Grammar schools and academy status?

[MasterChief]

So all teachers deliver the same quality and therefore should be paid the same.

Rubbish. It is this acceptance of mediocracy that needs to be challenged. Recognize and reward excellence. Its what happens in the real world. The sooner children know this, the better prepared for life they are.

By recognizing excellence we will also identify the dross. It is these bad teachers that have been able to hide because medicracy is acceptable, that need to be looking for alternative careers.

It may be what happens in the "real world" but the result, as has been recently demonstrated in the financial sector, is that people cease to be motivated by the task and become motivated by the reward. That's a lesson I'd rather my children didn't learn. Most people whom I know who receive Performance related pay gain more recognition for non core targets (i.e. those jobs that the person that set them as targets didn't want to do) than for the job they are emplyed to do.
In addition, as stated in an earlier post, how do you measure qualities such as pastoral care and inspiration,whose effects are as profound as teaching ability.

[KS10]

... and it'll be a case of a double whammy for those working in tough, inner-city schools with a history of poor results.

Not every child is capable of making huge progress. I have worked extremely hard (as have others) with low ability groups who struggle to retain information sometimes because of a special need and sometimes because of the home situation. In the past I have continued with these groups for a second year because why change something that works in terms of good relationship with class, strong discipline and good homework record? I would be unhappy to put it mildly if my performance were to be judged solely in terms of A*-C grades.

On the other hand, I would have no problem with being called to account if I inherited a class with good results and they began to perform poorly with me. I have to say though that I would want to see evidence of work done with their previous teacher.

[Marylou]

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Govern ... ticle.html

Hmmm. Interesting. So chances are your "outstanding" school won't be allowed to apply for academy status after all, if it's a grammar school? Why am I not surprised?

[Tolstoy]

Grammars are being given the option as my sons school is a Grammar and the Governing body are going to make their decision on whether to go for academy status this week.

As an aside in regards to PRP it doesn't work because many schools can't afford to pay teachers any more than they already do. There are many highly qualified teachers out there who are excellent at their jobs but will not be employed because they are too expensive.

Why do you think jobs invariably are given to NQT's even in tough schools where experience is a must?

[Amber]

Why do you think jobs invariably are given to NQT's even in tough schools where experience is a must?

An excellent and sadly very true point, Tolstoy. I looked at a job recently, which I would not have gone for in the end for other reasons, and the Head was panting with excitement when he saw not one but 2 NQTs looking as well, even though the job would really have benefited from someone with experience.

[Alex]

Grammars are being given the option as my sons school is a Grammar and the Governing body are going to make their decision on whether to go for academy status this week.

As an aside in regards to PRP it doesn't work because many schools can't afford to pay teachers any more than they already do. There are many highly qualified teachers out there who are excellent at their jobs but will not be employed because they are too expensive.

Why do you think jobs invariably are given to NQT's even in tough schools where experience is a must?

One of the concerns which has been expressed is what might happen in the future to Grammar Schools which become Academies - will they be able to retain their status? In the areas where they have remained most have hung on because of Local Authority backing in the face of Central Government policy. No Party Political Party openly backs Grammar schools.

What is clear is that these new Academies will not come with the massive capital investment which accompanied the old programme. There is a grant of £25,000 to spend on establishing the Trust and making legal arrangements but how much else will be available? The schools themselves will become responsible for buying in the services currently provided by the LA. They will also have to meet the cost of any redundancies or early retirements of staff, which could be a significant factor in times of financial challenge and falling rolls in some places. Those with long memories may recall that there were problems in the past with some DG schools who did not manage their budgets well.

[Looking for help]

I have also heard mentioned that once a school has become an academy, there is the possibility it will be able to change its admissions policy and remove selection criteria. At the moment I believe that to drop selection on the basis of ability, a parental ballot is required, however should a GS become an Academy, this requirement to ballot could be removed and selection could be abolished.

Is this possibly an attempt to get rid of grammars almost without people realising what is happening, I wonder

[Tolstoy]

The governing body would still have to okay any changes. Most parent governors and govs with a link to the school are probably pro grammar or their children wouldn't be there I suppose. Our school reckons it will increase their funding as they are by- passing the CC kitty with direct funding.

I am on the fence at the mo. CCs do have a lot of nonsense tie ins when it comes to school spending. In some ways it would be great to be able to cut them out. That said it will greatly decrease the kitty for those schools that are not currently successful and that in itself will make them less likely to improve. To be an academy though they do have to have a mentor school so possibly this is the way around the problem of failing schools?

[Looking for help]

The governing body would still have to okay any changes. Most parent governors and govs with a link to the school are probably pro grammar or their children wouldn't be there I suppose. Our school reckons it will increase their funding as they are by- passing the CC kitty with direct funding.

I suspect you may be right, but there is no clear information about the make up of governing bodies etc - it may change as before this current government, academies had to have sponsors, not sure if that is still true , and these would have to be represented on the governing body, so there may be a move away from parent governors etc. Currently there are local authority governors, I imagine these will be replaced but with whom ?
There are far too many questions and not enough answers in my view, and education as a whole across all areas could seriously be at risk. For instance these so called 'free schools' are potentially going to be run by private companies, who will be looking for profit, I'd imagine, so Michael Gove's pre - election statement that money put into education will stay in education is not strictly true, and will disadvantage those schools with no choice but to remain within local authority control as there will be less money for them. As usual poorer children from poorer backgrounds will be the ones losing out

[Tolstoy]

LEA governors as far as primaries are concerned seem to come from the school suggestion them rather than the LEA imposing them from what I have experienced. I agree though that these decisions are being rushed through without the time to do the research. As parents we were given the opportunity to comment but it is difficult to do so when it is all so new and there are far too many questions I would want answered anyway.

There is obviously a huge difference from the academies being formed from failing schools and these new ones that will be created from successful schools. Yet it is only the first type that we really know anything about.