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Original poster

state vs grammar

15 replies

analoguegirl · 21/05/2007 21:25

I was just sent this link from friction.tv and was wondering what any of you other parents thought about it?

www.friction.tv/index.php?vid=52

I personally agree with the speaker on this occasion; im not sure if i would want to send my children to the local grammar school, it just seems a bit dated.

OP posts:
wychbold · 21/05/2007 22:56

Who is the "we" he keeps mentioning? Does he represent some group?

It was a load of waffle. I didn't hear any hard facts that he could back up, just prejudice.

Does he realise that the Government don't just publish 'achievement' data but also 'value added' data. Our local comp has VA of less than 100%. The Grammar has 102%. That rather ruins his theory.

ungratefuldaughter · 22/05/2007 16:58

The grammar will look better on VA as they take the improvement from year 6 sats to the year 9 sats or even gcse. If you consider the ceiling at year 6 of a level 5 then grammar school entrants will enter at an average of level 5 when in fact they could be much higher so the grammar getting students to a 7 isn't such a great achievement as a comp whose average entrant is lower

wychbold · 22/05/2007 20:11

You have a point there, UGD, I hadn't cottoned on to that. Thanks for the input.

Typical: the powers-that-be realise that their statisitcs are misleading so they replace them with ... a different set of misleading statistics. D'oh!

ungratefuldaughter · 23/05/2007 12:19

the other thing with selective schools (whether state or independent) if you choose your intake academically, social, financial, parental support and you weed out those not up to scratch then of course you will get a good display of results at the end

Judy1234 · 23/05/2007 21:38

Most grammar schools are state schools so bit confused by thread title.

mozhe · 23/05/2007 21:51

Yes, though some grammar schools did choose to become independant during the comprehensive schools era.Imo they are a bit different to other independant schools and have quite a distinct character...and,( importantly ), charge quite reasonable fees.

babygrand · 23/05/2007 21:55

Some independent schools call themselves Grammar schools.

Judy1234 · 23/05/2007 21:58

True - Manchester Grammar and Newcastle Royal Grammar. I think they were what were called "Direct Grant Schools" - always private independent schools but they got some Government money which was a very nice scheme and I remember when I was at school in the 1970s stickers all over cars saying "Save our Direct Grant Schools". Most of the better ones had to choose private over becoming comprehensive and they lost all the Government money in the process.

LoopyLouLisa · 23/05/2007 22:00

My M&d thought it would be gr8 to send me to grammar. big mistake. didn't fit in at all as my p's weren't wealthy enough (even with a household gross income of 40k) so was bullied for 6 years til I stood up for myself and left x

edam · 23/05/2007 22:05

Direct grant schools were independent schools that offered a very few places to people who gained the top marks in the 11+. So they only ever catered for a very few state pupils. (Source: my mother, who benefited from direct grant, bypassing the local grammar and hanging out with the rich kids.)

SueBaroo · 23/05/2007 22:11

I went to Grammar school for a year before my working class parents moved to an area that didn't have them. I never felt any different to anyone else, because I wasn't, I'd earned my place by passing my 11+.

Then I went to a comprehensive. I was back in my proper place in a school with a drugs problem, and all the better off parents sent their kids to private school. And the ones that did send their children there had extra tuition paid for after school. Bloody joke.

I sound angry about it, but it's more regret, really.

Judy1234 · 24/05/2007 07:38

Interesting. Most grammar schools are not actually snobby and yet we obviously still have such gulfs in the UK between people that they appear so to some and then to others not. These day schools with not massive fees compared to some boarding schools etc - the ex direct grant private grammar schools like Manchester grammar - people dont' have very posh accents there and they are often the children of teachers etc who struggle to pay the fees. Not like that you get in a very different kind of private school.

tigermoth · 24/05/2007 07:51

The children at the grammar school my son attends are, on the whole, not posh. As you see them walking into school en masse they look and talk just like pupils at the nearby comprehensives.

miljee · 24/05/2007 11:45

I went to a state grammar. We were completely up ourselves. I now see 'work-experience' girls from that school at my workplace. They're all completely up themselves, too!

figroll · 24/05/2007 11:49

Both my children attend a grammar school and I think it is the best thing that we ever did. I have been more than happy with the school. It is a state grammar and is single sex and they are very happy. It is small and on a lovely site. Why would I want to send them anywhere else?

I don't really give a tuppenny toss what this man has to say.

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