Grammar schools proposal so appalling that a cross-party alliance forms to fight them

[noblegiraffe]

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (Lib Dem), former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan (Conservative) and former Shadow Education Secretary Lucy Powell (Labour) have written a joint piece for The Observer condemning the plans by Theresa May to open new selective schools.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/19/help-poorer-pupils-selection-social-mobility-education-brexit-grammar-schools

"The formation of their cross-party alliance against grammar school expansion, which is opposed by about 30 Tory MPs, spells yet more political trouble for May on the domestic front. Last week, chancellor Philip Hammond was forced by a revolt in his own party into a humiliating budget U-turn over national insurance rises for the self-employed, and Conservatives lined up to oppose planned cuts in school funding.

Launching their combined assault, and plans to work together over coming months, in an article in the Observer, Morgan, Powell and Clegg say the biggest challenges for a country facing Brexit, digitisation and changes to the nature of work, are to boost skills, narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers and boost social mobility. By picking a fight over plans to expand selection in schools, May will, they argue, sow division, divert resources away from where they are needed most and harm the causes she claims to be committed to advancing.

Before a debate in the Commons on social mobility this week, the three MPs say it is time to put aside political differences and fight instead for what is right. “We must rise to the challenge with a new national mission to boost education and social mobility for all,” they write. “That’s why we are putting aside what we disagree on, to come together and to build a cross-party consensus in favour of what works for our children – not what sounds good to politicians.”

www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/18/cross-party-alliance-grammar-schools-theresa-may

How hard is maths GCSE

To be in the top 5.7% of students sitting the November Edexcel secure mock you needed to score roughly 55% on the higher paper. Clearly raw marks will increase between then and the real exam in June, but this would suggest that the higher paper is harder than previous maths GCSEs. For comparison 5.7% of students got an A* in June, and the grade boundary was 85%

How hard it is compared to old O-level? Comparisons won't really work as they are so different. O-level was aimed at a much lower percentage of the population so should be harder, but I don't know what the grade boundaries were. The skills tested are also very different.

noblegiraffe

My typo: it's Kolmogorov. That NCTEM prophecy is interesting and of course depressing. There is plenty of evidence around staffing difficulties here, but it underlines the scale of the problem. I'm reasonably at ease with that top end of the curve doing virtual clasroom stuff because the biggest problem here is pace in any direction, but not for a typical class because I think they need an experienced teacher in the room spotting the misconceptions and moving some less geekily-enthusiastic children along with whatever works for that bunch etc.

I picked on Mark McCourt because I like them for some of what they said in their essays around mastery. I have a serious grudge about the way NCTEM focused their version of mastery on low-attainers at the expense of the highers (some of that seemed dismissive to the point of contempt).

The 6.3% FSM refers to children attending Kent grammar schools !

Noblegiraffe, can you please explain what you meant by saying raw marks will increase between then and June. Were you asking aout the numbers sitting the Tests, and the corresponding marks gained.

"he November Edexcel secure mock you needed to score roughly 55% on the higher paper. Clearly raw marks will increase between then and the real exam in June, but this would suggest that the higher paper is harder than previous maths GCSEs"

Birmingham grammars do let PP children in on a lower pass mark. At King Edwards Aston, 25 percent of pupils are PP - 20 percent at the other Bham grammars. However, the city as a whole has 50 per cent PP.

I do wonder about those who sit just above the threshold where the difference can be about 10 marks.

I'm disolussioned with GS. Two same ability twins, one in one out. The impact on DT1 self esteem has been detrimental. DT2 just did better on the day yet the impact on their confidence could be monumental.

85% to 55%

Does anyone know what percentage of children in Kent have free school meals?

Can't find this anywhere. Otherwise how do we know 6.3% in a grammar school is bad?

portico I'm saying that kids will improve between November and June so we can't make a direct comparison between what this cohort scored on the November mock and what the previous cohort scored on the June exam.

However, it's unlikely that there will be a national improvement of 30% of the marks between November 2016 and June 2017, unless the real paper is a lot easier than the mock, so it's fair to say that the new GCSE is harder than the old one for the top end. Which it was supposed to be!

