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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this school is being unreasonable?

28 replies

chasegirl · 07/05/2015 18:56

Ashington high school has publicly ranked its GCSE students on their academic ability. Just as they start their exams Its on the bbc news but cant do links am on phone.
I think this is massively unfair and a very dangerous tactic. The head is defending it saying it will raise standards. I just cannot see that.

OP posts:
zeezeek · 07/05/2015 19:13

Nope, won't raise standards; but may very well make a few students who are already worrying about doing their GCSEs lose even more confidence. Twats.

grannytomine · 07/05/2015 19:15

That is horrible. Last thing they need at the moment I would have thought.

Charis1 · 07/05/2015 19:15

very strange, what exactly have they done?

Sounds like it is aimed at firing up the students to lift themselves up a gew rungs. I don't think it will work. Time will tell.

ApocalypseThen · 07/05/2015 19:16

Is it legal?

QueenBean · 07/05/2015 19:17

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32624101

Clicky link

Shameful behaviour from the school

Coconutty · 07/05/2015 19:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

noblegiraffe · 07/05/2015 19:17

Gove was a fan of this.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1351552-Competitively-rank-students-by-results-say-Gove

Another reason not to vote Tory.

BitOfFun · 07/05/2015 19:17

That is bloody awful Shock

Passmethecrisps · 07/05/2015 19:18

Based solely on what is written here that sounds awful and undefensible - a sort of "we told you so" to those who don't perform as highly as wanted.

Would it be ok to publicly rank children according to attractiveness? Height?

The only comparison I can come up with which works is sport but even then you wouldn't compare a long distance runner against a shot putter.

Awful

Coconutty · 07/05/2015 19:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BitOfFun · 07/05/2015 19:20

The arrogance of the school leadership is staggering: "We understand this is an innovative approach and may not be something parents experienced for themselves in school."

So if you object as a parent, you are insulted as behind the times and possibly a bit stupid? Astonishing. I'd have no confidence in their judgement after that.

Original poster
chasegirl · 07/05/2015 19:23

Some students could give up all hope. Others could decide they can coast through.I cant see it beibg goid for any of them.Thanks for putting the link on here

OP posts:
LokiBear · 07/05/2015 19:30

Awful. If our head did this I'd leave. We have a list of on our staffroom wall of pupils who are out performing their personal targets (Eg a pupil is predicted an 'f' grade but is performing at an 'e' grade) as a reminder of how hard our pupils are working and to encourage us to praise and encourage them. It is a long list. Pupils are motivated when they feel like their teachers believe in them.

pearpotter · 07/05/2015 19:41

Awful. Who bloody cares where they are in the class, I only care how they are progressing and how they compare to other students across the country, which is why I liked the NC levels, and now that has been changed for purely political reasons.

At my primary school I would have always been top of the class or second, but in my second school I moved to in Y6 I would have been somewhere in the top ten as there were just more high ability pupils in the more wealthy middle class area.

This is meaningless and divisive.

dannydyerismydad · 07/05/2015 19:48

I went to a (private) school that did this. Kids were publicly ranked and graded for everything. Some kids thrived on the competition. Many were totally demoralised by it. I wouldn't allow a child of mine to be educated in the same way.

pointythings · 07/05/2015 20:05

I saw this first in the DM, the comments were shocking... I think it's destructive and an awful thing to do. Most young people know exactly where they stand compared to their peers anyway, there is no need to hammer it home. The high ranking ones may get cocky and coast, the ones who struggle will lose all will to keep trying. So glad our school doesn't do this.

Variousrandomthings · 07/05/2015 20:11

Totally crushing confidence wise for lower ability or SEN children. At our school we get a printout outlining the percentage gaining each SATS grade. So I actually know where my child is academically compared to her year group as a whole.

SenecaFalls · 07/05/2015 20:19

Are there no privacy laws that protect pupils? I am American, and I am pretty sure that this would be illegal in the US; educational records are protected under privacy laws.

MrsBartlet · 07/05/2015 20:21

How awful - poor students!

CalleighDoodle · 07/05/2015 21:43

Yes it seems to becoming the in thing.

However, it isnt new. My primary school reports from (gulp) 30 years ago gave a rank for each subject. Something like 4/32

Summergarden · 07/05/2015 21:45

Awful. Kids are under so much pressure already, this only heaps on more.

BarbarianMum · 07/05/2015 21:47

And potentially hugely stressful for the high achieving ones. I had a friend who was very nearly suicidal if she wasn't top in everything (would compare test results constantly). Ended up having a nervous breakdown at Oxford. It's not all fun at the top, either.

DramaAlpaca · 07/05/2015 21:48

My old primary school reports from the 70s have my rankings for every subject and overall position in the class. We were often told what position we were in end of year exams at secondary school too. It was normal at the time.

I'm glad my own DC haven't been subjected to this.

tyto · 07/05/2015 21:54

I'm not surprised that Gove is a fan.

Mylittlepotofjoy · 07/05/2015 22:54

Omg that is dreadful !!!! My youngest child struggled with his exams as he is dyslexic and we knew his results would not be great. But to have it printed for everyone to see would have devastated him it's a truely vile thing to do they should be ashamed