Bits of news on the grammar school issue

[HPFA]

Two snippets of news

schoolsweek.co.uk/film-company-targets-grammar-teachers-in-recruitment-video/?utm_content=bufferb7668&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Unclear exactly why grammar teachers are being targeted to tempt people into teaching. Perhaps to tempt recruits by suggesting they can have a nice career only teaching the easy kids.

And another piece of news:

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-church-england-not-interested-opening-new-grammar-schools

This is perhaps hardly surprising. Since faith schools are already so heavily criticised for being socially exclusive it would hardly do the C of E's image much good to open up schools explicitly targeting the already advantaged. Still welcome news to those of us on the pro-comprehensive side.

[HPFA]

Yes, which is a little bit hopeful on the grammars issue because I'm clinging to my belief that she will find it a lot harder on the ground than she imagines.

One way we have struck a bit lucky is I'm hugely impressed with Kevin Courtney. He's basically been working like a dog travelling the country getting the parents School funding movement going. He's quietly (and seemingly without alienating his own members) turning his union from being seen as a hotbed of lunatics to a potentially quite powerful force. Similarly, his polite but pointed requests to JG about the consultations read much more effectively than any diatribe would. This new union could be a good thing.

[noblegiraffe]

The minute she commits to something, she'll lose someone's vote. It's why Leave didn't have a plan for Brexit, just nationalist themes, slogans and imagery.

So no fine details on grammars or Brexit I expect.

[HPFA]

In my head, Theresa May has conjured up this general election purely to get her own way on grammars

Actually, someone on Twitter has said that May now justs once a few grammars to spite all the people who've told her its a bad idea. What I can't get around is the cognitive dissonance in her own head around her being convinced it'll be so popular but not just coming out and saying "we'll have massive number of new grammars." Cos when a politician thinks they've got a massively popular vote-winning idea they usually like to keep quiet about it right?

[noblegiraffe]

Yes, how also how convenient to be in purdah when you don't fancy publishing the responses to the green paper consultation. I don't think we'll ever see them.

In my head, Theresa May has conjured up this general election purely to get her own way on grammars (and maybe also because she's a snowflake who can't deal with Nicola Sturgeon pointing out she's unelected).

[HPFA]

schoolsweek.co.uk/grammar-schools-white-paper-wont-be-published-until-after-election/?utm_content=buffer0b072&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Apparently TM is not going to tell us any actual details about her grammars policy before the election. So could be the full Peter Hitchens or a few grammars scattered around the place. Heaven forbid that the voters should actually know anything about something so unimportant before they are asked to "trust Mrs May"

[HPFA]

Yes. But I assumed that that was the D of E deliberately misleading the public. I think she actually believes that if she forces people to have a grammar they will therefore thank her when they're paying out a fortune in tutoring to get into it.

I'm sure she can find areas of the country where they will be popular. But I can't see why she's so keen on foisting them on areas where they're not wanted?

[noblegiraffe]

I think she has decided that it's popular entirely on the grounds that grammar schools are oversubscribed. But that's because parents favour raw results as a school measure and grammar schools will automatically outperform any other school in the area!

[HPFA]

Indeed. The slightly strange thing about this policy is that she's supposed to be doing it because they will be popular yet there is no really strong evidence that they will be massively popular with parents. In her own constituency she can see there has been no evidence of overwhelming demand - it is very much being pushed along by the Council. A year ago they did a survey of parents whose children had passed KS2 Level 5 - yet no results have ever been produced. Slightly odd if they showed a strong desire for grammars.

She will have to decide whether she wants this policy to be a sop to her right-wingers but with few actually being built (which might mean giving stronger rights to say No) or whether she wants to return us to a binary system in which case she will have to accept that that will be done by government dictat and give up any pretence that it is parent driven.

[noblegiraffe]

The problem with asking the local community is who in the local community should have their say? Only parents of primary school children?

[HPFA]

And a little more evidence...

twitter.com/SchoolsWeek/status/854629929887117312

And so unnecessary. This election's won anyway.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

We've just readvertised for an English post.

[HPFA]

Errk ... should have added after together "and shout loudly that this is NOT the wish of their community".

[HPFA]

noble It's going to come down to how much of a fight people are willing to put up at a local level. The one weakness I can see is I think the government will stick to its line of grammars being at the instigation of parents/communities. That does leave scope for schools and communities to come together.

Of course the govt is hoping that schools will simply be too tired to fight the battle, grammars will have a better chance of getting teachers than most (although I think Doctor and others have said that even they are having trouble in Maths and Science). The aim I suppose is to get 20-40% grammars so most middle-class people will be able to get their kids in and the other schools will just slowly decline as money dries up and teachers leave.

It depends on whether people like me (whose DD is already safe in a comp) will have the energy to fight for others and whether schools can be convinced its worth the battle.

[noblegiraffe]

So the suspicion is that grammar schools will be put in the manifesto, the Tories will win the election and then we will have grammar schools. We may never see the results of the Green Paper consultation, because why bother publishing them when the country has decided?

They will cover up just how much opposition there is to these plans.

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

Goodness, I thought it was just something someone had made up - but I guess it's typical of Whitehall to deploy colonial lexical fields...

Either way , it's been one extended cock up and they have now got an orderly queue of would be Teaching Schools to sort. Like a stacking pattern at Heathrow...

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

Seems likely. Didn't think purdah lasted that long for locals. I feel like I've always known they call it that (my Dad was a senior civil servant in DH, glad he's not here to see the mess Hunt has made).

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

Interesting story btw...

My school applied. along with about 100 others across two phases, for Teaching School status. Should have found out in March. Email in March saying it would be Easter. Email last week, saying it had all gone into 'purdah' (their genuine, non ironic word!) because of 'upcoming local elections'. Really!? Local elections, my arse.

I think someone tipped them the wink that they might need to wait until after June...

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

Well, that will certainly become apparent over the next six weeks....

[noblegiraffe]

There will always be people who think that they themselves are the most hard done-by in any scenario.

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

There will always be people who think the more able are the most disadvantaged in society...

[HPFA]

There won't be the money to set up loads of brand new ones. However once you set up a few existing comps may join a rat race to convert and grab the top pupils before anyone else does.

I suppose it could be amusing if we do end up with Peter Hitchens' desired 35% grammars. In 10 years time Mumsnet will be full of people complaining that the local grammar can't really stretch the more able child.

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

Not even that many, I reckon.

[flyingwithwings]

Truthfully i bet we end up with no more than 10-15 new grammar schools ...

[flyingwithwings]

If we get a Conservative majority of 140-160 i can look forward to 400 new grammar schools being created......


Only joking.......................

[noblegiraffe]

You'll have to ask Toby Young why he didn't mention any of that while praising the comprehensive ideal instead of partially selective schools.