Double standards?
Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:48 pm
Hi
We attended the open evening of one of our local comprehensive schools last night. During the Headmasters address, we were left in no doubt whatsoever as to his personal opinion of selective education. I have absolutely no problem at all with this as everyone has a right to their own opinion and I see no reason why (if we choose to send our son to this school) it would have any bearing on his education.
However, I was rather taken aback when he went on to explain how they had achieved a truely comprehensive school. This is something that they as a school were very proud of. He showed us a model of a true comprehensive with a smooth curve showing equal percentages of gifted and lower ability students rounding up to a peak of average ability students. He then showed us the effect that Grammar school have on this curve by creaming off the higher ability children and leaving a glut of children placed in the middle to lover end of the model. (Stay with me here! ) They as a school had managed to achieve a perfect curve for the past 2 years, however. At this time I was a parent govener for my childrens primary school and recalled how the comp in question had written to all primary schools requesting they supply them with projected sats levels of all year 6 students who have applied for a place! (Our school had refused)
It therefore becomes clear, that the comp use the sats, to decide how many children working at each level they will need to take in to maintain their perfect curve!
The Head had been so very proud that there was a place for children of any ability, I say this may be so unless you happen to be a child of just below average ability for instance, and it just so happens that the quota of children in this catagory has already been filled.
Can anyone shed any light on how this is not selective. I realise I am not an education expert but as a parent this left a rather bitter tast in my mouth
angelz
We attended the open evening of one of our local comprehensive schools last night. During the Headmasters address, we were left in no doubt whatsoever as to his personal opinion of selective education. I have absolutely no problem at all with this as everyone has a right to their own opinion and I see no reason why (if we choose to send our son to this school) it would have any bearing on his education.
However, I was rather taken aback when he went on to explain how they had achieved a truely comprehensive school. This is something that they as a school were very proud of. He showed us a model of a true comprehensive with a smooth curve showing equal percentages of gifted and lower ability students rounding up to a peak of average ability students. He then showed us the effect that Grammar school have on this curve by creaming off the higher ability children and leaving a glut of children placed in the middle to lover end of the model. (Stay with me here! ) They as a school had managed to achieve a perfect curve for the past 2 years, however. At this time I was a parent govener for my childrens primary school and recalled how the comp in question had written to all primary schools requesting they supply them with projected sats levels of all year 6 students who have applied for a place! (Our school had refused)
It therefore becomes clear, that the comp use the sats, to decide how many children working at each level they will need to take in to maintain their perfect curve!
The Head had been so very proud that there was a place for children of any ability, I say this may be so unless you happen to be a child of just below average ability for instance, and it just so happens that the quota of children in this catagory has already been filled.
Can anyone shed any light on how this is not selective. I realise I am not an education expert but as a parent this left a rather bitter tast in my mouth
angelz