Headline in Rugby Times

Charlotte67 · Post by **Charlotte67** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:40 am

Yep.

View's good from up here today!

magwich2 · Post by **magwich2** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:46 pm

It would be ok to get rid of grammar schools if you still had some kind of choice in order to ensure your child was not adversely affected by other nasty children.
Any ideas?
Perhaps we could have schools affiliated to a particular political party?
Perhaps we could have "middle class" schools or whatever other class school you might want your child to go to!
Maybe small schools or maybe schools which could junk the national curriculum.
I think what would make the biggest difference in keeping a school pleasant and effective (including current grammar schools) would be the requirement that the bottom 5% each year (chosen either by stupidity or attitude problem)had to be thrown out!

mike1880 · Post by **mike1880** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:09 pm

League tables - get straight 5s in SATS and go to the Premier League school. Risk of relegation to the next division down for persistent disruptive behaviour/absence...

Weirdly, I think it might even work...I know it would work for our son.

Mike

Charlotte67 · Post by **Charlotte67** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:01 pm

I don't think we should have a choice. I don't think we should need to choose. All schools should be equally good. Choice will always favour some children over others. Those with more money/mobility/parental input will always secure the places at the best schools. All schools should stream by subject (an administrative nightmare, I'm sure) so that all are taught to their correct ability level. Children should be encouraged to study what suits them, not forced into boxes at age 11. Academia should not be viewed as the only measure of success.

There is no reason why intelligent children should be taught in a different building to others. Different classroom, yes. I cannot stand this elitism and I think it is very bad for the children (11+ successes and failures). I have seen what it does to friendships and to individual confidence and it ain't pretty!

I do agree that discipline needs to be addressed - but how on earth this could be done, I have no idea.

Mike, sorry, I hate your idea.

sycamore · Post by **sycamore** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:08 pm

Charlotte, those are my thoughts entirely, I've just not been brave enough to post them!

Unfortunately few others agree with this Grand Plan.

Rugbymum · Post by **Rugbymum** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:26 pm

However, if the new draft admission policies are adopted, students from across the county boundary will no longer have an equal chance of getting a sixth form place at the grammar schools or Ashlawn. I think the reasoning behind 6th form draft admissions is even shakier than that behind year 7 draft admissions, and that's saying something.

This does not apply to LSS's sixth form which will remain open to those out of catchment, as far as I know only RHS has proposed changing their sixth form admission policy.

mike1880 · Post by **mike1880** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:51 pm

Personally I wish we could have the Finnish education system. I just don't know how we get there.

Mike

fed up · Post by **fed up** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:57 pm

I think all three schools will eventually adopt the same admissions policy, Rugbymum. I wish I could be optimistic that LSS sixth form will continue to offer a level playing field to those out of catchment, but I don't think they will.
How legal this is, I don't know, as Greenwich also applies to 6th form admissions. But I'm sure WCC and the two schools are looking into it all very carefully.

KenR · Post by **KenR** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:07 pm

I wish I could be optimistic that LSS sixth form will continue to offer a level playing field to those out of catchment, but I don't think they will.
How legal this is, I don't know, as Greenwich also applies to 6th form admissions. But I'm sure WCC and the two schools are looking into it all very carefully

Don't forget that 6th form education is funded centrally by the higher eduaction funding council and not by the LEA, and the amount of funding they get is totally dependent on numbers.

This is the reason why most schools with successful 6th forms want to expand to get additional funding and why 6th form colleges don't give a monkeys if a bright student living 50 miles away wants to enroll.

The good news is that most grammar school 6th forms are expanding and why they are tending to increase the minimum entry criteria into the 6th form even from their own year 11 students. Distance is unlikely to be a major factor they wnat the best students to get to the top of the league tables. Maybe even in Warwickshire

Charlotte67 · Post by **Charlotte67** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:28 pm

I thought that the new admissions guidelines expressly prohibit catchments for sixth forms???

When I have time I'll hunt it down...

Headline in Rugby Times

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