Justine Greening grubs around for grammar school support after disastrous consultation

[noblegiraffe]

Despite the grammar school consultation only closing recently, the results not yet being published, and many high-profile education organisations condemning the plans, Justine Greening has decided to try to whip up Tory support for grammar schools by sending an email to Conservative party members and backers asking for them to support a grammar school campaign.

Ignoring all the evidence that this is a stupid and costly mistake, with real implications for parents who want to send their children to comprehensive schools and for disadvantaged children, she has described how 'popular' they are with parents, who perhaps aren't as well informed on education issues as the organisations and professionals who publicly responded to the consultation.

schoolsweek.co.uk/government-launches-pro-grammar-schools-campaign-just-days-after-official-consultation-closes/

Is this pigheaded or just desperate?

Over 40% of Trafford students are educated in grammar schools and there are still plenty of high attainers left to be educated in the other schools?

You're right, that's not a model for the rest of the country, because that's nothing like the rest of the country.

"Why were you prepared for your children to forego 2 A* for the good of society !"

Because the good of society is more important to me than Russell Minor getting an extra couple of stars.

A question that has always baffled me about Trafford. Where do the low ability children go to school?

This is a letter signed by all the secondary modern Heads in Kent explaining why they believe selection damages children.

www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2016/12/anti-grammar-school-letter-to-theresa-may-from-33-kent-heads

Shouldn't we listen to them?

Bertrand this is the 'Poorest school in Trafford

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schoo 138124?tab=secondary-provisional

Even Broadoak High school which is in Partington which is in the 'back and beyond' of Trafford recorded 65% GCSE English/Maths despite having 65% FSM over the last six years.

65% is a remarkable result considering the Cohort and the fact that even two years ago the school only achieved 35% GCSE.

//www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/138124?tab=secondary-provisional

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/138124?tab=secondary-provisional

I was asked
Why were you prepared for your children to forego 2 A* for the good of society !

(a) There are no grammar schools in my county so its irrelevant
(b) For academic kids, GCSEs are just a stepping stone to A levels and degrees so the difference between A and A* loses relevance
(c) Sacrifice ? Sorry? The fact that they have non academic friends harms nobody

(d) The best way to learn a topic is to explain it to somebody else - both of my kids benefited from mixed ability sets in certain subjects

HPFA- proud to see our head's name on that letter............

Bertrand My daughter's Head was in the newspaper because the school was singled out by Ofsted for its excellent provision for disadvantaged students. And the Head also took the opportunity to promote comprehensives. So know how you feel.

the local secondary modern achieves excellent results! Better than the national average.In 2015 I think they had 80% with 5+ GCSEs at A*-C incl englsih & maths

No one denies there can be excellent secondary moderns schools. However some points:

1. Generally speaking secondary modern heads seem to be against selection -surely they are the people who would know?
2. Selection fans tend to accuse the comprehensive fans of cherry picking good comps, which sometimes is fair enough. They therefore can't really pick those top secondary moderns, usually in wealthy areas to "prove" that all secondary moderns will be as good as those few.
3. If we return to selection 80% will at best see no improvement to their education and there is a high chance that it will be worse. There can be no ethical basis for an experiment in education where 80% bear all the risks but any benefits accrue to the other 20%.

december10th
I know Trafford work miracles in your opinion (and through many name changes on your part)
BUT
the evidence nationally does not support your viewpoint.

The multiple of anecdote is not evidence.
The evidence was linked up thread.

My children would probably both have passed the 11+ without tutoring
but having been at selective schools till I was 18
I am utterly convinced that they got a better and more rounded education than I did at their Comp

I think many with very bright DCs would like their DCs to have the type of academic education available at the best private academically selective schools such as Westminster, St Paul's, etc, an education for which exam results are a bye product rather than the target and is much more extensive than the syllabus.
Grammar schools are seen as the next best thing with teachers specialising in teaching bright allrounders who can learn at a fast pace. However most grammar schools are nowhere near achieving the type of education provided at Westminster and similar as it depends on resources and retention of staff who are willing and qualified to direct an HE style approach as well as hold the attention of class of very bright pupils who can easily be disruptive when bored.
At worst grammar schools can be full of lazy teachers who rely on the motivation of pupils and their parents to achieve good exam results.
I therefore think that all these discussions of the benefits or rights of selective education are not really relevant to the majority as most grammar schools will not be providing anything different teaching style or content to standard comprehensives.

