Taking the test was entirely voluntary, so there's no pressure on those whose skills lie in other areas. There are sports colleges, language colleges, technology colleges, ICT colleges, music colleges and vocational academies. Why should there not be the choice of a school that excels in academic subjects? Gifted children frequently struggle in comprehensive schools because doing well is seen as 'showing off'. In my opinion, making all schools equal is not the right way to go, as all children aren't equal; they have different needs, which different schools could meet. Choice is a good thing in theory, it's just the practicalities that need ironing out.
1 comment:
I agree wholeheartedly with your point about different schools being allowed to cater for the needs of different children. As a child with a very good IQ, I myself underacheived at high school because the comprehensive school I attended had a culture where being 'clever' was seen as a bad thing. When academic work comes easily to you, it is easier to coast along with the minimum of effort rather than stick your head above the parapet and risk being teased or bullied for your efforts.
I believe the big problem that needs to be overcome is the way that society still values academic achievement disproportionally more than acheivement in other areas. When I was a young child the infamous 11+ was in existence and children were sorted between grammar and secondary modern schools. There was a huge stigma in 'failing' the 11+ and attending secondary modern. Today, as you say, many schools specialise in different areas such as music, sport, IT etc. All it needs now is for society to catch up and value the skills they pass on equally with more academic skills and qualifications.
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