to really regret the whole grammar school thing.

[newrecruit]

DS1 is in year 4 (DS2 in year 1).

I went to a girls grammar school and loved it. So when we moved out of London one of the reasons we chose this area was the schools. I don't think we are super selective (don't quite know what that means)

However, I was explaining the schools to him this morning as we drove past one and had an impending feeling of doom.

He's bright but can't be arsed. Resists pushing and I am against tutor on principal. I don't think he'd suit an all boys school.

What have I done! We should have just moved to a comprehensive area with a decent intake.

Some parents are already talking about tutors and its 2 years away. I want to hit them quite hard.

Please pile in and tell me to get a grip.

There are only two children I know for a fact were not tutored at all unless you call doing a couple of practice papers at school tutoring. And one of them failed catastrophically, the other scraped a pass.

Really? You have no idea, yet you keep saying you moved to the area for that school!. I would have done my research a bit better if I was you!

Yes I do LaQueen, not in the same county as you, but very near you.

I agree stripybanana, that's really why I started this thread.

The whole tutoring thing becomes inflationary so that you feel you are doing your child a disservice if you don't help them prepare in some way (either through a tutor or getting some past papers).

I'm doing them even more of a disservice if I don't enter them for the test because I chose to live in a selective area and then don't let him compete.

It is all a question of degree though. Am I giving my child an unfair advantage against others because I read to him everyday, help with homework, play board games or take them to museums? Probably.

I've done a little more research however (which I probably should have done years ago). The co-ed grammar (aside from 2 single sex grammars) has a secondary modern next door. There is a lot more movement between schools with some children put in the 'grammar stream' at the beginning of Year 7 based on their SATS results, and some transferring in later years.

In essence - it's a comp!

Nit is absolutely right about the tutoring. Of course it's buying an advantage, there's no other way to characterise it. It's been doubly buying an advantage in recent years because it's been deterring plenty of people who might have stood a chance from applying. It'll be interesting to see how those on these types of thread deal with the changes. Moral outrage seems the most likely..........

"So 7-8 years ago? How many incidents? How many schools? And none of the SMTs at any of the schools it happened at did anything?

One question answered. A couple more to go.

I doubt you do know what school I am talking about LaQueen, it isn't one of two for starters.

"It'll be interesting to see how those on these types of thread deal with the changes. Moral outrage seems the most likely.........."

Not if the changes actually work.......

I just think, let's be honest. When you buy coaching, it's because someone's going to miss out and you don't want it to be your own child. Understandable if not especially laudable. Let's just not dress it up as giving them confidence and familiarity despite the fact that they'll ace it anyway and then never find a single thing at the school difficult again.

Ah we're back to that! What a startlingly original and unpredictable point!

Philoslothy Tue 23-Sep-14 19:24:11

V interesting post.

But Grammars do exist and other children like you will be missing out as they have no support from their state school.

Interesting article in our local rag, 17% of state applicants got into Grammars, and rest were private. Also it was a new 11+ designed to stop benefits from tutoring and its made no difference at all.

You cannot create a non tutorable test.

So you have to set up the state sector to help those children like Philo, to get in and try.

When you buy coaching, it's because someone's going to miss out and you don't want it to be your own child

Same applies to buying private ed too from early on.

Yep.