The Politics of Grammar Schools

No. My child was learning: IQ Maths, Missing Word Cloze, Inferential Comprehension and Antonyms.

In between that a great deal of time was spent on playing the PS4 and family time. Now, as a treat, it's off to watch the Snowman and Father Christmas.

Your child is learning vocab at 9pm?

Poor thing

Not being bothered about cva or anything other than headline figures should, IMO, preclude you from being a governor. Please avoid in future. Schools can do without your sort.

Evil

I was on the sub-curriculum committee. I had an idea on how to improve reading levels and it worked. I took new practices that I had gleaned from other countries and applied them at the school. Some worked and some did not.

In relation to mascalls school, i compared it to the other schools and decided the best option would be to go elsewhere.

I am not bothered about cva; I only look at the headline figures. Yesterday, I analysed the numbers at mascalls correctly.

One thing. my time as governor, did reinforce for me was that, in the absence of a very good independent school a super selective grammar education beats a comprehensive by a very long mile.

As we speak dc2, is knee deep in solid vocab learning. He. has undertaken I must go now, as I need to review what DC 2 is doing. He is preparing for next year's 11+.

Bye.

portico, if you are/were a governor, then how on earth did you not know what high/middle/low achievers in the data you looked at were?

Please do answer the question - you seem to be very good at avoiding questions.

It bothers me enormously that people like you are "community" governors when you clearly don't have the first clue about schools. Also that you were a governor in a state comprehensive and were shocked at the GCSE headline figures you were quoting last night. It also bothers me that you, as a governor, say that you "don't particularly care" about policy. Are you simply going along and listening to the children read in order to satisfy some urge to "give back to the community"? In which case, please stop. Schools need governors who DO care, and who ARE knowledgeable, are not snobs who turn their noses up at figures of 82% A-C and 55% A-C inc English & Maths. Schools do not need governors who neither know nor care about the children in the school.

portico
at a macro level, I do not particularly care. That is down to government to sort that out.
In that case I hope you vote Labour and support massive tax rises -
because the current Government are slashing and burning support for families and social care as if the post war Social Safety net never existed.

Personally I do not support a return to tax and spend
so therefore believe that those who CAN understand and afford to make a macro difference SHOULD
(the libertarian argument)

AmbertheCat

I was a community governor in a poor performing comp, and as said earlier I was part of a wide ranging and great team that turned it around. I will revert back to it in autumn of 2015 after my Dc has sat the grammar 11+ - I gained some fulfillment in that role. I enjoyed improving reading levels (decoding and comprehension) for Y7s that came in with reading levels of 8 years. They rapidly caught up with their peers by middle of Year 8, and this was the most rewarding.

Therefore, I made changes at a micro-level. At a macro level, I do not have the energy or the desire to influence change. I will carry on as a governor, but I will expend more energy and resources in helping my children. I have spent the last ten years harvesting best resources, and use them on my children. I have also donated most of them to my dc's prior state primary.

In answer to your question, at a macro level, I do not particularly care. That is down to government to sort that out. Not me!!

Not much else to say.

Oh dear. You did not understand what high attainers are. You misinterpreted that as 18% getting 5 A*-C from a cohort of 229. You are basing your views on one piece of information and summising that a school is terrible based on that only.

At least attempt to understand data before trying to use it to support your argument.

Evil said

Portico all I want you to do is change your attitude. And perhaps get your facts right before posting.

Exactly, what facts did I get wrong. I took you through the numbers.

Change my attitude, in what way!!!

smokepole I went to a comprehensive school and then a state 6th form college (none of the state secondaries had their own 6th forms) then on to an RG university. Interestingly, my closest friend from university and I both got the same A Level grades in the same subjects. Her parents spent a bloody fortune on her education though at a selective girls' independent.

portico - I have a job which enables me to exert a small amount of influence on education policy, which I appreciate is unusual. I'm a school governor. I also try to challenge inaccurate and harmful opinions on education where possible.

It isn't so much the fact that you don't think you can challenge educational inequality that surprises me - rather the fact that you don't want to. Is that really what you meant, or did I misunderstand?

It would be interesting to see how many people on this thread, benefited from either selective or private education?. I know Talkin was educated at a school that selected on the basis of Ancestry dating back to the Magna Carta!.

I also suspect Hakulyt was educated at a grammar school yet these are the most staunch opponents of education based on ability

. I will say something though about being educated in a Modern school, it makes you realise how stupid the vast majority of the population are (including yourself)! Seriously though I do agree Comprehensives/modern School give a better understanding about inequalities in education or society in general. DD2 can sometimes be in a " protected" bubble bought on by her grammar school, whereas DD1 was far more aware at her age about life (Modern School)

Portico all I want you to do is change your attitude. And perhaps get your facts right before posting.

HTH

Amber. What can I do to help. Beyond paying a huge amount of tax what can I do.

Tell what have you done about it.

Talkin Peace I think you might need to look at exactly what some of the super selectives are doing to assist or cover transport costs. You talk as if it hadn't occurred to grammar school heads that transport costs might be a problem.... Our school, for example, allows the full amount of the pupil premium to be used for transport and offers bursaries in addition.

Also, not having read the thread I don't know if the FSM numbers have been discussed, but they usually are, by Talkin peace and Hakluyt in particular, and I'm just wondering if they know the numbers of those on FSM attaining L5 at KS2 in relation to the numbers getting places at grammars? The problem there doesn't lie with the grammars or the grammar school system - it's a far deeper problem.

portico - there is 'nothing [you] want to do to help' people who can't afford to make the best choice for their children's education?

Wow.

Hey Evil

In relation to the numbers I looked at the Numbers in Cohort table. There are 229 of them.

High attainers are those who enter with an average KS2 grade of L5.

Middle attainers achieved average L4 at KS2.

Low attainers achieved average L3 at KS2.

I'm amazed you can be so shocked about data when you don't actually know what it is telling you.

The 60 residual students may have missed their C grade in English OR Maths but could still have come out with 9 A grades.

And if 87 out if 147 Middle attainers have achieved 5 A to C GCSEs, including Eng Nd Maths, what about the residual 60 students.

Any, how do they define high, med and low attainers.

Do you realise that the high/middle/low attainers refers to their entry points? ie their KS2 results? No idea where you get your assertion than 41/229 got 5A*-C inc English & Maths.

Perhaps do a bit more research and understand the figures you are "analysing", portico

43 out of 229 are high attained. 95% would make it 41 students. So 41 students out of 229 achieved 5 GCSEs, including Eng and Maths, at grades A to C. That's 18% of that cohort.

You are entitled to your opinion, even if it is a ludicrous snap judgement based on one thing only.

You clearly don't understand what really does count though. Results are nothing unless one is fully aware of the starting points.

Mascalls is the kind of school that people would liked to be rolled out all over Kent!. Middle ranking 55-63% pass rate Comprehensives because that represents the real average of the county .

I stand corrected. My apologies for the grammar faux pas.

Regarding my thoughts on the said school, sadly nothing has changed.

Looking at the figures , there not so bad 95% of High Attainers achieve 5A*-C Maths/English with a B grade average 57% of Middle attainers average C-.

Anyway they have a smart new "uniform" that is about to be launched ! That is sure to get they overall pass rate up from 55% to at least 56% !.

Whom attained would be incorrect in any sentence!