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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think most of the people bemoaning grammar schools are hypocrites

383 replies

pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:40

That's just it's really I don't mind people who have the courage of there conviction but I have no trux with champagne socialists

Like jc or Diane Abbott or Tristan hunt

Who's children all went or will be going to grammar or private

Even bloody James o Brian moaning about grammars when he rountinly says he wouldn't rule out private for his girls 😕

OP posts:
MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 12/09/2016 16:41

Tell me you went to a grammar school op. Tell me you went and it didn't do you any harm. Please 😂

Original poster
pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:42

Even people like chukka who benfifitted grately himself from grammar education

Its like when all the lefties were arguing for tuition fees having received a free education themselves 😳

OP posts:
Original poster
pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:43

poster MovingOnUpMovingOnOut Mon 12-Sep-16 16:41:58

Hahah sadly I was made to leave school at 14 and get a job by 15 I was in a young person a hostal

OP posts:
VladmirsPoutine · 12/09/2016 16:44

I went to grammar school and it wasn't the best fit for me, looking back. That said, I built an amazing career went to one of the best uni's in the world and have a lot to show for it. Would I send any potential dc to one in the future? Probably not.

t4nut · 12/09/2016 16:44

Grammar schools are a political biscuit to get the pointy elbowed middle classes who can't quite afford private, but can afford a couple of terms of tutoring and coaching for the entrance exams all excited.

Awful idea but clever politics to distract from all the general nasty toriness going on.

takesnoprisoners · 12/09/2016 16:45

YANBU. Being a liberal leftie is in fashion and people endorse that no matter what. grammar schools are a good opportunity and I hope more children get good quality education and we have a better support system for kids who are academically gifted.

surferjet · 12/09/2016 16:45

Agree, most of the politicians shouting 'outrageous' went to grammar schools & so do their kids.
Full of shit the lot of them.

Original poster
pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:46

The issue for me is

Why do labour always call foul about this issue when you look at what MPs child attends what school many of them go to grammars or private

So really it's horse shit

I have no issue with people saying grammars are awful but you don't get to put your children in one or private with a stright face

OP posts:
Original poster
pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:48

I can't wait to see what chunka dose when he's faced with a grammar or any of the high schools in Lambeth when he has children

OP posts:
hackmum · 12/09/2016 16:48

Assuming in your OP that jc refers to Jeremy Corbyn, he very much didn't want his children to go to grammar school, and he and his wife split up over the matter.

90daychallenger · 12/09/2016 16:50

YANBU YANBU YANBU a thousand times over.

For me, this is why the Labour party is dead. Full of champagne socialists. I'm surrounded by them in my job working in higher education too. Dicks.

user1471443957 · 12/09/2016 16:50

YABU

Original poster
pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:51

And yet his son went and received a wonderful education

And I sure your not saying the rest of the labour lot were dragged kicking a screaming to the private school admission office 😁

OP posts:
Original poster
pleasemothermay1 · 12/09/2016 16:53

James o Brian makes me laugh one would imagine as he lives in Hammersmith he thought I may get the girls into the Toby Young school however he may get one of the rough schools in white city and facing that prospect the soclist values go out the window
Hahaha

OP posts:
freetrampolineforall · 12/09/2016 16:59

Dianne Abbott is a hypocrite. As for JC - not sure this was a "splitting up the family " issue but it makes him look "good " so it must have been worth it.
If a comp helps a bright child to fulfill their potential, then fine. I went to one (1977 - first year of comps in our area). I don't think I fulfilled my potential- I coasted through it because it was too easy and I wasn't challenged enough. Say it ain't like that now. Say we don't need grammar schools to help brighter kids. It's what I want to hear because I have one.

Floisme · 12/09/2016 17:00

I think we may as well all calm down as I would be very surprised if Theresa May seriously intends to pursue this. She has a majority of 12 and even her own party aren't totally behind her. I imagine she's thrown it out as a bit of a distraction. It seems to have worked.

Of course I could be completely wrong - as we now know, you can have the best education money can buy and still be terminally stupid.

vladthedisorganised · 12/09/2016 17:03

YANBU.

I find myself hearing a lot of the 'grammar schools are elitist because they discriminate against less able children' argument and wonder what those people think of two things:

  • is it more elitist to discriminate on the basis of ability than to discriminate purely on the basis of how much money your parents earn? (so those with more money can choose state or private, those with less can only choose state..)
  • do they think that oversubscribed secondaries aren't looking at SATS results now and making some 'value judgements' based on those? Equally, I'm pretty sure there's a lot of private tutoring going on for SATS as well..

It is odd how many (very) vocal opponents of grammar schools that I've encountered think that the private school system is perfectly fine.

WindPowerRanger · 12/09/2016 17:06

DH is against despite going to a wonderful grammar himself and doing well there. Because he remembers all the nice kids at his village primary who didn't get into the grammar school. How they were treated and how much less well they all did. How their schools were not funded as well as his, and offered far less in the way of extras like school trips. It is morally and practically wrong to write off so many children at the age of 11.

I went to a large comprehensive with streaming that did its utmost to benefit each and every child regardless of ability long before 'Value Added' was even a thing. I see nothing wrong and a lot right with that approach.

Plus having practically all the town's children going to the one school did a lot more to break down class and other barriers and encourage achievement than sending the top stream to a separate place would have done.

I don't want grammar schools or a choice of schools, I want my children to go to the nearest school and for that school to be very good.

All the talk about selection is a tacit admission that this government has given up on, or was never interested in, improving educational outcomes for everyone. And sees this as a canny sop to the core vote, who are being priced out of private education by wealthy foreigners. Stinks.

MapleandPear · 12/09/2016 17:08

Theresa May isn't a leftie.

I am a declared champagne socialist hypocrite who sends my child to grammar school, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper and less hassle than finding the £100,000+ house price uplift to become another sort of hypocrite and send her to posh comprehensive. And is a lot more straightforward than going down the baptism and regular church attendance route.

rookiemere · 12/09/2016 17:08

My DH came from an extremely deprived area but was bright so managed to go to grammar as did my SIL. They've both done really well as a result.

Apparently now it's wrong to give disadvantaged DCs who are bright this opportunity as it may be unfair on the less clever ones.

I'd rather that the government allowed streaming and prioritisation of funding based on ability, rather than allowing it on religion which should not be state funded at all.

But yes agree with Floisme - all a wee bit of a distraction as unless a Brexit plan is negotiated or we quietly forget it all happened, can't imagine there'll be much funding around for anything fancy to happen in the schooling system.

MapleandPear · 12/09/2016 17:11

Yes I would also like DD1 to go to the nearest secondary school and for all schools to be good. Until this wonderful utopia occurs she is going to (what will hopefully be) the best school for her which is a bus ride away.

RedHelenB · 12/09/2016 17:14

No grammar schools in our area but all 3 of my children would be more than capable of getting in. The two who have gone through the comprehensive system have done well as have their friends who also probably would have got in. However, when I think back to them at primary school there are those who would not have got in that have also done well. I've no truck with creaming a top layer off, there's absolutely no need.

2StripedSocks · 12/09/2016 17:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gillybeanz · 12/09/2016 17:17

Yes, completely hypocritical unless they themselves applied to the nearest school to their home, irrespective of Ofsted grading.

OldFarticus · 12/09/2016 17:18

I agree with Maple - selection is the least bad option given all the other pointy-elbowed ways to get your kids a better education. I went to a grammar and hated it, but then I was the only kid in my year who lived in a council house and would have felt out of place amongst (mostly) MC kids in any environment.