prep school kids excluded from grammar schools

[kris123]

Lets heat the discussion a little bit.

One LA introduced the regulations that prep school kids move to the back of the line for grammar schools places (read: they are excluded).

link to the article

What is your view on this approach? Do you think that it can be a new trend?


Personally though DS and DDs in state primary, i think its a wrong move, but I will explain my reasons later (not to affect your comments).

What are your views?

[prh47bridge]

Despite what it says in this article, the admission criteria for the two schools mentioned do not put children from independent schools at the back of the queue. For both schools the priority order is:

• Looked after children
  
• Childer living in the Borough of Poole
  
• Other children
  

Test scores are used as the tie breaker. If test scores are equal, distance from the school is used as the tie breaker.

If the article is accurate I am not surprised they have been forced to back down. The Admissions Code simply says that they can't include independent schools as named feeder schools. It is a big jump from that to say that they will put children from independent schools at the back of the queue. Such a policy could be unfair discrimination which is against the Admissions Code.

If they are actually operating such a policy without stating it in their admission criteria that is a clear breach of the Admissions Code, allowing pupils from independent schools to appeal successfully if they are refused entry.

[foxinsocks]

I think they should get rid of all grammar schools

[prh47bridge]

Having checked further, the schools were indeed forced to back down.

The schools had previously listed all primary schools within the Borough of Poole as feeder schools, based on a mistaken belief that they were not allowed to use a geographical catchment area. A change to the Admission Code resulted in them removing the local independent schools from the list of feeders. Parents complained to the Schools Adjudicator who upheld their complaint on the grounds that the approach being taken was against the Admissions Code. The Adjudicator recommended the adoption of the admission criteria outlined in my previous post.

So, to answer the questions in the OP, my view is that this approach is contrary to the Admissions Code and I am certain it will not be a new trend.

[StanHouseMuir]

prh47bridge - read the article again. what you describe is the situation now. It will become:

• Looked after children
  
• Children living in the Borough of Poole from State schools
  
• Other children

[StanHouseMuir]

Cross post

[Pantofino]

Kris, are you a journalist? This is the 2nd strange education thread you have started (that I have seen)

[llareggub]

Come on kris, who are you? You seem obsessed by education.

[deaddei]

GLad it's not just me who is bored to tears with kris' threads.

[southeastastra]

i thought they were being 'prepped' for public schools

[southeastastra]

(prepped to pass common entrance exam)

[sue52]

[prh47bridge]

Just to be clear given the cross posting between myself and StanHouseMuir, the article referred to in the OP is nearly 2 years old. The proposed change was referred to the Schools Adjudicator who ruled that it contravened the Admissions Code. The whole issue seems to have started with the schools believing, incorrectly, that they were not allowed to give priority to children within the Borough of Poole and attempting to use feeder schools to get around this. They now correctly give priority to children living within the Borough without disadvantaging children attending private schools.

[EvilTwinsAteRudolph]

Panto - it's her 4th thread.

Odd.

[Pantofino]

I don't really care if she/he is a journalist/lobbyist/polititian or not. I just wish they would be honest and come clean about their agenda on this. Because they obviously have one.

[EvilTwinsAteRudolph]

I agree.

[tingletangle]

If I was a parent who used a prep school and was then interested in a grammar school place. I would happily give up my place at a grammar school for a child who had been state educated and could not afford the fees.

I suspect the reason I would do that is because I am not the kind of parent who would send their child to a grammar or independent school.

[Notevenamouse]

Well they should be excluded, but it wouldn't solve the problem of tutoring. People would take kids out of prep for a year and send them to state and tutor. Our local grammar school was swarming with prep wchool kids on exam day. They were wearing uniform on Saturday and apparently telling the state school kids they had "no chance" during the break.

[tingletangle]

My dd was told by a prep school kid that either her mother was lazy, thick or just didn't care and that was why she was at a stats school !

To be fair though she has spent years putting up with mean comments from kids in her state school.

I suspect some kids are just mean

[mumoverseas]

Notevenamouse a lot of private (and indeed state) schools still have school on a Saturday morning so that might be why they attended in uniform on exam day. I'm sure not all the private school kids were saying things like that. I know a lot of privately educated children and would be appalled if they behaved like that.

tingletangle again that comment shocks me. What a rude and nasty child. I hope your DD wasn't too upset by that comment.

So where/what is the OP?

[Talkinpeace]

Can I see a link to that story that is NOT from the Daily Mail?

am sick and tired of rabid rubbish links from Mumsnet to the Daily Mail.
They make it up. People on here believe it.

[CaptainNancy]

What about looked after children who've been to prep school? How would you prioritise them?

[KangarooCaught]

Any child named Abbie-Gayle shouldn't be allowed through the gates.

[Talkinpeace]

I take it you mean nursery?
prep school at £50 a week is the mother of all bargains
local prep charges £2510 per term and rising