To think a comprensive school shouldn't spend all it's money on certain students?

[DoraHint]

Both of my kids (DD just finished Year 11 and DS starting Year 8) attend a very highly sought after (and extremely high ranking) comprehensive school. The area it is in is very posh, but they take kids from surrounding areas. Said village is on the outskirts of a big town and they take kids from rough estates in said town. The school's catchment area is huge, considering how good it is. Kids come from 10+ miles away. Apparently it's rare they turn a student down. There are around 2000+ in the main school and a few hundred in 6th form.

The school has around 400 in each year group and in my experience, they seem to pick the 25 top students from each year group and splurge all of the funding on them. I've noticed it in both DC's years and even in other years from what I see on the website the same kids always pop up. In DD's 5 years there she has been on 4 school trips. Residential in Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Day trip in Year 10 and none in Year 11. All were UK based. DS seems to be following the same path.

However, one of DD's friends has been on several trips per year. In addition to DD's trips, she's been to Barcelona with school for a week, France for a week, on a German exchange, a visit to Jesus college in Oxford, and was also offered another trip to Aushwitz which she turned down. DD applied for 2 of these trips and was turned down for both. She says it's the same group of kids who always get the places on each trip. The Barcelona one was for the musical kids in particular to go on tour, fair enough. But the rest weren't linked to any subject except Aushwitz (History) and yet of the 20 places they only offered the trip to certain History students. All of which had already been abroad with the school.

The school has what they call the "Scholars Programme" where the top few kids in each year (ones who always go abroad and get picked to represent the school in stuff) get put in their own classes and get to take "special" GCSE's not offered to everybody else. They like to push these kids towards Oxbridge (hence the Jesus college trip) and they get a lot of time and money spent on them. In addition to the abroad trips they are constantly taking them to lectures and the like. These also tend to be the posh kids who live in the village. All of the other kids seem to fall by the wayside. DD took 7 GCSE's and is predicted between 6-8s but obviously nobody in the school takes an interest in the kids who aren't on the Scholars programme. I expect DS will suffer the same fate. On the school's page about the scholarship programme they literally say "We understand not everybody will see the benefits of the programme, often those not fortunate enough to qualify. But we believe our most abled students deserve just as much support as our others."

They sent a girl off to Oxford who they'd taught from Year 7 to Year 12 two years ago and they still bleat on about her online 3 years later. I feel it's all very unfair. I have a 21 year old DD who went to a different very average school and while that had it's faults, it didn't blatantly favour certain students. None of it sits well with me. It feels like some of the kids are getting all the benefits of a private education without actually paying at the expense of everybody else who gets neglected. DD says she'd rather eat a cactus than attend the 6th form.

They possibly also have 121 support for the dc who struggle with school and support programmes for those dc, so there is probably money paid at both ends of the spectrum.

If it is first come, first served then maybe these kids have parents who are v quick.of the mark? However, our school has moved away from first come first served (as it discriminates against the less well off who may have to spend a few more days pulling together deposits and working out how to meet the balance) and moved to a lottery system. Maybe you could suggest that (and be prepared for the complaints when x is chosen but doesn't want to go without y and a, her best friends).

obviously nobody in the school takes an interest in the kids who aren't on the Scholars programme

This will definitely not be the case. School are accountable for results across the board. If 25% of the pupils are getting A*s and 9s whilst the rest are falling behind expectations, Ofsted would be down on them like a ton of bricks.

DD says she thinks the sign ups are faux and that they always intend to pick certain kids.

I wouldn't accept what your DD says about this without checking. Are you sure she is trying to sign up? Or is it the case that she doesn't get her act together in time to do so?

Yes, focus on getting some transparency in the system, that seems to be your main complaint. The scholars programme is just a gifted and talented programme - our school lets students self refer onto it if not chosen. It’s recognised that targeted careers advice and application advice can help boost admissions to top unis (yes, just like at private schools).

It seems like you're trusting your DD's version of events a lot. These "scholars" (that is a bit wanky, just call them G&T like other schools) might just be better at signing up for stuff.

Oxbridge trips are very normal in my experience.

Maybe you could bring this up at a parent evening, or send E/mail ,request an appointment ?.I think this is a fairly common problem TBH. Many schools seem to favour the same pupils over and over, and see them as some kind of "safe bet".If you dont get anywhere with the school you can always try to contact the Council .Many have a structure for complaints so may be worth looking at!

Your AIBU is To think a comprensive school shouldn't spend all it's money on certain students. But then later on you say that the parents do pay? So YABU for not even knowing what it is that you are moaning about!

I’m with @Isatis. Certainly for the HET trip to Auschwitz, there was a lengthy essay to shortlist and then a presentation. It did reduce the applications to those from students who were committed.
The tour of Italy was for regularly attending orchestra members.
It’s often not as simple as just saying ‘I want to’ and yes, the most motivated are likely to get themselves high up most lists.

Yes you should be checking your dd’s view of events with the school and encouraging her to push herself forward, not agreeing with her - the response to unfairness is to fight, not give up and shrug your shoulders whilst anonymously complaining, both of you should take action.

I was in the top set for everything in school. I was really hard working and quiet and just got on with it.
I didn’t get picked for any ‘reward’ (literally, for working hard) trips. The boys who bullied me did though!

I think you should be brutally honest and ask yourself “would I be complaining if my child was in this program?”

(I don’t think you would, would you?)

It sounds like the old 'gifted and talented' program...the g&t students are probably a 'target' group, that they have to show are being stretched enough, are making enough progress etc. Being clever can count as a SEN in some cases.

I wonder if they do special targetted stuff for other groups but it is just not advertised as much.

At my old school I was in the g&t group and we got extra lessons after school...the 'naughty kids' got to go to thorpe park. We were all very jealous!

My DD's school did this, she was not even made aware of the Oxbridge trip, there was no process to sign up, the pupils were chosen and then invited by the school. When I phoned and queried I was told it was the highest performing students only (my DD was on target to get A + As in everything but apparently that still was not good enough) I then pointed out that several pupils in lower sets than my DD were also going and they back tracked and said that some of them were recommended by their teachers as having 'Oxbridge potential' . I then went back to the question of how teachers could say my DD was expected to get all A-As but not have 'Oxbridge potential'. They could not really give me an answer.

My DD left the school after her GCSEs and went elsewhere for A levels. She has been much better supported and does not regret it at all.

So I think YANBU, it should be allocated more fairly, after all how to students get to improve if they are not given the incentive in the first place?

Do you feel you could ask the school about it, maybe continuing in the calm, non-confrontational manner you are definitely coming across as having!), to say what you've said here?