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.

I'm reminded of Stewart Lee, Hak don't know if you've seen this, but - hundreds and hundreds of cupcake, but don't go putting any despair or anger in there, just 100% cupcake...

My children don't carry or use weapons for several reasons.
A) the only child I currently have at senior school has severe and profound disabilities and isn't capable of knowingly carrying any weapons or knowing what a weapon even is.
B) I no longer live in an area where carrying weapons to school is the norm because there is no gang culture similar to what exists in the area that I grew up.
C) because I more aware of what goes on than my own parents were and I have a habit of checking primary school bags on a regular basis for anything which shouldn't be in there (usually consists of rotten uneaten fruit and leaking pens).
D) if i became aware that any of my children were carrying any weapon to school in order to protect themselves then I would remove them from school immediately and home educate until I can find a safe place for them to be educated.

Marni I've never heard of that. How common is that?

tallyhoho if you think it was irresponsible of me to carry a knife when I was at school please read the book 'gang wars' which is a real account of gang culture in Manchester over the last 4 decades or so. The 1990s were the worst and saw a 10 year old shot in the eye and blinded (a boy who I personally knew). The book gives a snippet of what life was like in certain areas of Manchester and some of that did spill over into schools as many young people were working as 'runners' and 'soldiers' for established gangs.

Marni, there are a couple of schools in Belfast that do this. They have a 'Grammar Stream' (for the 11+ passers) in the same school as a comprehensive intake. They are single sex schools.

Link to results here: bbms.org.uk/news/article.php?s=outstanding-results-for-our-boys.

If you live in kent, you think that if your child is top 25% they must be educated separately. Locally, it is closer to 0.5%)

If you live in Kent, you want the best for your children, working within the current system, same as parents living anywhere else. For some that might be a grammar, for some that might be a non-selective school. For some, that might be an independent school. There are a lot of factors to consider.

Quite apart from gang violence the sheer bloody lack of opportunity, hope and general grimness is a massive factor in some areas of Manchester still, as in East Lancs, Liverpool and several other areas of the country.

That makes real sense then. Gang members are notorious for being fearful of anyone carrying a knife, particularly when they know how to and are willing to use it.

I don't think he/she was saying it was a good decision to carry a knife but that there was a reason for making that decision.

I wasn't living in a rough area of Manchester but the school intake was very varied and included kids with difficult home lives. I saw a knife in school on more than one occasion.

Why is selection at 11 (grammar/religious schools) wrong yet selection at 18 (University) right?

Simple
the latter is based upon the choice of the individual receiving the education
the former is based on the prejudices of the parents.

Children should be educated together until they are old enough to make their own decisions.

talkinpeace you are talkinsense.

the latter is based upon the choice of the individual receiving the education

so the up bringing has no bearing on the choice of uni? Parents dont get involved?

not all children go to university
many, by age 18, have clear views of what they want from life and should have the right to make that choice

Hairtodaygonetomorrow Fri 26-Sep-14 10:02:28

Great post.

It would be rare in my last thirty years working in Education with a diverse spectrum of young people to find an individual who hasn't seen a weapon at some point. Carrying weaponry provokes rather than diffuses situations. Gang members do not carry weaponry to threaten those who excel academically ??.

Anyway, I digress, read "may contain nuts" by John O Farell. Those women are clearly off MumsNet ??

• I have challenged those who paint comprehensive schools as seething masses of vice and violence

those are your words, no one has said that.

You are trying to implicate people are saying that, people have just given their personal experience. Instead of saying OK, in that school, that doesn't sound good you have questioned, La Q for instance how she can have that experience and you have belittled and written off other peoples experiences.

Being in a tough school is a very raw experience for some, it was very painful and in some cases, from personal experience has wrecked lives.

• I was top of my year group for most subjects and I had to survive school

we all need to be ashamed to hear that, all of us, policticans and everyone.

"I had to survive school" ( and carry a knife)

I have said frequently that there are bad schools. Of all types.

I don't honestly think LaQueen needs defending from the likes of me!

I'm still waiting for somebody to explain how state super-selectives will allow poor families to benefit when the financial and logistical hurdles of attendance are so high.

The fact that Colyton (A true SS that has a mahoosive catchment and does not appear to impact too badly on neighbouring schools) has an FSM rate one quarter that of the LEA average speaks volumes
www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/group.pl?qtype=LA&superview=sec&view=aat&set=5&sort=ks4_13.ptebacc&ord=desc&tab=71&no=878&pg=1

Educating Essex is not an accurate representation of all comprehensive schools, surely. Just as TOWIE bears no resemblance to most people's everyday lives.

These are TV programmes, researched, filmed and edited for entertainment value.

I could link to similar comment pieces saying exactly the opposite- but I can't see the point

But that is true for everything you can twist every stat, do a new test, get an opposite one, its true of everything.

wonders whether people realise that I produce 200 cupcakes during the average decent selective education row

Wow wonder woman.

I'm still waiting for somebody to explain how state super-selectives will allow poor families to benefit when the financial and logistical hurdles of attendance are so high

You should be asking how state primaries are going allow poor families to even try to get a look in at the 11+ when they have been left behind and left totally un supported.

Missunreasonable Fri 26-Sep-14 13:06:46

dont blame you at all, its shaming for all of us that you think you needed too.

"I could link to similar comment pieces saying exactly the opposite- but I can't see the point

But that is true for everything you can twist every stat, do a new test, get an opposite one, its true of everything. "

Of course. But linking to an article seems to suggest that the writer of the article has some sort of knowledge or authority. Which in this particular case, he doesn't. He's "just like us" except that his platform is the Guardian, not Mumsnet.j