Worst forms of selection in schools: Views of M'snetters

[thankgodimretired]

Interviews?
Questions concerning parental income?
Academic selection?
Previous school reports?
Decisions made by committee about whether to exclude certain individuals from attending?

Having just recently retired from the teaching profession, I am struck by how little things have changed over the course of my working life. There are certainly less overtly selective schools in the state sector than when I started out teaching in South London in the late 1970's. But the independents, grammars and faith schools appear to be more socially exclusive than at any time.

Thanks Selector, I was beginning to feel a bit lonely!

A colleague of mine taught in a small Catholic boys school in Surrey back in the 90's, they had almost the exact same policy.

So it was rigourous and ensured all pupils chosen were of the right stuff.

TLBC School operated a not too dissimilar policy during its grant maintained period, and there London Catholic schools were doing pretty much the same.

Now we're just got McDonald's Academies.

OP
What happens to the children who are not selected?
Or do you not care about them?

And where is your complete chaos evidence ?

Shocked at the level of utter ignorance and bilge coming from a retired teacher!

I've taught in an excellent comprehensive school and wouldn't think twice about sending my DD to a similar school.

Every school should be providing an "orderly education" and I think every child can benefit from one.

I don't have strong views on grammar schools, but don't live in an area with any and can't see a problem with that locally.

I strongly disagree with faith schools and religious selection. Leaving that aside, some faith schools were clearly meant to be comprehensive faith schools but were actively selective schools. There is no room for schools to pretend to serve one community but actually serve only a selection of that community. School admissions should be transparent.

I share the joy in your retirement, OP.

I suspect OP is bitter because their school has been taken over by Harris and they have completely rightly been edged into early retirement

The Academy question is completely separate.

It's a sad fact that kids either go to very average schools or very expensive ones, with all that that entails.

What an absolute crock of shit! My DC went to an excellent state school. There was no selection and certainly no chaos in the classrooms.

I'm glad you've left teaching, we don't need people with views like yours in the profession.

I've just been to see a very impressive comprehensive school for ds who is currently in Y6.

They have a slow turnover of staff and many of them have sent their own children to the school.

It is fully comprehensive, and has a fair banding system to make sure they can't cream off the top achievers by stealth.

In the head's speech he said something like "this is a very diverse school - culturally, ethnically, financially and academically. It's part of what makes the school so inspiring and such an exciting place to teach and learn in."

I just bloody loved that.

Oh Bum!
I just realised that now that the OP has retired they might seek work as an Ofsted inspector.

Then again, one of the most chaotic schools DH ever worked at was a Catholic Boys selective in London : may he's met OP .... I'll check

thankgodyoureretired
Got an opinion piece to write, have you?

fewer not less
rigourous?

"decent kids", "the right stuff"?
How judgemental are you, and what gives you the right to judge children?
Children have no control whatsoever over the circumstances to which they're born.

I teach in a fabulous comprehensive school and my children will be going there too. I couldn't be happier with the education they will receive and the fact that there are at least two, possibly four schools we could happily send them to in the local area if we so wished.

From one long standing teacher to another, op, you seem laughably ignorant of the picture across the country.

Has the OP mentioned the Oratory school enough times yet?

Worst form of selection: Religion

She's mentioned a number of schools who have abolished interviews, because they have already been banned as a means of selection in state schools.

Parental income.
That's the worst form of selection under the sun.

How is it achieved?
Glossy prospectuses, expensive uniforms, fees, requests to set up standing orders donating money to the school, laying on expensive school trips, interviews, expensive PTA events, specialising in languages or music, that kind of thing. It all has an insidious effect on the pupil body and then you weed out all the kids that might actually take a bit of effort to teach.

OP, have you retired to a nice place under a bridge?

""

You can apologise for that spurious accusation whenever you like, NerfHerder. No rush.

We should line up all the kids nationally in order of height, and then allocate them to schools accordingly. Tall kids in one school, etc, down to smallest kids in another.

You are spouting such rubbish OP, please don't include us all in your inane ramblings. This the evidence {of chaos} is apparent to any teacher who has worked in the profession for as many years as I have is SOOOOOO far from the truth it's difficult to know where to start.

What is a decent child Op?
I am curious as to what criteria you set to judge decency.

I thankgodyouveretired as well.

All forms of selection disadvantage working class kids, 'decent' or otherwise.

Apart from those forms of selection that actively favour kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, I guess, like the small number of schools that are starting to put kids in receipt of the pupil premium higher up their criteria. I suspect that's not something you'd approve of, though...

Selector
I fully accept that you think how it worked for you was ok
as was much that went on in 1970's London.
and I do not believe you are linked to the poison OP spouted.

I can only be glad that OP is no longer a teacher.
I have to hope they leave education for ever.
I hope that they have not damaged too many children during their career.

My view is very clear : if you want selection by god, gonads or tutors, go pay for it
as such things should have no place in the state funded systen
and yes, geography will kick in, but those with a good grasp of demographic cartography will realise that such things as are most things are cyclical

Random allocation at a well regarded Liverpool Catholic college.
Random my foot...