School Swap - anyone watching?

[annandale]

OK I'll be honest, i'm not actually watching it myself because I don't think I'd be able to sleep afterwards but would love to know what anyone thinks of it...

[chosenone]

I taught at Bemrose in Derby back in 1999. Looks like its improved a lot in very difficult circumstances. Still a world away from the Independent sector. Interesting stuff.

[FabulousFudge]

Yes, I'm finding it very interesting!

[petitdonkey]

I'm watching- very interesting but figuring out where the bias is...

[OddBoots]

I'm watching. It's like comparing apples with pears but it's interesting anyway. Why wouldn't you sleep?

[VirginiaTonic]

It seems to have quite a positive message so far, and not really biased either way.

Quite why they would compare two such an obviously diverse schools is beyond me? It's not really about private or state, but about the differences in the challenges they face. There are many many state schools where the pupils don't face the difficulties of the students at Bemrose. If they wanted to really debate the differences between state and private it would be more useful to take two schools in a similar area and then compare the provision.

[FabulousFudge]

I agree! It is like comparing apples and pears. I love all of these kinds of programmes though.

[twirlypoo]

I'm watching too - also found it hard to work out the bias. Are the kids going to the private school too?

[petitdonkey]

I agree with Virginia - the socioeconomic issues in that school make it impossible to compare the school provision. I thought that the school came across as being really brilliantly run and the programme didn't just find bad behaviour etc. I did think the head was a bit chippy and defensive though with no need.

I'm not sure what next week will be like- I think the programme makers may take more of a pop at the private school...

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Just watching now.

They are portraying the head as a bit flaky tbh. I'm wondering what points they are trying to make.

[JustBeingJuliet]

I've just finished watching, as Bemrose is my old school, so had to out of morbid curiosity! Found it interesting that the private school lad was in lower set maths at his school and predicted to get a C, yet at Bemrose he would be expected to get an A. Surely it's the same exam you take, regardless of whether it's state or private education?

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I don't think. The private head would last five mins.

There seems to be alot on place to deal with problematic children and to help make children feel cared about. There's so much going on and he looks so stubbed at it all.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

boxing

Im in awe of the sheer effort this school is putting into helping these children

[OddBoots]

I imagine it is pupil premium money that allows the school to do some of these things to try to help the students, I think they said they had quite a few claiming free school meals. It looks like it is being put to good use.

[leccybill]

The underlying message is the privately educated kids have more self assurance purely because of wealth. It really is as simple as that.

Brett is a decent kid who looks like he lives a pretty tough life. Many out there like him.

Isn't Warminster a military boarding school with many kids there on army scholarships? I had a cousin go there. The regimental occasions aren't common to every kind of private school.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

interesting point made about the children being more compliant and making lazier teachers.

smaller classes, more opportunities I can see why people choose to go private. hell I would if I could afford it. highlights the importance of what messages you reinforce at home though.

[FuckTheseSixFishInParticular]

The head of the private school used to be a teacher at my old school. He used to be in the army before he was a teacher.

I didn't get to see the whole thing (recorded it), but I'm glad it doesn't seem to have too much of a bias either way.

[goodasitgets]

It's interesting. I have done both, went to a private school in Abingdon and then moved up north and went to a state school

[LuluJakey1]

Same number of children and twice the number of teachers in the private school

'Internal exclusion' used twice a year in private school, 12x a day in state.

Reading age 18 in private school, 7 in state school.

[LuluJakey1]

And poor Brett's house- the state of it. Poor kid.

[annandale]

I have angst about education in a lot of ways, that's why I thought I might not sleep. Sounds interesting though.

[BagsyThisName]

It was a reading age of 7 for the children who had just arrived at the school from overseas, so that wasn't representative of the whole school (though underlines the challenges).

Brett's house will have been a huge eye opener for the private school boy. On the clip for next week Brett was saying he wanted to stay at the private school

I thought it was odd the state school would have thought the boy could have gone for the higher level maths paper but the private school were restricting him to a c. I wonder if that was just a rash comment on a small snapshot of his ability, or if the engaging state school maths teacher really helped him understand things he hadn't before.

How did you find your move goodasitgets ?

[petitdonkey]

I thought it was very rash of the SS teacher to say that boy would be sitting a higher paper - based on one or two lessons? Don't get me wrong, it was clear that the boy liked him and he's a great teacher but a child that gets algebra on the first introduction may not have the foundation of numbers needed for other applications.

I think that the whole of the state school were, rightly, proud of their school and were very keen that they were seen at their best. I hope that the programme makers are as fair to the private school. Anyone can see the different challenges they face so i thought it was unfair of the head to say she'd seen poor teachers going into private sector. The PS head was at pains to say what a great job the SS were doing. I think there may be more pot shots next week but I hope I'm wrong.

[petitdonkey]

And I agree at poor Brett… A child like him has so many odds stacked against him. Fair play to his parents for letting him take part and for the producers for resisting the temptation to be too at his circumstances. When the PS boy took the toggle out of his mouth I thought he was going to get lamped!!

[SheGotAllDaMoves]

I was a bit surprised with the HT saying more compliant children made 'lazy' teachers.

As if having lots of disruption were a wonderful source of challenge! And the real skill of teaching was behaviour management .

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I don't think. She meant it like that.

just that with so many more children and such a wide set of issues to be dealt with, teachers have to be more creative and inventive and patient and many other things to be able to engage and reach all the children in the class.