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.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

True noble, i'm over identifying. Got picked on by some PGCE tutors for being a grammar school girl. Really. Ridiculous.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

HPFA - yeah, but you just used evidence the DfE don't do that

[BertrandRussell]

The Brilliant Club looks.....well, brilliant.

I can't help thinking, though, that once again we're focusing on the very high attainers. But I know that's my hobby horse........

[HPFA]

can't help thinking, though, that once again we're focusing on the very high attainers. But I know that's my hobby horse........

True, but being able to point to initiatives like this really helps the argument. And less cynically if it helps a particular group without harming others then I'm all for it. I'm also pleased because in those naïve days when I thought suggesting other ways of meeting the needs of these pupils would be a constructive way of contributing to the argument I actually thought up a similar idea!

Doctor No-one should be attacked for where they went to school. Adults should be able to make decisions for themselves without being expected to conform with what their parents did.Those tutors had no business making your education an issue.

[Clavinova]

Not sure I want to take any notice of Owen Jones:

'He describes himself as a "fourth-generation socialist"; his grandfather was involved with the Communist Party and his parents met as members of the Trotskyist Militant tendency.'

Laura McInerney goes into great detail about her background here:
lauramcinerney.com/2012/11/25/schooling-biography/

She did attend a comprehensive school up until age 16 but then she abandoned her own age group to study A levels with mature students at an adult education college. She's a very clever 'self-starter' with an unusual 16-18 educational experience.

[BertrandRussell]

"Not sure I want to take any notice of Owen Jones:

'He describes himself as a "fourth-generation socialist"; his grandfather was involved with the Communist Party and his parents met as members of the Trotskyist Militant tendency.'"

Is this another category to add to HPFA's list of people who are not allowed to have opinions about selective education?

[Clavinova]

Absolutely!

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

Of course , if you went to school in Scotland - like Gove and me you get away with spouting all sorts of crap, because everyone south of the border assumes you must be very under privileged! [grin}

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

Brackets didn't work

[noblegiraffe]

unusual 16-18 educational experience

Do you mean the college with the 19% pass rate? Probably as far removed from a grammar school as you could get.

But she's excluded from criticising grammars anyway because she went to Oxford.

[noblegiraffe]

Got picked on by some PGCE tutors for being a grammar school girl. Really. Ridiculous.

What the...I can't even... ?

[ILikeBeansWithKetchup]

I did teacher training in Notts. My school mentor - who was very inspiring as it goes - told me he wouldn't write me a reference if I applied to 'one of those grammar schools over the border.'

That said, when I applied to his actual school (having not applied to the satanic grammars), I didn't even get an interview! Charmed.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

Noble - yup, and this was at roehampton in Surrey so several of the placement schools were grammars. There's also been the odd glare from people on courses too. To be honest I save my course glares for people who ask stupid questions right when the course is about to end when the question is irrelevant to everyone else. Grrrrrrr.

[Clavinova]

Noble
I've excluded her because she wasn't educated with students her own age at sixth form - nothing to do with Oxford.

'The library was university standard – and it was there I first learned about academic journals – prompted by my amazing Film Study tutor Alan Ellison who part-pioneered our entirely theoretical Film A-Level based on his own experiences of teaching undergraduates.'

[BertrandRussell]

So another excluded category is people who went to a comprehensive school which didn't have a 6th form.......

[noblegiraffe]

There's also been the odd glare from people on courses too.

Because you went to a grammar or because you teach at one?

Some people are weird.

[noblegiraffe]

I've excluded her because she wasn't educated with students her own age at sixth form

I'm assuming (hopefully?) that this is a joke!

[HPFA]

Is this another category to add to HPFA's list of people who are not allowed to have opinions about selective education?

With Noble's and Clav's contributions we are now on No 10. I'm tempted to make this

10) Anyone not covered in nos 1-9

but maybe it's too early for this.

[BertrandRussell]

I am really pleased- it used to be just me!

[Clavinova]

"Well this is pretty shady
schoolsweek.co.uk/unions-wont-go-easy-on-grammar-plans-to-win-funding-deal/
Rumours ministers will try to buy support for grammars from the unions with a school funding deal."

What rumours? Schoolsweek have only printed a headline - where's the detail/rest of the story? Are they making this up?

Interesting that the second biggest teachers' union in the country state they are not opposed to (new) grammar schools.

[Clavinova]

No, not a joke.

[HPFA]

Clavinova

I tend to agree that Schools Week were rather over-egging it. More details on the NASUWT position here:

www.nasuwt.org.uk/article-listing/grammar-schools-a-distraction.html

[noblegiraffe]

NASUWT said about grammars:


“It is time for government to commit to the vision and values of comprehensive education that secures equality of opportunity and entitlement for all our children and which is the basis for securing our shared values, inclusion and mutual respect and understanding.

“The Government’s proposals to remove barriers to selection of pupils on the basis of ability, aptitude and religion are a distraction from the real challenges and crises in our education system.

“A crisis of not enough teachers, not enough school places and not enough money, as a consequence of years of public sector cuts and austerity.

“These proposals are a distraction from the failure of this Government to end the scourge of insecure employment and low pay, discrimination, prejudice and hate on the streets, homelessness, the lack of affordable housing and the lack of investment in high quality training, skills and decent jobs which are blighting the lives of children and young people.

“The Government’s proposals on selection are about extending privilege to a few, not about tackling the problems of inequality and social exclusion which blights the lives of many in our country.

“We must demand a better deal for all our children.”

www.nasuwt.org.uk/article-listing/grammar-schools-a-distraction.html

I don't think that's a ringing endorsement.

[noblegiraffe]

Snap HPFA

[Clavinova]

'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.'

Seems like another piece of misquoting from Schoolsweek.
What the advert actually says;
Just So Films has asked full-time teachers in secondary “state and grammar schools” to get in touch if they want to feature in a film that will delve into their experiences in the classroom.
Might just be a twenty-something advertising bod who doesn't know that grammar schools are state schools.