£240 million allocated to new grammar schools in the Autumn Statement

[noblegiraffe]

I just want this thread here to reference whenever any poster says 'there's no money, schools will just have to reduce photocopying costs/sell the playing field/charge parents £500 per year/not give teachers a pay rise and schools/teachers/parents will just have to accept it'

Money can be found when it suits the whim of the PM.

so......Nicknmeused said: "So how about improving the existing comprehensive schools instead then?"

Badbunny said: If successive governments and educational experts knew how to they'd have done it.. So, other than just throwing money at a school, which has been proved not to work, what would you do to 'improve all comps'???

user7214743615 said: "BTW it is not true to say that increasing financing has been proven not work: the increase in funding in London has worked. Why don't we try and learn lessons from this, instead of opening grammars to fool middle class parents into thinking that the education system is improving?"

I said: Not everyone agrees that it's the extra investment in London that has made the difference

But apparently it was my post that "went off at a tangent", ? It could hardly be clearer that I was following User's reference to "funding in London", in order to address the issue of whether the extra investment did or didn't help to improve comprehensive schools there.

I won't be responding to you again, since it's obviously pointless. But please, think more carefully before you tell another Mumsnetter that her post is "offensive" because you imagined it said something it didn't.

It could hardly have been clearer to you, you mean, kesstrel, and please don't tell people what they can and can't take offence at.

supermummy
I take it you live in London

rather than in the land of deregulated public transport
where the bus to the catchment school is free
but all others are around £700 a year
which means that without catchment schools, only the rich can even consider choosing schools
so economic discrimination is rife

If there are Grammars all over the place then the shite Kent system is what will happen
with the financial bus fare segregation hidden inside it

May needs to get out a bit. I am disappointed by Greening. She rented a house in Derby Road. She knew. But now she is rich so does not care.

I think you are misreading the situation. No 10 is over-riding ministers' personal views. E.g. Education/BEIS certainly don't want restrictions on student numbers or student numbers included in immigration statistics. TM does. I am far from convinced that Greening actually wants grammars but if TM does then the only option for Greening to push against grammars would be to resign.

"When money is tight and school places are in short supply there is no way the government should be saying 'here, special subset of the population, here's a shiny new school for you on your doorstep. The rest of you can get the bus to the next town." To a secondary modern. And when there is no evidence that a grammar school as does better by any individual child than a comprehensive if both are schools of the same quality.

Some Parents in our area compete for super selective places in a school that has excellent results over all. As it has super selective places it sends lots of kids to good universities . In fact this highly sought after school is a comp. yes we should make a priority of getting the best out of our brightest young people, but as this school shows, it can be achieved in a comp.

Concentrate on developing comps (rather than constant change and interference) and at least wait for the impact of Progress 8 to be seen and analysed, before slapping in a partially baked Ill thought -out change in a random way.

Sam Freedman has just tweeted that he considers scrapping the Building Schools for the Future programme as his biggest mistake at the DfE (he was Gove's advisor). Apparently Gove said the cancellation was done in a crass and insensitive way on the Andrew Marr show.

twitter.com/samfr/status/802821939714805761

I am far from convinced that Greening actually wants grammars but if TM does then the only option for Greening to push against grammars would be to resign.

Then why doesn't she discover a few principles and get on with resigning? Oh no, got to put the Tory party first.

Done.
Some VERY strange starting points in the consultation.
Thankyou for giving us the chance to make our feelings known.

Is a bit odd in the first question it wants you to just choose one of the options of 'who you are' - surely many of us wear several hats from that list?

Oops - wrong thread

Parents won't be able to choose not travelling over travelling for their non-Catholic less academic 11 year old

That is already the case.

Concentrate on developing comps

Some comps in middle class enclaves? are successful in providing for academic children. The rest of the country ... not so much. Academic selection is the only way to provide mobility in the current selective comprehensive environment.

Gove said the cancellation was done in a crass and insensitive way

Assuming that quote is accurate, he didn't say the cancellation was wrong.

Supper don't assume that what applies to your local school applies to the whole country. Non-Catholic less academic 11 year olds can go to the local school in my area (as can everyone). Just because it's shit in your area doesn't mean that shitness should be rolled out to the whole country.

And even if Gove didn't say the cancellation was wrong, his government advisor who was behind the decision said it was wrong (incidentally the same advisor who brought about the 50% rule for faith schools).

Academic selection is the only way to provide mobility in the current selective comprehensive environment.
Except that the evidence directly contradicts your assertion.

Where the Comps are actually comprehensive (ie are clear of to many segregated schools locally)
they seem to do just fine for all kids

Then why doesn't she discover a few principles and get on with resigning? Oh no, got to put the Tory party first.

It's not that simple, though. She may feel that she can still do a lot of good in her role at the DoE, provided that she is willing to make compromises. So, yes, TM gets to open a few new grammar schools but perhaps Greening feels she will be able to get through other policies she believes in.

Ultimately politicians always have to compromise - the issue is where their red lines are and how much they are willing to move their lines for personal gain/progression.

It's quite possible that Greening is willing to sell out personal beliefs for progression but I think it's too soon to tell. Certainly there are other ministers who disagree with TM on some issues (and no 10 will force TM"s will to be carried out on these issues) but who are fighting very hard to get other big policies they believe in implemented.