Tories shit all over the comprehensive system with a return to the 1950s and a nationwide 11+

[noblegiraffe]

That nice comp down the road that you had your eye on for your kid currently in primary?

BAM, now it's got an entrance exam and your kid is going to be bussed out to a secondary modern. We're staring down the barrel of a return to the two tier system across England.

Word on the street is that Theresa May, because she is a total fucking thoughtless idiot who doesn't have a clue about education and couldn't be arsed to read the Green Paper consultation responses from people who do, has kept in the imminent White Paper on grammar schools the option for current comprehensives to convert to grammar schools.

Heads will be preparing their applications to convert as we speak, because no school wants to miss the boat and become the secondary modern of the area.

Everyone with kids in primary should be very worried about this. Even if you think your kid should have a good shot at getting into the grammar, the test is unreliable.

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/government-set-allow-existing-schools-convert-grammar-status-white

[goodbyestranger]

There's a surprise.....

[greathat]

it is all utterly fucking stupid and a waste of money that is really needed in the comps

[noblegiraffe]

I would not be surprised to find out that Theresa May has a large number of shares or a family interest in private tutoring services. They're the only people in education who will win out of this.

[Ta1kinPeace]

Au contraire, Noble
Let them convert.
All of them, especially the academies.
As Grammars only get better results when their places are scarce.
If half the schools in a county convert, the lack of difference in results will devalue the brand in a couple of years.

[TooStressyForMyOwnGood]

We have a nice comp down the road... my DC are primary and pre-school.

This just gets worse doesn't it :(

[Ollycat]

It's hardly a surprise though - her constituency started discussions pushing two years ago with the grammar my kids attend about opening a satalite school in RBWM.

[Ollycat]

Ta1kinPeace I disagree Bucks is 100% selective (opt out) and tge grammar results are outstanding.

[noblegiraffe]

I'd love that, Talkin but apparently they're going to shoehorn something in about restricting the number of grammars per area. So it'll be an arms race. Not sure how it will work across county borders but I'm sure they've got a plan for that, and a plan to ensure that only areas that want them will get them

[Ta1kinPeace]

Ollycat
Bucks is very small with very porous borders.
How many of the kids at the grammars come from other areas?
As if they had Grammars nearer to home, the Bucks results would revert to the norm.
And of course the average results for Bucks are no better than any non selective county ...

Noble
THe heads of the shire county LEAs are so dead set against this I'm not sure they will play ball (based on personal conversations)
as they are the ones who would have to cover the bus fares

[Ollycat]

Ta1kinPeace basically none from out of catchment- my children's school offers about 3.2 miles in catchment

[Ollycat]

Bucks is not admitted by score - you qualify and then it's catchment. I'm not pro grammar school (yes my children attend one) but many of the things people say about grammars are wildly untrue and misleading and said by people with no experience of them.

[noblegiraffe]

LEAs don't have any control over academies though do they?

[Ta1kinPeace]

basically none from out of catchment
Really?
I'll have to re download the full DFE data set which has the out of catchment data as I seem to remember that selective districts had very high levels of border traffic
or maybe your school is not near the county boundary

either way Bucks is not significantly different from the English average so the Sec Mods balance out the grammars

as Noble so rightly and regularly points out

[Ta1kinPeace]

noble
LEAs provide buses and sign SLAs with Academies for bus provision .... there are ways

[AndKnowItsSeven]

My area has no nice comps only good faith schools and one grammar and two good lottery ex grammar schools.
More grammar schools will be a positive thing for my LEA.

[Mumski45]

Actually the attainment 8 score in Bucks was the 6th highest in the country in 2016. 4 of the other top 6 LA's also have more than 10% selective school places.

[user1490123259]

The comps, which were offering a good education in the 1980s, and maybe the 1990s, when behaviour was better, are failing abysmally now, with poor behaviour the norm, and many good children not getting a chance to learn anything, because a significant proportion of their classmates are permanently rioting.

We don't just need grammar schools back, where behaviour is a lot better, we also need EBD schools back, where the worst behaved can go, and just mess up their own education, not everyone elses aswell.

[Ta1kinPeace]

Mumski
Is that Bucks schools or Bucks resident pupils ?
Just that the influence of superselectives in small London boroughs distorts results

either way, Comps are fine for the counties that want them
do not force us to give them up

[bigmack]

Which schools are rioting? Do you work in a school like that?

[Ollycat]

Ta1kinPeace tgey have not offered all of catchment the last two years (previously had just accommodated all of catchment) - why don't you believe me?!? How strange! Still Bucks publishes its secondary school offers. Yes it's near county boundaries.

Tge likes of HBS and QE are the ones bussing people in.

[Ta1kinPeace]

user1490123259
because a significant proportion of their classmates are permanently rioting.
and Secondary Moderns will improve that ?

PS have you ever heard of a PRU ?
as you clearly hate school kids

[Iamastonished]

Is that you Theresa (user1490123259)?

[Mumski45]

No one is suggesting that comps should be given up. Where does that information come from.

[Mumski45]

Bucks schools

[user1490123259]

PS have you ever heard of a PRU ?

we need 10 times as many PRU places for comprehensives to work, and we need for them to take referrals for 10 times longer.