They Needed a Study to Tell Us that?????
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I have to say I'm an advocate for using lottery draws for school places. I honestly feel it's the only fair way to allocate schools.
I would have people state their preferences on their CAF's as they do now, then all names would go into a hat and then their names would be drawn out.
This would have a two-fold effect: 1) your child stands as much as any other as gaining a place in your school of choice and 2) it would then effect the housing market wiping out hotspots around the schools themselves and thus (perhaps!) making some houses a little more affordable.
The only thing I'm not too sure of in my manifesto when I stand for parliament
is whether I would keep the sibling criteria. Whilst I feel it's important for families, I'm not sure if it should over-ride the 'fairness' policy I would want to instate.
I would have people state their preferences on their CAF's as they do now, then all names would go into a hat and then their names would be drawn out.
This would have a two-fold effect: 1) your child stands as much as any other as gaining a place in your school of choice and 2) it would then effect the housing market wiping out hotspots around the schools themselves and thus (perhaps!) making some houses a little more affordable.
The only thing I'm not too sure of in my manifesto when I stand for parliament
is whether I would keep the sibling criteria. Whilst I feel it's important for families, I'm not sure if it should over-ride the 'fairness' policy I would want to instate.
Quite so, ausvic. And ironically, of course, this was exactly the original intention behind grammar schools, was it not?If these children got the education that 'nice' people want for their children then may be the world would be a better place
What a shame that we have moved so far from the purpose of such schools, but I guess it all comes back to the problem that there aren’t enough good schools…
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Chelmsford mum
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I agree with you but.... these schools are not widely spread geographically!katel wrote:There are plenty of good schools! This is an area where never has the old saying "none so blind as those that do not wish to see" ibeen so applicable.
The London borough I grew up in has schools achieving in the 30% A- C except for one faith school that is getting higher grades but you have to be catholic to go.In one of the settings I work in, both of the local secondary schools get under 30%, have been in special measures and have just been relaunched as academies.I wouldn't want my children to go there.
I know what you’re saying katel, and personally I’m very happy with our schools, but clearly lots of people aren’t – if everyone was completely happy with their local school, I don’t think there would be a whole industry around the 11+/independent schools.
There might not even be a need for a forum such as this (Sally-Anne and Etienne’s excellent advice notwithstadning
)
There might not even be a need for a forum such as this (Sally-Anne and Etienne’s excellent advice notwithstadning
)Snowdrops I am trying to make up my mind on the lottery but few question
Would you then remove all catchment areas and any child from anypart of the country can apply? Would the lottery apply to all schools even the so called "bad" ones? Would you still need local authorities for allocation or it will be centralised?
The only problem I can see is that it can even lead to more anxiety and upset on a lot MORE parents. Also more students may end up travelling far and costing the state even more providing transport to these pupils. A lottery sounds good on paper but a badly handle one (which i suspect will be the case) can have far more implications and be much worse than the current system
Would you then remove all catchment areas and any child from anypart of the country can apply? Would the lottery apply to all schools even the so called "bad" ones? Would you still need local authorities for allocation or it will be centralised?
The only problem I can see is that it can even lead to more anxiety and upset on a lot MORE parents. Also more students may end up travelling far and costing the state even more providing transport to these pupils. A lottery sounds good on paper but a badly handle one (which i suspect will be the case) can have far more implications and be much worse than the current system
Impossible is Nothing.
A postcode lottery removes choice - is that what we're to be reduced to? Comprehensives try to do the same - mixed class teaching tries to do the same. None of which creates a fair or good system. If i'm poor and not terribly bright then i'd opt for a postcode lottery and a comprehensive - but i'm not.
Why does so-called equality have to mean reducing my choice, dumbing down, mixing us all together in one great pot?
It does not create equality or fairness. Broad brush-strokes rarely satisfy.
We should celebrate variety and differences instead of pretending we can ignore them. Variety of choice and good funding at all levels creates fairness, whether we're talking education, health, housing.....
Why does so-called equality have to mean reducing my choice, dumbing down, mixing us all together in one great pot?
It does not create equality or fairness. Broad brush-strokes rarely satisfy.
We should celebrate variety and differences instead of pretending we can ignore them. Variety of choice and good funding at all levels creates fairness, whether we're talking education, health, housing.....
There will always be good schools and bad schools because there will always be good and bad pupils, that I am afraid is a fact of life.
The idea of drawing names out of a hat to allocate schools horrifies me because I believe it will only achieve one thing "a load of mediocre schools." Society in general is moving that way anyway, we no longer celebrate excellence in our children, our children can no longer be better than others because that is not fair for the weak children, I think that throwing everyone into the same bag is a huge mistake as the peaks and troughs are removed and as I said you are left with everyone in the middle, just a bunch of mediocre people who frown upon excellence.
The idea of drawing names out of a hat to allocate schools horrifies me because I believe it will only achieve one thing "a load of mediocre schools." Society in general is moving that way anyway, we no longer celebrate excellence in our children, our children can no longer be better than others because that is not fair for the weak children, I think that throwing everyone into the same bag is a huge mistake as the peaks and troughs are removed and as I said you are left with everyone in the middle, just a bunch of mediocre people who frown upon excellence.
Absolutely right I don't. There have been two knife murders here (one last year), one of our neighbours received a lengthy sentence for drug dealing last year and a local shop is known to be a front for drug dealing.katel wrote:Such a good idea to protect one's child from "riff raff". You don't want them mixing with common people or proles, do you?
Do I want my kids to go to school with these "riff-raff"? No, thank you. I want them to be educated with and by people who share my values.
Mike
I am waiting for somebody to tell me what they are going to do in my area to sort out the confusion - I know a lot of areas are the same - as we've all been through the process / are going through the process perhaps we should form a think tank 
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !