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Secondary education

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Original poster

Anyone else disappointed with their state choices?

204 replies

DrTinkle · 05/09/2015 14:32

It's all so bloody average around here. Schools seem to move from satisfactory to good, grades are average, bullying and low aspiration a problem. High performing kids do less well than they would at independents. No grammar schools in the area and the church school creams off most of the advantaged kids with parents who can commit to 7 years church or synagogue attendance. Everything is so oversubscribed and competitive around here, it's basically overpopulated.
We're utterly stuck living here for work and childcare reasons. I don't want DD who is bright and very capable to have the poor choices I had so faced with paying for 6 years of schooling which won't be easy.
Just a bit sad looking at Facebook friends kids going to grammars or well performing comps and thinking it just ain't fair. Anyone else care to vent?

OP posts:
derektheladyhamster · 06/09/2015 08:55

We are paying for an English tutor, 1 hr a week. It's good value for £25. I would pay for others if DS was struggling in other areas. The private school teachers also offer tutoring, so that could be worth a look if you don't think the state teachers are very good. Personally, I don't think there is much difference in the teaching. You pay for a better behaved cohort in a private school! Don't panic though. As long as your aspirations are high there is a good chance things will work out ok.
For what it's worth, most people don't live in an area with grammar schools, and our kids do just fine. But you need to pay attention to what is happening at school and be ready to step in.

maybebabybee · 06/09/2015 08:54

High-achieving state schools - sorry typing on my shitty phone!!

maybebabybee · 06/09/2015 08:53

Just to add an alternative perspective on this. I went to my local state comp. Inner city London. 30% GCSE pass rate.

I have 4 A grade A-levels and a first class degree from a RG university.

From the outside my secondary school probably looked shit. From the inside it was actually very good. Teachers who were really into teaching encouraging kids from less privileged backgrounds to aim higher and achieve well. Recognising that for some children a C grade is as much of an achievement as an A*. Not forcing everyone down the academic route if that wasn't what they were good at.

I don't think you can always tell what a school is like from the outside. More importantly the school I went to gave me a great group of friends from all backgrounds and the ability to stand up for myself when previously I had been a very shy, non-assertive child. I like to think that I am fairly open minded because of the school I went to.

I don't, personally, like the way that independent schools and very high-acievement state schools push academic achievement over everything else. My sister attended the Greycoat Hospital School which on paper looks fantastic but in reality has made her feel like she's there to push the grade average up for the school.

Just my two cents.

Thumbcat · 06/09/2015 08:44

We're a few years away from needing to think about this but are already worried because our local state secondaries are all dire and have been for years. If anything they're getting worse. We also don't have grammars.

There are a few better performing schools a bit further afield who take a small number of children based on aptitude tests so I think we'll be putting DS in for those, but then so will everyone else in the area who cares about their child's education.

We've decided we'll find a way to pay for private if the only alternative is the local comp.