Ok.
As a parent who unlike most on here who have degrees, some it would appear from lurking on university threads went to Oxbridge or certainly could have, I don't, I went to work at 13 to help pay family bills, spent 5 years in bottom sets and left school with one true O level, got 3 equivalents at night school, and went to BBCA, to get level 2/3 qualifications and my wife has 5 Gcses.
You lot seem to live in a different world, my average DS1 got more Gcse's on leaving school, 7 then my wife and I did 6.
We have just struggled to get him through sixth form, doing the harder A levels, which we couldn't even understand. 50% of his history group got a U for their course work, because the school didn't have the resources to get them a pass, school marked all at C.
Both have been in lower sets,
It impossible to move sets after year8, WHY?
Because the lower sets work on Foundation levels every one else on Higher, Top set English do a completely different exam board to lower sets, Science do triple in top set, lowers only do double, History and Geography do different study fields.
So basically if your not in set 1 or possible 2 you can only ever get C/B or 4/5. That's the reality in most local schools it the way the get up to 60 to 70% pass rates.
The local Tory MP always says it's ok to cut funding for arts in state school, because there is the MDS or you can get a bursary. Yeah.
For the ones who wonder, our school has a choir and sings in events all around the region, lots of charity and singing in local care homes. The drama dept, annually works with the RSC to put on a Shakespeare play, with years 7 to 12, 8 other low ranking comps and primaries are involved, alternative years it's in Hull Truck Theatre. They get members of the RSC and Hull Truck into the school to help the students and teachers produce their own unique versions of a play. They also get to do days in the theatre working with current productions. The parents buy £5 tickets to help cover costume costs.
The school has since 2010 had 4 girls go to study opera all over Europe, 2 girls off to study piano, one in Holland which we all help raise £10000 for her living costs, plus a education trust I was a trustee for gave her £3000 for year one and will give £1000/year whilst she continues to study. The school holds art exhibitions of year 11 and 13 every summer and sells off pictures to help fund the courses and send the kids off to university. Then textile students hold fashion shows twice a year, sponsored by local companies. Two of this years A level kids are off to London and Milan to do Degrees.
None of these kids come from university families or would ever got anywhere near a MDS school.
Answering Cakes question
I would do like Canada and scrap GCSE's and make sure ever child got a basic education up to 17 and you leave with a certificate saying you are work ready. For the ones who want to do FE and University you then join at 17 and specialise. No one is classed as failures and the country even pays for students to go to university. Well the state of Ontario does anyway. Plus different degrees cost different amounts.
Never will happen, Britain even today is locked into a class system, which manifests itself in the education system, so 35% have to be deem failures, don't forget if Gove and Co had had their way it would have been 45-50%, because originally only 9-5 was a pass. You are only deemed gone enough if you attend a RG university, and state education is always underfunded under Tory governments. Has Mrs Thatcher told her cabinet, state schools aren't for the likes off our children, not even Grammars.
State schools, especially ones like ours and its neighbours are only designed for the plebs of this world, you know the ones who will work in minimum wage jobs, become hairdressers, nurses, firefighters and in Mr Andrew Mitchell's infamous rant police officers.