In praise of comprehensive schools

[FreshHorizons]

It was cheering to see the Sutton Trust announce that 60% of Team GB medalists came from comprehensive schools.

I have finally come off a thread where certain people can't find a good word to say about comprehensive schools. They equate them with mixed ability teaching, poor behaviour and an inability to stretch bright children.

I would like a thread to celebrate the best of comprehensive education.

In my case it allowed my 3 , very different, children to be able to go to the same school without being judged by outsiders. It meant the stability of knowing one school over a long period of time and them knowing our family. It meant that days off and parent evenings didn't clash and that money was saved by handing down uniform. They were able to move up with the bulk from their primary school. They were able to mix with children of different abilities and backgrounds, as you do in adult life. It meant being able to enjoy education for the joy of learning new things, without the stress of an exam that would determine their path in life, aged only 10 or 11yrs.

Those things didn't really matter, although they were helpful.

What really mattered was that they could all blossom at their own rate.
They all got a good education and are now happily established in careers- the careers that they chose.

It wasn't all about the academic side- there were opportunities in sport, music, outdoor activities etc.

It would be nice to have some success stories. Please don't post about crap schools- start another thread for that if you have grievances you want to air.

It is the summer, the sun is out and some happy, optimistic stories would be nice.

I think it sad that people come on specifically to derail threads rather than start their own. I started this one because I was fed up with the grammar school one knocking all comprehensives and getting nowhere.
I know that my experience of comprehensives is not unusual and this was a space to share good experiences.

(It does make me smile when some one posts 'I hate to point out.....' When they trawled through schools to find evidence that they absolutely loved to point out'!)

To get us back on track some great results from North Somerset

I like the statement from Millais school Horsham That they pride themselves on entering all pupils who have prepared for the exam regardless of likely achievement. It is never going to get them up league tables but they are doing their best for the individual.

GCSE results East Suffolk

I could go on showing that pupils are doing very well in comprehensives.

How is celebrating achievement 'pointless'?
It is evidence that comprehensives can teach the most able and they are not such delicate flowers that they need a separate building in case they get tainted in the lunch queue!

I think that most threads on MN are pointless and therefore I don't go in them!
Why bother with a thread you think pointless?

IT isn't a grammar bashing thread- there was absolutely no mention of grammar schools until you brought them into it 2StripeySocks!

It is evidence that comprehensives can teach the most able and they are not such delicate flowers that they need a separate building in case they get tainted in the lunch queue!

That is one of the stupidest things I've read. No one thinks their child will be "tainted in the lunch queue". It is also rude and dismissive of parents who don't think their child would thrive in a comprehensive environment.

Personally I was failed by my comprehensive.

The sooner people realise that education is not a "one size fits all" thing the better.

I could go on showing that pupils are doing very well in comprehensives.

No, you could go on showing how pupils are doing very well in good schools. It would be just as easy to show how pupils are failing.

I can't see why a comprehensive has to have 'one size fits all'. It can't and they don't.
Steyning Grammar school is a comprehensive.

My point is that you do not need grammar schools - you most especially do not need grammar schools in places like Horsham.

People who find things pointless generally don't waste time on them!

Reigate Grammar school is an independent school.

So pupils are failing in comprehensives but not in sec mods?

I was showing how pupils do well in good schools and that many of the good schools are comprehensives. If you haven't realised that then the thread would be pointless!
The purpose of the thread is not to show failing pupils in failing schools!

I can see why you think the thread pointless 2StripeySocks since you have misunderstood the entire point of the thread!

It was you, and a few others, who changed it.

Mine was simple - a place to praise good comprehensives - nothing more and nothing less. Just that.

My point is that you do not need grammar schools

So you do think it should be a one size fits all.

I don't believe you can cater for all children on one learning environment.

You keep praising the results of comprehensives - one local school I looked at at random had 55% getting 5 A*C GCSEs. This is an improvement for them. All well and good but what about the 45% who didn't?

Some children thrive better in a more competitive environment.
Some children thrive anywhere
Some children would thrive in a more vocational environment (which I do not believe exists)

I feel that comprehensives cater very well for the majority who are in the middle of the academic spectrum. Those at either end are often failed by it.

I give up- the thread does get pointless if we are getting on to areas, inequalities etc that is a whole new thread. Nothing to do with the purpose of this one.

Well, a thread is pointless if you are only going to "allow" half the story.

Good grief! I have repeatedly said that one size doesn't fit all!
I do love the way people twist words!

The sun is shining and I am off for a run- a much better use of my time.

I hope it can get back on course at some point in the day.

I should have guessed than in MN you can't have anything simple!

My intention was simple. Thank you all the people who understood it and did have stories in praise of comprehensives ( some of whom started by saying they were not leafy).

Hi Fresh I was worried you'd given up in despair, glad to see you're still fighting the fight!

I was going to post on a couple of excellent comps but instead found this great article about Hackney schools

www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/our-key-themes/children-and-young-people/education-and-school-places/lessons-london/jules-pipe

Not only praising the fact that Hackney has great comps but also detailing how this was achieved.

You can't win.

Comprehensives in areas of deprivation, and in places where they exist alongside selective schools, will have results which reflect the fact that they have few high achieving children. Regardless of evidence that many get very good results for their high achieving kids, this is taken as evidence that they are inadequate schools which can't cater for high achieving children.

Comprehensives which have representative numbers of high achieving children - often achieved through partial selection (because these schools are also having to compete for children with selective church and grammar schools) then they get accused of not being a comprehensive school.

HPFA
And just to counter your odd claims that I have been derailing this thread, this was posted by the OP to you on the second page

Why are you nit-picking more points to argue about?

I was accused by hellsbells99 on page 12 (not page 2) of totally derailing the thread with my response to your accusations about me.
I cannot see that I posted anything at all on pages 4,5,6,7 and 8.

page 7:
07:41 FreshHorizons
Celebrating success in Redditch ...
07:47 HPFA
The pro-grammar lobby take two approaches....which is obviously nonsense....Then you get those arguing...Whilst this is in a way more honest...Which would be fine if the same people hadn't been telling us....

page 8
13:32 FreshHorizons:
If you want an argument that is pro-comprehensive then look no further than sandy

13:34 HPFA
More derailment I'm afraid but this letter in the Guardian is too brilliant not to share.

There's no getting away from the fact that all 3 comprehensive schools in your town are on the Bristol contextual offers list even though it's situated in a relatively affluent area. All 3 schools are Ofsted graded Good now but all 3 schools have been graded Satisfactory/Requires improvement within the last 1- 5 years.Two of the schools have been graded Inadequate within the last 8 years. Your child goes to school in a different town.

I am not in fact suggesting that there should be a grammar school in your town - it would be better situated elsewhere - perhaps somewhere in the other direction (I won't name the place) - the travelling time for your dd would hardly take any longer than it does now. The three schools in your town could be merged to create two.

Clav stop making yourself look ridiculous.