If you can have Sports Academies for children outstanding at sports...

[futuristic1]

and nobody complains about that, why can't you have brainy academies for bright kids and have nobody complain about that?

My simplistic take on the grammar school issue - I would never get in a sports academy but I live with it.

Is it a 'British' cultural/anti-intellectual thing?

There isn't yet a test that identifies 'intelligence'. That is why people like me (Oxbridge educated teacher) oppose grammars. The 11+ identifies cultural capital and tutoring. I should know - I mark them for an independent school!

I should add that because they are award of the inherent biases, the school only uses them as part of it's admissions process.

Sorry for typos - phone!

Yabu.

All children are entitled to an education. Schools should be able to educate all abilities.

My child is national level for her sport. We looked at sports specialist schools, not because they offer anything "extra" in terms of sport or education, but because they can work around a child who may be training 20 hours a week.

Stuff like time off for training camps and competitions, letting out of school early to get to training, missing morning registration to accommodate early training sessions. Permission to miss pe so they can catch up on homework- and scheduling homework so they can fit it on on days off. Her current school also does regular catch up sessions they can access if they miss or feel they are falling behind.

"Normal" schools just don't have the understanding of what it takes to compete at high level sport.

For "brainy" kids you don't need to work around that extra 20 hours a week.

really actually, it would be really good if they did allow the brainy kids to do just that so they get to visit places and attend events that cover things that school could never offer.

I'm not sure we have any schools near here that sound like the one you mention but there are a lot of private schools for those able to take their kids out of the state system and those schools are probably the ones that offer the education you seem to experience.

Certainly at the primary where we are there is no recognition for academic achievement. There is recognition for those who behave well that week (instead of being violent in the class, for example) which annoys the other kids who know not to kick the other kids/teacher already.

I guess that's the thing with the education system in this country. There is no consistency. There are grammar schools still around in different parts of the country. There are selective comps in some areas, not in others, there are specialised academies in some areas and overall different schools have different issues, different amount of spending issues and different social demographics.

I hate the words 'postcode lottery' but I think it really is. Then it comes down to if you have enough money to move to the areas with the good schools.

We are about an hour from a nice area with good schools with lots of professional parents. Am pretty sure, from what I see out and about there that there are plenty of kids who are proud of their education and so are their parents. But, that's a world away from where we currently are.

I think each of our views are coloured by the experience we had/are having, but we need to remember that education across the UK is diverse so all our views and experiences are valid.

The problem i have with grammars, is that in year admissions are all but impossible.

We moved in august. Dc year 7 in sept, grammar school area. All tests been done, all places given. Wait list full of children who sat the tests at the correct time.

Because they're grammars, people don't give up their places. They don't get a place at a better school or a higher choice and move.

So that left us with the comps. Which have no high achieving kids because they're all in the grammar. So my dc is new, and sticks out like a sore thumb for being "swotty". Not great.

There is no reason why an academic specialist school would need just one intake.
My dd school admits year 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12. You can audition in any year.
No reason why schools can't do this.
Also as long as they do the none specialist subjects in classes there is no reason why the specialist subject couldn't be managed by ability rather than age/ school year
Yes, if they were two a penny then it might be difficult but if there was the equivalent of the music schools there would be about 6 throughout the country with one in Wales and one in Scotland.
There is a model of specialist school that works very well, no reason why it couldn't be used for other subjects.

really

Your school sounds similar to dd, but obviously swop sport for music.

middleaged

I can't speak for really but I imagine that like dd school any other school private or state couldn't provide the same, because of the specialism and the hours required for practice/ training.

Because people see 'gifted education' or schools for bright children as elitist.

There is one senior school in my town, it is a sports academy. You don't have to be good at sport to go there, you don't need to even like sport. It is our local school for all thekids. That isn't anything like a grammar school.

Absolutely OP, couldn't agree more.

granny

This is the point though, that any school can call itself specialist in a particular area.
If it is a state school it is no different to any other state school, except an emphasis on the subject.
The teaching or opportunities aren't any better than anywhere else.

A truly specialist school offers places to those deemed to be gifted and they are very selective. I disagree they are elitist though as most are funded by the taxpayer and children's parents, if they earn enough.
The fees at my dd school are over 30k, we are a low income family, there are many other low income families at her school.