Another wanky Guardian article - the 'anguish' of finding a good school ....

[disgustedbythehypocricy]

This is the most BOAK-inducing thing i've read in a while.. it's so bad i honestly don't know where to start!

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/04/andrew-penman-schools-education

Good on your kids, BIWI.

The arrogance of the assumption that sending your kid to a bog standard comp is somehow doom laden is so bloody maddening.

Won't his son be bullied like hell for this?

"I think if you've got a smart, well-motivated child with supportive, involved parents, they're going to do well at pretty much any school, there's no need to pay for private school (or go to ridiculous lengths to buy or cheat your way into the 'desirable' state schools), unless you're motivated by making sure your precious little snowflake isn't tainted by having to to sit next to a child with a working-class accent or the wrong colour skin. Or so you can show off to other parents about the school your child goes to. Either way it sounds stupid to me."

Agree totally

I was wondering about that Breastmilkdoesafablatte. Not only does the article provide his children's names, there's also a helpful up-to-date colour family photo. So that you can identify them at the school gate.

Oh ROFL BIWI

You mean he moved from a 61% A-C school to a 63% A-C school

Stand by my earlier comment. He is mad

I have just sent ds to an improving comp, and have been sneered at by parents from his school., many of whom go private at 11.
I have even been told that I should make sacrifices and am selfish.
He will do extremely well where he is- is in the express stream, and I will be active on the Pfa AND support the school how I can.
Bet the director of Merton education LOVED him.

Brilliant BIWI - you really should write to the Guardian to tell them that he's pissed 40k up the wall

To be honest, I'm leaving near Southfields Community college and we'll move because of that school !!

I will register on the site - but the headmaster has already made that point on there!

Oh, and at my 'bog-standard' comp I was able to take GCSE Latin (lunchtime/after school classes) and Additional Maths, and have violin lessons and play in the school orchestra. There was also a really quite good girls choir (used to go on tour in Europe and America) and lots of extra-curricular sports for those with talent in those areas. So it's not as though these things are reserved for the 'posh' schools either.

We didn't really have the issue of different first languages (this was a North-East town where pretty much everyone was white). I can see how a child not being fluent in English would be a problem for that individual child, and pull down the average results, but don't see how it would affect how well a native English speaking child (like the author's) could learn. Again looking at the average tells you exactly nothing about how a particular child will perform, as it's so strongly influenced by the intake, not the quality of the school.

Also, having a different first language doesn't necessarily mean the child doesn't have good English, very many are fluently bilingual.

I do object to the sloppy and muddled thinking though.

If you are going to opt for a state education (and I didn't) then the choices boil down to grammar school, faith school or normal comprehensive. He discounted the faith school, rightly, as he wasn't a practising whatever-faith. He was silent on the grammar school issue, apart from saying he didn't particularly not believe in them, so we have to draw our own conclusions. And that left him the choice of his local ordinary comprehensive or moving to another area and going to that comprehensive school.

Which comes back to UQD's chorus of there really isn't that much choice.

I've heard and met lots of people moving catchment areas, but only ever to be in the catchment area for a grammar school. Are there a lot of people avidly chasing that 2% A-C grade differential? How will they know that their 'superior' choice will be superior in 5 years' time?

It's utterly sloppy thinking.

My response to that article was to cry.

Why, MrsDoof?

Because I would give my right arm for a school where the pass mark is above 20%.

I actually couldn't face reading it. As a paid up Guardianista - I've written for the same page, in fact, the Family section - who is currently looking at my secondary options and is not going to throw up her hands in horror at the prospect of a 'bog-standard' comp.

Ephiny We are in a NE town too, slap bang in the middle of Newcastle (and gateshead), Sunderland and Durham. It is almost eerie how white it is round here. I don't think I have ever seen a woman in a headscarf at all, unless I travel to one of the cities. It is really, really odd.

The only time you see an asian person is in a corner shop or takeaway, which is a bit sad really.

On the plus side, any racism you hear is more on the uninformed end of the spectrum, rather than the violence you sometimes see in Lancashire.

I grew up in the wilds of Devon, went to a 1200 strong school, there was 1 black child in it and 1 spanish heritage child.

Live in Gloucester now and although it is not the perfect place by any stretch I am far happier to live somehwree a lot mroe multicultural.

BIWI - I didn't read the comments - most of them tend to be by loons in my experience and only give me high blood pressure. I think you should write a letter to the paper so that it's printed and you can wipe the author's nose in it more publicly :o

LadyBiscuit - the Guardian comments are largely in line with those here - loons maybe

God, I HATED this article. Especially the ridiculous 'checklist' of things to look out for when looking for a school. Nowhere did it suggest you actually visit the school, speak to the teachers, speak to the head, speak to parents whose kids go there. The 'murders in Tooting' line made me laugh out loud. What an absolute complete and utter tosspot.

Sorry, I keep coming back to this thread. I was so enraged when I read the article and this is cathartic...I had this fear that a MN thread would sympathise with him!

I hope he, or someone from the Guardian, reads this thread.