Advice on choice of schools - indie or Grammar?

[Uncle Jo]

Dear Shalom,

Can you pm me please. I live in Dulwich and I need advice about my dd in year 4. Thanks

[shalom]

Hi Jonathan
I have just sent you a PM.

Shalom

[Sassie'sDad]

Here is one excellent reason for rejecting Grammar Schools, I could boar you with a few others but this is an eloquent starter!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... GCSEs.html

[Loopyloulou]

Maybe it's time Manchester Grammar changed its name...

edited by Loopy - comment might have been interpreted as offensive, arrogant, devisive, condescending

[mitasol]

Why would they want to change the name?

[Thea]

A friedns family did an experiment last weekend as they were going on a long train journey. Printed off a recent aqa GCSE maths paper and they did it on the train. Parents were shocked because not only could the elder girl (11) (in state schools till now - going indie in Sept) make an excellent stab at it, even those topics not yet done, a few minutes explanation and she 'got it' and with a few hours practice , could pass if she took it this year, but even the younger (8) could do a number of the questions.
Helped them to vindicate their decision to send her indie in pref to grammar...
( the ref to Manchester Grammar is that grammars will not be aable to change to iGSCE, the gvt will force them to remain with GCSE for ideaolgical resons, so the suggestion isMGS changes to show it is independent, and can make its own choices about exams.

[T.i.p.s.y]

Maybe it's time Manchester Grammar changed its name...

edited by Loopy - comment might have been interpreted as offensive, arrogant, devisive, condescending

I was looking for a good debate too!

[Guest55]

Thea - I bet it wasn't a Higher tier paper ....

[T.i.p.s.y]

I remember when I was at school I did the scottish equivalent of GCSE Maths and my sister was sitting the A'level equivalent the same year. She gave me a copy of the paper she had sat in the exam and it was easier than the GCSE paper I had done!

[sj355]

I remember when I was at school I did the scottish equivalent of GCSE Maths and my sister was sitting the A'level equivalent the same year. She gave me a copy of the paper she had sat in the exam and it was easier than the GCSE paper I had done!

As an example of the dilution of the standards in the A levels, when my brother took the A levels in Greece in 1979 (after taking 3 times a week afternnoon lessons after his school for two years), among his chosen topics was Higher Maths. I do not believe this A level exists any longer. In fact he took A levels in Maths, Further Maths and Higher Maths and achieved As in all three. He was offered unconditionally a place in Cambridge a year before he finished his secondary education on the basis of these achieved marks and he decided to defer the offer for a year to finish off his secondary education. At the time no one suggested he comes to the UK to do an interview as it was deemed redudant given his A level scores. (As a complement he had also achieved a bunch of O levels including physics, chemistry, modern Greek, and ancient Greek to show an overall profile of ability, all A's apart from a suprising B in Ancient Greek).
A simple comparison of the A level papers in Maths from those late 70's and early 80's maths to those of today will make your heart sink!