Theresa May to end ban on grammar schools part 2

[noblegiraffe]

Continuation of the first thread from here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/2702565-Theresa-May-to-end-ban-on-grammar-schools

BertrandRussell Fri 12-Aug-16 10:02:44 Cs are pretty much unheard of in grammar schools.

Have you actually seen figures that support this?

cressetmama Fri 12-Aug-16 10:08:19 The local grammar school (one of three) achieved 59% AAB at A level, and 92% GCSE pass rate; 98% of 176 students had 8 or more GCSEs at A-C (most take 11 subjects).*

Did anyone get a C grade in anything?

I would like to see high performing state (non selective and grammar) being tasked with improving educational outcomes for students in schools in disadvantaged areas.

I also think research has shown most of the big variances are prior to KS1 and KS1. This is where investment needs to be made to try to redress variances in outcomes for the those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Just a thought.

Should make it clear that "our comprehensive" and the grammar schools are not in the same town. The grammars' catchment is two counties and a unitary city authority.

I also believe, we should try and create schools with a focus on STEM subjects. Not everyone us academic. Most kids are tech savvy, and most of the jobs in the future will be STEM related.

Mum, of 2086 total entries, there were 20 C grades and 6 D. Most of the Cs were in Art.

portico don't confuse STEM with 'practical skills more suited to those who aren't very bright'.

Most kids aren't tech savvy at all. They can use social media, which isn't the same thing.

"Most kids aren't tech savvy at all. They can use social media, which isn't the same thing."

Noble giraffe, that is a good starting point, believe me.

Portico, they are called UTCs. DS attended one last year, but although it has been open just two years it has crashed to the bottom rung of the local ladder because some/many schools out-sourced their PRUs to it. It was tragic, teacher turnover soared; three heads in a term and a half.

Sorry, what is a UTC?

Bertrand you really do talk complete bollocks much of the time (sorry, as I said I dip in and out so this is in relation to a comment a long way back). Work experience for DC at our school is not 'always (or indeed usually) in merchant banks or gleaned through nepotism as your DD's was. You just chuck these things out with absolutely no basis in fact.

On another point, As might make a huge difference to what path a young person's career might take. My own DC are a case in point - they'd all be on a very different career trajectory without them. Certainly my eldest DS couldn't have got into Oxford to read Medicine to pursue what has genuinely been a lifelong ambition to be a particular type of doctor without them, since that course requires, among other things a minimum of around 9A.

On the Classics point. Classics is an excellent subject in terms of training the mind, as is Chemistry or Maths. I can't see why the country should be governed by STEM graduates!

portico a better starting point for a STEM career is a solid grounding in maths and science - academic subjects.

University Technical College specialise in STEM and practical subjects, for 14-19 year olds, with local employers offering lots of placements and projects, plus mentoring and moral/financial support. Some are very good, but not all.

Noble giraffe I agree. I just wish there would be focus on these, as well as the focus on grammar schools.

Noble is spot on about the right start point for STEM.

Ok Haybott - but if we begin in good faith, and say that, I for example, think As are better than As (as does every teacher and parent I've ever met, I have to say), and that my dd got majority As and a couple of As, and we'd like them to be all A*s - then what? How do we begin addressing that? What price should we pay?

I can't see why the country should be governed by STEM graduates!

According to google: Out of 617 members of Parliament:

27 have science and technology degrees
15 environment studies and geography
12 engineering and architecture
10 medicine and allied subjects

I think a few more STEM graduates would be a good thing.

apologies, have missed all of this thread, as am on holiday today. What are the main themes coming out on grammar schools

Sure noble but this idea that anyone not from a STEM background is an amateur is a bit off.

Sure noble but this idea that anyone not from a STEM background is an amateur is a bit off.

For those of us who work in STEM, it is shocking how little our politicians and civil servants actually understand about STEM. They are amateurs for the most part.

Most of the politicians making billion pound decisions about STEM investment have no more than GCSE/O level science and mathematics knowledge. How on earth can this be ideal?

haybott we need a balance.

I absolutely agree that we need a balance. 10% of MPs having degrees which are maths, science, engineering, technology or STEM related (most people wouldn't include geography as science) is not balanced. Compare this number with the number who have politics, economics and PPE degrees - and a huge fraction of our MPs are career politicians who have never worked outside politics.

STEMM (last M being medicine) accounts for well over 40% of our economy BTW. (Probably more, but it depends on how you classify it.) So 10% representation in parliament is very low.

Yes I agree haybott which is why I said 'Sure noble' to noble. That doesn't mean all subjects outside of STEM should be regarded as second class citizens in terms of intellectual training or general value.

For STEM, I read this interesting article in the Independent. I think potential STEM jobs will not just be accessible to graduates:

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/10-jobs-graduates-will-be-applying-for-from-2026-a7179316.html