So what does Trafford do that other LEAs don't?

Trafford is unique in that people move there because they care about their child having an education. 65% of kids might be in receipt of FSMs but the parents want their D.C. to be educated.

"Trafford is unique in that people move there because they care about their child having an education. 65% of kids might be in receipt of FSMs but the parents want their D.C. to be educated."

Sorry- that makes absolutely no sense at all.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partington

ThIs is where Broadoak school is if any school corresponds to what the term 'Secondary Modern' is perceived than Broadoak High school has then covered.

Does this look like the type of town where all the parents are invested in to education !

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partington

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partington

And all these people whose children are on FSM being in a position to move for the sake of their children's education........

So what does Trafford do that other LEAs don't?

It surrounds itself entirely by other nonselective LEAs and makes its grammar school places available to brainy children in those LEAs - unlike Kent which mainly surrounds itself with sea! For southerners to understand, Trafford's position is very similar to that of Sutton.

Broadoak school is proud to report on a record breaking year for examination results in 2016. 65% of pupils achieved the headline measure of a C grade or above in both English and mathematics. This is unprecedented success for the school, with the previous record for this measure standing at 53% in 2012.

71% of pupils achieved a C grade or above in maths which is also school record. 69% of pupils achieved a C grade or above in English language and 64% achieved a C or above in English literature. Almost a third of pupils secured a B grade or above in English language. This success reveals the commitment and focus Broadoak School has in driving standards in these all important core subjects.

Equally important is the success of Science. A cohort of triple scientists achieved highly in all 3 subjects with 1 pupil achieving A* grades in Chemistry and Physics and a grade A in Biology. 100% of this cohort achieved C grades or above in all 3 sciences.

The breadth of the curriculum means pupils study a suite of other qualifications (including vocational qualifications) which have also had excellent outcomes. Courses in Digital Applications, Construction, Performing Arts and Motor Vehicle all had 100% pass rate. Meanwhile, Business Studies, Art, Health and Social Care and Sport all ensured that more than 80% of pupils that undertook the courses achieved the all-important pass as a minimum.

Headteacher Lee McConaghie said “These examination results are just reward for the young people who have worked so hard for five years at Broadoak. We are all very proud of their record breaking achievements.”

In terms of individual success the highest achiever was Emily Edwards (Head girl) who accumulated 7A* grades (including English and maths) and 3 A grades. Individual accomplishments such as these confirm the school’s belief that pupils who attend Broadoak can succeed at the very highest level and can compete with pupils regionally and nationally.

Chief Executive of The Dean Trust, Tarun Kapur CBE said “These examination results and the year on year improvements at both of the Dean Trust schools in Trafford demonstrate that these schools ensure pupils achieve their very best .”

Despite a changing curriculum landscape these examination results are testament to the tireless work of the staff and the pupils. The school looks forward to maintaining this success in 2017.

This is important to read because is shows a school located in a area of relative difficulty in a fully selective area gaining 65% GCSE English/Maths.

And almost quite remarkably offering 'triple science'.

Bertrand If you want to move there from other parts of Manchester isn't not impossible to do it and the transportation links into other parts of Manchester are good. Just because you are low income doesn't mean you can't move and doesn't mean the parents don't want more for their D.C.

I've asked my friend who is a teacher in Trafford why the schools are doing so well. What she said was that you find is that a lot of those families who get FSMs in Trafford are immigrant families mainly from EE and Indian Subcontinent. There is also a sizable number of divorced mothers raising their children. They qualify for FSMs because maintenance doesn't count when qualifying for benefits. Then there are those who just want better for their DC so make the move even though they are low income.

If there are kids at the 'modern' getting strings of A*s and triple science then one wonders what the point of grammars and the 11+ is.

Quite, noblegiraffe.

Unless the sort of children getting strings of A* in the secondary modern are not the sort of children the grammar school parents want their children associating with............