“The recent debate over academic selection has unhelpfully distracted attention from the really important challenges facing public policy makers; how to improve the performance of the 3221 secondary schools that are not grammars and all the 17,642 primary schools across Britain. Whatever one thinks about grammar schools – and the authors of this pamphlet like them by the way – David Willetts’ bigger and better point about the need to focus on the many schools, not the few, has been lost in the ensuing row over one part of his speech…
So let’s move on from a sterile debate about whether we build a handful more grammar schools, to a productive discussion about the straightforward steps that might make a significant difference to the educational opportunities of millions of children.”
To read the full paper click here and to comment click on the comments section in the title bar above.
It is so obvious that academic selection should be integral to schooling that it seems ridiculous to restrict it purely to the fee-paying sector.
Perhaps one day people who cannot afford to buy privately might have the same ability to have their children educated with their academic peers as those with money can select for their children ?
Taxpayer funded services seem to be ideologically-oriented rather than practically-oriented, and not just in education
Being bright is as much a social handicap as being normal. I was always a year or two ahead or my age group, and often still top of the class. There was intense jealousy and i decided to quit early, leaving school at 16 to get away from the arrows that constantly flew. I still despise the perpetrators to this day.
I was at a private school, where there was some protection. In a comprehensive system, i would no doubt have given in to the mob, and made sure i came lower down the order, like the children have to do now to survive. I hate to think what hell these kids go through, but the sucides tell you quite a lot about what is going on. Children can be ruthlessly cruel. Specialisation helps to control the situation. We should appeal to Cameron’s caring side, and not allow bullies constant access to their targets.
At what stage does a school close? Who tells it to? Is there a proposed level of pupil churn or exam grades? If there is no LEA or DfES and only an inspections every 8 years at a minimum, you are relying an awful lot on schools to be able to recognise that they are having problems.
If a school can set its own curriculum, what is stop it promoting Racism, Facism, Creationism, etc? The only curriculum modifier, from my reading of the report, is that the examination board will partially determine the currciuclum for secondary schools.