Well, it's about 28% nationally. But you have to look at the catchment. And compare to other local schools. In our nearest town it's 30 something % at the secondary modern and less than 1% at the grammar. From memory. About that anyway.

I can't look at the catchment. I can't even find figures for Kent. I'm prepared to accept that grammar schools don't take many FSM kids but would just like accurate statistics instead rather than Bertrand's wotIthinkery.

It's so bloody hard to compare when various places quote FSM rates, others quote PP rates, and then others quote FSM ever 6.

Gracie- just look at individual schools.

Incidentally, I never state something is a fact unless I know it is.

The 6.3% FSM refers to children attending Kent grammar schools !

It was a direct copy and paste. I assume it's maybe a Kent average and a typo.
From my online research, it looks like about 13% is national average (Govt).

The national rate of pupils receiving FSM at all schools fell from 15.2% to 14.3% this year, with the proportion of pupils at secondary schools dipping to 13%

DofE 2016

I never state something is a fact unless I know it is Heh, right.

From my online research, it looks like about 13% is national average

In which case half getting into a grammar doesn't sound too bad.

It's not bad at all gracie, it's high for the local area.

I have attached a screenshot of the tables to show that at secondary school it's 13.2% nationally for 2016.
I am not sure if the figure for primary and secondary combined includes the free school meals that are given automatically in primary school.

educationdatalab.org.uk/2016/09/there-is-not-yet-a-proven-route-to-help-disadvantaged-pupils-into-grammar-schools/

some stats here but not about Kent.

"In which case half getting into a grammar doesn't sound too bad"

It honestly doesn't work like that.

I mentioned the figures for my town, for example. You have to look at the cohort.

It's very good for Tunbridge Wells

Actually Bertrand you said that it was 28% nationally.

Peonyfan

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/find-a-school-in-england

Kent 2016 GCSE Cohort (1st is FSM - Pupils eligible for free school meals at any time during the past 6 years, 2nd is No. of Deprived DCs):

Barton Court Grammar School(Canterbury) 8.6 10
Borden Grammar School(Sittingbourne) 9.5 10
Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School 15.1 22
Dane Court Grammar School(Broadstairs) 14.5 27
Dartford Grammar School 5.8 1
Dartford Grammar School for Girls 8.2 9
Dover Grammar School for Boys 14.1 19
Dover Grammar School for Girls 10.7 10
Gravesend Grammar School 8.2 14
Highsted Grammar School(Sittingbourne) 9.6 8
Highworth Grammar School(Ashford) 7.8 12
Invicta Grammar School(Maidstone) 6.6 12
Maidstone Grammar School 5.4 10
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls 7.3 9
Mayfield Grammar School 9.1 14
Oakwood Park Grammar School 6.7 11
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School 5.6 6
Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School(Canterbury) 5.6 11
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys(Canterbury) 6 8
Sir Roger Manwood’s School(Sandwich) 7.9 7
The Folkestone School for Girls 12.3 22
The Harvey Grammar School(Folkestone) 11.5 9
The Judd School(Tonbridge) 2.4 5
The Norton Knatchbull School(Ashford) 8.8 11
The Skinners’ School(Tunbridge Wells) 1.7 2
Tonbridge Grammar School 2.9 3
Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School 4 5
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys 6.4 8
Weald of Kent Grammar School 4.4 8
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys 9.6 8
Wilmington Grammar School for Girls 6.8 5

29.3% is the national average for FSM

I apologise in advance if I've missed any.

HTH

Sorry, looks like the spaces I put in between the FSM and Deprived DCs figures have not worked. The link should provide more of an insight.

MumTryingHerBest

Sorry, did you mean to direct that at me?

Why?

You are wrong about the percent nationally in secondary schools on FSM.

Peonyfan - You are wrong about the percent nationally in secondary schools on FSM.

That FSM figure is taken from the DfE performance tables. If you are saying that figure is wrong, then it's not me that has it wrong, it's the DfE. Feell free to let them know they have it wrong.

As I said TWGSB intake of over 6% is high for the local area and demographic.