Grammars in top 80%

[Midget Man]

Was reading this very interesting article today about how many of our schools are failing in the core subjects. Seems alot of schools will now be forced to up these instead of adding more subjects which are considered 'soft'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... hools.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The table showing how much is spent per pupil in la on education is a surprise, I had not realised that Bucks seem to have a lower amount than most areas??

[scary mum]

I think the article is a little unfair - my DCs school suffers because they don't have to take a modern language (Actually I think they should have to at a grammar school). The figures also mean that children have to take geography or history (again I am all for that), but doesn't account for the other humanity subject, RS. So you can have quite a low percentage achiving Gove's goal, but they can still all be academic subjects. I think it is very unfair to judge them on criteria set after the event anyway, but there is a long thread about that elsewhere. Is the amount per child set by the LA? I had a feeling that grammars get more than Uppers (hardly seems fair) or is that out of date?

I think we can expect to see GCSE requirments changing a little at some Bucks grammar schools!

[Midget Man]

I am very surprised your school don't have to take a MFL, I assumed all schools had to, but then again, I also thought all schools had to take history,geography, MFL etc etc

[scary mum]

I know, I think they stopped it about 5 years ago. Quite how they qualify as a speacialist language school is also beyond me. My DD is year 10 and there are 3 girls taking French in her year. (More taking Spanish and presumably German, I suppose). I imagine a compulsory language will be reintroduced fairly quickly!

[hermanmunster]

MFL was made not compulsory after KS3 in 2004 ... however one might have though that a specialist language school could not really get the extra funding associated with specialist status if they did not make it compulsory.

DD is at an engineering specialty GS and all have to do engineering or food tech or systems & control at GCSE - DS's school has science status and all (well all start out ) doing 3 science GCSEs

[Midget Man]

I also though you had to as part of being given a 'specialism'?? I guess I am learning something new everyday. Up till now all my knowledge has been on KS1/KS2, I am only beginning on the secondry schooling