Faith schools to be allowed to redact exam papers.

creamteas
private schools can do what they like
if you restrict what private schools can do you get an epidemic of religious home schooling : as in the USA

I think this should be against the law. If they're faith is so strong, why are they worried about the students reading alternative theories. Surely, if they are so sure they are right, it shouldn't affect them.

I've taught plenty of students who 'don't believe' in evolution and they've never had a problem.

This is the sort of behavior you expect of countries like afghanistan not the UK. Perhaps we should start burning books next just in case they contain something we don't want to read.

oh - i think this may have already been done.

I was disgusted that OCR (and therefore Ofqual) are allowing this to happen. Absolutely appalling.

God I've justread that back and it sounded far arsier than I intended. Sorry.

It's not necessarily 'academic' selection. It's more that the criteria tend to favour motivated, driven parents with high academic expectations of their children. This feeds down into the children and is probably the most likely cause of the hard-working, conscientious, considerate citizens you describe. I'm not saying the school don't have a role in that but I think the demographics of year 7 going in to the school are likely to be very different to the year 7 going into other comprehensives. Which might account for much of the difference in exam results.

Hi Clavinova and Rafa - perhaps I have missed something. Yes, I did indeed say that and was under the impression they'd been rapped for the antique faith points system they use, sooner than for selecting academically. The fair banding system's been criticised here before, but several of the competition use it too and no one has questioned them about it. TBH it would be nice to feel greater pride in her achievement for getting in if I did think that! However, that wasn't the primary driver - Croydon borough is very light on single sex schools unless you're a Catholic and that's what DD wanted. We liked GCH better than the only other option.

Glad I made you laugh, even if it wasn't intentional! Enjoy the sun!

I'm not sure whether you are ill informed, deluded or just having a laugh about Grey Coats not being selective. but you have just made me laugh out loud. It's horrendously selective witha heavy bias towards a certain type of parent. In fact I'm pretty sure it's just been rapped over the knuckles for its selective admissions criteria breaching the admission code.

Jewish Girls school
www.secularism.org.uk/news/2014/03/government-complicit-in-redaction-of-exam-questions-on-evolution

such schools have no place in state funding
and Ofqual and the Dfe are disgraceful in pandering to them

I am appalled too.

Here is a link to the BHA statement humanism.org.uk/2014/03/02/ofqual-exam-boards-collude-faith-schools-censor-questions-evolution/

Perhaps we can all get sharing it, to spread the word? I cannot believe this, and think it risks discrediting the exam system for everyone. Do flat earthers get questions on the earth's magnetic field removed?

Everhopeful - I've just been reading another thread where you said that that your dd's school - Grey Coat Hospital "felt like a private school" - of course it's more selective than the other schools you looked at for your dd; why else would she travel from Croydon/Purley to Westminster every day? I'm as sharp-elbowed as anyone (ds1 travels miles to his private school on a scholarship to avoid the local comp) but let's all stop pretending that average intake equals fab GCSEs.

I'm appalled too. I'm pro faith schools, less because of the faith aspect, more because they generally (I know there are exceptions to every rule) produce hard-working, conscientious and considerate citizens amidst fantastic academic results and I really, really can't see a problem with that. When I chose for DD, the non-seculars averaged 5 GCSEs incl E&M at about 64%; her school has 90% and is no more selective than the others. The day the secular schools do as well (I'm talking averages here), I will be happy to see state faith schools go. Meantime, I'm very unhappy to see ridiculous behaviour by a minority of these schools that makes a mockery of them all. OCR ABU to allow it!

And I am appalled that exam boards are allowing papers to be redacted in this way.

I'm also gobsmacked that it's not compulsory to teach evolution in a state school

It is. It should already be taught in secondary school and from September it should also be taught in primary schools. Schools are not allowed to teach creationism as fact. And most faith schools wouldn't want to anyway. Neither the CofE nor the RC supports creationism.

I am gobsmacked they're allowed to do this.

I'm also gobsmacked that it's not compulsory to teach evolution in a state school (is this Jewish school a state school?)

It's really not right.