Grammar and Faith school expansion.

[streathammum]

Not always getting what you want, is part of life.

Solution is not to ban bigger houses, bigger cars, better paid jobs or grammar schools.

Yes of course, but this is children we're talking about here. 10 is too young to be faced with such an important pass/fail moment.

And yes the school that suited my DS best is a grammar. Does that make my hypocritical? Or just someone who was making the best of the current position?

If the grammars hadn't been available, maybe (probably) there would have been a wider selection of comprehensives for us to consider for him. I would be happy with that.

[Amber]

Yes of course, but this is children we're talking about here. 10 is too young to be faced with such an important pass/fail moment.

And yes the school that suited my DS best is a grammar. Does that make my hypocritical? Or just someone who was making the best of the current position?

If the grammars hadn't been available, maybe (probably) there would have been a wider selection of comprehensives for us to consider for him. I would be happy with that.

+1
If that argument about people who don't support grammars sending their own children there is rehearsed again, I might have to scream. You can't send them to a school that doesn't exist, nor educate them in a system which doesn't exist. You send them to the best local school. And if that is a grammar school then that is where you send them. It does not make you a hypocrite or a tacit supporter of grammar schools. It makes you the best parent you can be under the conditions which face you.

[loopylala]

Solution is not to ban bigger houses, bigger cars, better paid jobs or grammar schools.

It seems the proposed solution is to increase the number of places available in existing Grammar Schools. Granted this may be in the form of an annex but then the schools may need to demonstrate a relationship which could mean that, geographically, they are not a huge distance from each other. Could this result in some Grammar schools becoming less selective? If so I wonder how it will affect their results and league table position in the long term?

[Amber]

Could this result in some Grammar schools becoming less selective?

yeah they might have to let some poor children in.

[anotherdad]

What a lecture! Is it just to say that you have some presumed superior moral point of view?

I was going to say no, that I wouldn't be that presumptuous, however after this...

Not always getting what you want, is part of life.

Solution is not to ban bigger houses, bigger cars, better paid jobs or grammar schools.

...maybe I'm coming round to it. I don't measure success in cash, assets or status and I think that's a stronger moral position than the materialistic measurements you refer to. Maybe you consider that presumptuous, but I'm entirely comfortable with it.

Just because most of the candidates can not get into Oxbridge or some other top universities, does not mean that these institutions are harming those candidates. Likewise, with selective schools. Harm is done by people who call unsuccessful candidates failures. If there were more grammar school places, (about 1300 in 1965, at least that many needed now), more children would get into these schools. Instead of being called a failure, we should educate that more able will get the place, purely on merit.

I disagree. In Bucks, the grammar schools do harm the chances and esteem of children in their own area because they have adopted a selection process that is beneficial to those with wealth and that is exploited and abused by others for their own advantage elsewhere. If Bucks GSs choose to expand under this proposed policy but do not address their flawed selection process, I am not convinced that more children will gain places on merit, the extra places will go to those with the means to exploit the system.

Whether the selection tests are fit for purpose is another debate and educationalists should continually look into that aspect.

Absolutely. I have seen some efforts by the Bucks GSs to address their selection processes but they have been inadequate.

[daddyof3]

Wonderful news. At last a government that is listening to what parents want.

We would love a grammar school in North Bexley. This is a deprived part of the borough where the schools are performing so poorly that parents are desperate to get their children into grammar schools.
We would love to see a grammar school in Erith, Abbeywood or Belvedere.

So many people who are against the expansion of grammar schools have already paid a premium to live in an area with good comprehensives. Good for them but for us who cannot afford to pay that premium to live
near good comprehensives, we are desperate for more grammar school places.

Also speaking as an ex grammar school teacher as grammar schools lack the funds they need.

Excellent news!

[loopylala]

Wonderful news. At last a government that is listening to what parents want.

We would love a grammar school in North Bexley.

The proposal is to increase the number of places available in existing Grammar Schools. In light of this, why do you think this is good news for the parents in your area?

[streathammum]

Wonderful news. At last a government that is listening to what parents want.

We would love a grammar school in North Bexley. This is a deprived part of the borough where the schools are performing so poorly that parents are desperate to get their children into grammar schools.
We would love to see a grammar school in Erith, Abbeywood or Belvedere.

So many people who are against the expansion of grammar schools have already paid a premium to live in an area with good comprehensives. Good for them but for us who cannot afford to pay that premium to live
near good comprehensives, we are desperate for more grammar school places.

Also speaking as an ex grammar school teacher as grammar schools lack the funds they need.

Excellent news!

How will you feel if your child doesn't get into the GS in North Bexley and the schools that your DS can get into become less comprehensive as a result?

Parents like grammars if their kids go to them. Parents are not especially keen on secondary moderns or comps that don't reflect a full mix of ability because the more able children have all gone elsewhere.

[tiffinboys]

Hopefully, together with the expansion of existing grammars, new grammars will be established in the areas where there are none at present. Government needs to be courageous. Parents want to have such schools, at least one in each borough.

Bright children have the right too to be educated in the environment best suited to them. Opponents of grammars seems to be forgetting that.

[tiffinboys]

Could this result in some Grammar schools becoming less selective?

yeah they might have to let some poor children in.

Visit Tiffin School’s admission policy for 2019. To your utter shock, you may find that PP children have higher priority; not for few places but to the extend of PAN.