Anyone else agree that if we get rid of league tables the precious children may actually take responsibility for their own work and not rely on panicing teachers and parents....

[stillenacht]

Because thats what i think

Am sick of kids knowing that teachers are under so much pressure to get grades that we will bend over backwards time and again to ensure it happens by extending deadlines, extra coursework help in holidays (I have done some in half term and will doubtlessly go in over Easter).

My teachers never did this for me - (In the 80s - first year of GCSE)

We never got to repeat modules and know our exact grades....

Gah - rant over!

How important are league tables to parents anyway? I agree with Litchick that some transparency and accountability is good as very poorly performing schools need sorting out, but are parents making school choices based primarily on league tables?

Personally, I'm more interested in university entrance (and graduation) stats than GCSE grade C rankings (I have clever dc's - naturally ).

Is the problem that parents are using league tables as a lazy way to choose schools? Or do schools just assume that's what's happening? Or is it really about government control?

Great thread Stillenacht, and I am very happy indeed to see teachers being stroppy over this league table crap rather than passively and obediently internalising it and believe in it all.
Good luck with getting rid of it

I think a lot of parents do choose schools based largely on League Table Position! That's why they are so important to a school.

I want to see some form of SATS retained (Y6) but the national publishing of them banned.

And another vote for Good Teacher Sainthood.

ampere - did you or would base your decision mainly on league tables? I don't actually know anyone in RL who did. Open days, Ofsted reports and suitability for their dc seems to be at least as important. It's relative of course - schools with very poor results will be avoided.

totally agree on the resits thing. my DSS is yr13 and will be doing virtually every exam for all his subjects because he can resit for free - I think one is for the fourth time?

The amount of times he said "well I can always resit it..." FFS!!! if he knew he only had one, maybe two chances maybe he'd actually bother.

Thats what I am talking about MMM - of course if they have resits to do staff have to arrange all of that...and for the 4th time...jeesaloo (sorry too much Everybody Loves Raymond)...Give up!!!! We have the same - kids thinking they are going to be doctors resitting the same chemistry module four or five times...its never gonna happen kids....You can't just be a doctor because you want to, you have to have some ability and drive too.

Educational professionals bending over time and again until the back of it (and the goodwill) is well and truly broken.

It is mad, kids are not allowed to fail, so they are artificially boosted to pass.

If some kids did fail and got held back a year they might actually do some work.

My friend's boy pissed about something rotten, till he was put in the remedial class (they still had those at the time) and he was so embarasssed at being "thick" he started working and caught up in 6 weeks...!

Wonderful child pshychology by the teacher, she didn't sit with him coaxng him to work, she just let him turn himself around, and probably that life skill is far more useful than "if I do nothing someone else will take responsibility for me" type teenagers which seem to proliferate currently.