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Secondary education

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Original poster

Tories pour millions into new grammars while state schools discuss the possibility of a 4 day week

999 replies

noblegiraffe · 07/03/2017 08:21

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/07/theresa-may-unveils-plans-new-generation-grammar-schools/

In a cowardly move, the Tories are publishing their White Paper on grammars before publishing the responses to the Green Paper which, the best thing Justine Greening could say about them was that they were 'not overwhelmingly negative'.

What a bunch of fucking shite. And where are they going to get the thousands of pounds required for free transport for golden ticket poor kids? The only potential money-saver here is that we know that the vast majority of poor kids don't get into grammars. Hmm Why not save this money and put it into the school that the poor kid would be going to originally? Then everyone would win, including the poor kid who isn't faced with a long commute, the poor kid who didn't get into the grammar, and the 90% of kids who aren't 'grammar material' (decided by a faulty test which puts kids in the wrong school aged 10) who would see more investment in their education which is desperately needed at the moment.

OP posts:
Peregrina · 10/03/2017 21:45

Peregrina how rural are you? I'm extremely rural.

For me, not at all now, but I was thinking of family members in Cumbria, and lived literally just outside the Peak District during my own secondary school years. A long journey to school was and is par for the course in those places.

MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 21:46

BertrandRussell I have know nothing about L6 SATs or L9 GCSE which is the reason for the "?". My DC has a scaled SATs score. Is 120 a L9? If it is I better find a tutor as my DC isn't at a Grammar.

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 21:49

Mum trying... not where I live so I doubt it.

BertrandRussell · 10/03/2017 21:51

I don't know, sorry, Mum. NobleGiraffe is wonderful and knows everything, though!

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/03/2017 21:51

My DC has a scaled SATs score. Is 120 a L9?

The new SATs were a balls-up, the new GCSEs are a balls-up, you might as well roll a dice to predict grades at the moment.

OP posts:
BertrandRussell · 10/03/2017 21:52

Except at grammar schools......

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 21:54

I wished there was though, because she was fed up. She is not so bothered now she is at the end of her time there.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/03/2017 21:54

Sorry mum, things are a little frustrating in regards to grade predictions at the moment. More seriously, 120 is the top of the scale so you would expect achievement at the highest levels to continue throughout secondary.

OP posts:
MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 21:56

noblegiraffe you might as well roll a dice to predict grades at the moment.

Good, confirms my understanding of the grading.

MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 22:03

noblegiraffe - More seriously, 120 is the top of the scale so you would expect achievement at the highest levels to continue throughout secondary.

We've had the first secondary school report so expectations have been made clear. I'm not that concerned tbh. I'm not an Oxbridge or disaster type of parent.

BertrandRussell · 10/03/2017 22:05

Mum- have you had GCSE predictions?

MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 22:16

BertrandRussell Fri 10-Mar-17 22:05:29 Mum- have you had GCSE predictions?

No. I have no idea when they start to indicate actual expected GCSE grades, tbh.

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 22:19

I know what you mean mum. I've had people ask me all sorts of wierd questions about what I feed my daughter to whether she had special tutoring and also what is it I do that makes her like she is.
The simple answer is that she is what she is. I don't do anything. I have never even had to ask her to do her homework. It is just who she is.

My other daughter is also clever, but less driven.

Sometimes to be honest I worry more for my clever and driven one. My sister is very clever and very driven. On the outside her life is perfect, but people expect it of her and so she never gets others congratulate her... they just say they expected it Sad She is the least happy out of all of us.

I am not Oxbridge or disaster either. It is their life and in my experience with friends from school, that kind of parenting is ultimately going to end in disaster even if they do get there.

MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 22:31

Thegruffalowswife Fri 10-Mar-17 22:19:24 I know what you mean mum.

I'm not sure you do tbh.

My DC lives on their xbox, laptop or ipad. I have never had any weird questions. There was a disproportionate number of bright DCs at primary school because it is a high performing primary in an 11 plus area. My DC is not an outlier and doesn’t complain of being bored or lacking challenge at school.

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 22:43

No mine wouldn't In the very affluent town she was born in either I suppose.

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 22:44

She was born in the home counties.

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 22:46

My point is that grammars would be very beneficial to those who wanted to do well in poverty areas where the schooling ( especially under the snp) is terrible.

It will not happen here though under the scottish nationalists (communist dictatorship)... not a chance.

MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 22:49

Thegruffalowswife Fri 10-Mar-17 22:43:01 No mine wouldn't In the very affluent town

I supose it depends on what you consider as affluent.

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 22:53

7th in the uk prosperity index

MumTryingHerBest · 10/03/2017 23:00

Thegruffalowswife Fri 10-Mar-17 22:53:56 7th in the uk prosperity index

Then my area is definitely not affluent then.

BertrandRussell · 10/03/2017 23:02

"I know what you mean mum. I've had people ask me all sorts of wierd questions about what I feed my daughter to whether she had special tutoring and also what is it I do that makes her like she is"

Really? What a very strange world you must inhabit!

Thegruffalowswife · 10/03/2017 23:13

Yes it's odd and also very embarassing, because they must think that whatever it is that I do... I don't do it for my other daughter.

Fourmantent · 11/03/2017 08:01

Yes HPFA and there's a ton of comments to plough through!

Gruffalo academic kids fail their 11+. As you are in favour of grammars then you must by default be in favour of secondary moderns. I find it very odd that therefore you would't mind your daughter attending a secondary modern (with top sets creamed off to grammar). It's not what I want for my DS. He is only very academic in some areas so a comprehensive is the best place for him. He most certainly doesn't require a less academic or more vocational education than anybody at a grammar school.

HPFA · 11/03/2017 08:07

Interesting that there are actually very few comments in favour - even in the Guardian its usually 50/50.

And this development:
twitter.com/RealGeoffBarton/status/840463117016547328

Why not introduce the reforms first and see if they work rather than introducing new schools? It's almost like they know it won't work.....