In questioning a school that makes potential grade 7 GCSE pupils fear inferior

[Georgianattiude]

All the year 11s at my DD's 1 school were called into an assembly this morning and told they were to be split in to two large groups. The first group which DD is in was for pupils who are likely to achieve grade 8 or higher in all their GCSE's. The second grouping was for pupils looking at mostly grade 7 and 8s at GCSE. The room where DDs group were placed had an ex pupil and Cambridge graduate highlighting the virtues of hard work and how all this group had the potential to get into Cambridge or Oxford University.

The second group were DDs best friend was placed had a joint 1 hour talk from the Head of Sixth Form and Head of year 11 berating them for their prospective grades averaging below 6.5 or 52 points over their top 8 subjects. This is the requirement for entry in to her Grammar Schools Sixth form.

The head of year apparently rattled on at them that if they do not achieve 52 points they will have wasted their opportunity given to them by passing the 11+. The head of Sixth Form then said to the girls in the group if you can't get 52 points, you don't deserve to be in the Sixth Form here !

I found this horrible on two fronts firstly denigrating pupils who in most schools would be near the top cohort by making them feel stupid. Secondly and perhaps most importantly talks like this can cause mental issues in bright girls to come to the surface.

If this was supposed to be a pep talk to the two groups concerned, I can see it having a very negative effect on both groups actually.

Where DD's friend was placed

This is quite common in Grammar schools - happened to my daughter last year. From that point on she decided she wasn’t going to stay there for 6th Form. Arguably it’s a counter productive step for the school to take isn’t it. However, some students really do need the wake up call that they’re not on track.

The second grouping was for pupils looking at mostly grade 7 and 8s at GCSE

That would be DD, now in her final year at Oxbridge. Chumps.

That’s awful. I’m a teacher and 6th form tutor in a big academic independent day school and think it’s unacceptable. Also nonsense- GCSEs don’t matter that much.

This kind of ‘motivational’ denigration comes from people who lack both imagination and have huge egos.

They must put all the fear their students - because they are so afraid of being perceived as failing.

I wonder if the school is a bit concerned that perhaps quite a few of the girls, due to the issues facing schools after COVID are not at the usual level. The school usually admits around 115 girls out of the 120 year 11 cohort to the Sixth Form. I am wondering if the school is worried that maybe 20-25 girls next year might not make the 52 point cut off.

If the second group are looking at grades 7-8, how are they possibly in danger of missing a requirement for an average of 6.5?

I'm a secondary teacher and agree with you OP that this is likely to be counter productive. Poor kids.

Gosh, my daughter came home yesterday telling me she’d been predicted 6s and I was thrilled!
Not a grammar school though

If you don't like the ethos of a competitive grammar school (or competitive private school) don't put your kids in one!

Parents will have specially selected them because they push the kids, and they don't resign themselves to be mediocre.

They all passed the 11+, it's not unreasonable to expect a certain level.

I’m in two minds- done badly it could really knock a kids self esteem.

on the other - if these kids passed 11+ , they are all very bright. They are capable of top grades, so they are underperforming if they aren’t getting it.

having said that, kids sometimes have times when they just aren’t that into school work.

I presume those are the grades the school thinks that group are capable of getting. Based on the usual statistics 95% of those girls will attain 52 points. However, DD has said some teachers are getting a bit restless with some very 'young' yr11 girls who are acting like year 9s.

They need to target those specific girls then! Not include others whose grades are fine, but not necessarily Oxbridge material.

don't forget the context. It's not a random state school where grades which are "fine" are the norm. It's a grammar school, which people choose because they want better than "fine".

nobelgirafe

DDs friend thought she was doing ok with mostly 7 s and a couple 8 s predicted. She told DD that a couple of girls in the room were giggling when the head of the Sixth form was speaking.

But they were being berated apparently for being in danger of not meeting an average of 6.5, not because they weren't getting 8+

@SacAMain - my school is v competitive- in the top 50 and we’d never do something like this en masse. Of course we monitor and chat to students if we have concerns but this is not ok.

Have to say if you sign up to Grammar this is how they operate. I’m not saying I agree with it wholeheartedly but I can understand it. My two are at grammars and they do expect top tier results even though in my opinion the teaching is sometimes not top quality!

I’m a comprehensive teacher and unfortunately Y11 are continually given pep talks/interventions etc. I think they can overwhelm the students to be honest.

It’s a tough balance.

1. Denigrating is widely regarded as a racist term.

1. They are not wrong in a class of children that were bright enough to pass the 11 plus and gain a highly coveted place selective school its not great that half that class are not on for the top grades.

A handful of 7's when you have the privilege of attending a selective school is not making the best of opportunity afforded to you.

Just re your first point - never heard that!

I have never heard of denigrating being a racist term either …

This is what hothouse schools (including grammars) are like. As someone said it's totally unimaginative but they live and die by their league table stats as evidenced by threads on here where people ask why a top school had a dip in results in a previous years.
Kids who pass the 11+ have a higher probability of the top grades and the head will get the blame from some parents of their child doesn't end up with a clutch of top grades.

Me neither.

It seems the Etymology, from Latin denigrat- ‘blackened’, might be questionable

but no, it's not a "racist" term. 🙄

Things used to be so much less complicated! I just had to look up all the higher grades. Crazy, used to be simple. I was happy with my A*s! Seems just another tool to divide private school and privately tutored grade 9 children from poor state school children relieved ti get a 4. God help us.

That’s awful push them too far and you are going to trigger mental health problems I did o levels back in the day when there were no such things as predicted grades and you just went in and did your best , in some subjects like physics the highest pass was one single grade b and the school was pleased with that