HBS applies to govt for funds to expand to five form entry

[thisisnuts]

But you're still refusing to acknowledge that money must be spent up-front if there is a need to increase the number of school places.

Short of shipping half a million people to the less densely populated parts of the country, the pressure on school places in the South East is not going to ease any time soon.

You seem to be suggesting that grammar schools need to expand to address a shortage of school places. That is not the case at all.

My debate with G55 was about whether there is ANY need for capital expenditure.

Living locally, I have in recent years seen Barnet and Harrow councils support brand new Academy schools with comprehensive intake. There has been, and seems to be a need for more, provision of school places

I do say, in a later post, that IF the funding IS for expanding school provision, the destination of such funding is a separate debate.

If there is a shortage of school places in a given area there is no need for those places to be created in grammar schools above others. This is about individual schools who know they can fill places grabbing money from other schools by taking extra children and therefore extra funding. It will lead to fewer children in less prestigious schools.

Is HBS grabbing existing money from other schools, or is it trying to grab a piece of the expansion of provision? The expansion funding has to go somewhere.

A partial consequence of the increase in grammar places, in this neck of the woods at least, will be fewer children going private.

[kenyancowgirl]

"...A partial consequence of the increase in grammar places, in this neck of the woods at least, will be fewer children going private..."

But fewer people going private won't increase the number of school places...it will "free" up places in private schools because parents who could have afforded to send their children take up grammar school places BUT those people who might have hoped for a grammar school place from another type of state school are unlikely to be able to apply to private as they won't be able to afford it (or would have applied already)....

[Amber]

A partial consequence of the increase in grammar places, in this neck of the woods at least, will be fewer children going private.

Sorry, why? Is there a relationship between intelligence and money? I thought the grammars were trying to justify expansion on the basis that more children from less well off households would get access. If all that is going to happen is that rich children who would otherwise be at private school will access the new places then surely the policy is a failure.

[thisisnuts]

Sorry, why? Is there a relationship between intelligence and money? I thought the grammars were trying to justify expansion on the basis that more children from less well off households would get access. If all that is going to happen is that rich children who would otherwise be at private school will access the new places then surely the policy is a failure.

My comment was based on the fact that there are many parents around here who try for grammar and Indie. Some DC's who didn't get a grammar place have ended up in quite well regarded Indies. An increase in grammar provision would, other things being equal, probably result in a few more of these children gaining a grammar place.

But having read the proposal document from the school, they do mention prioritising local residents and disadvantaged children. So I suppose the Indie's can breathe easy.

[ToadMum]

Sorry, why? Is there a relationship between intelligence and money? I thought the grammars were trying to justify expansion on the basis that more children from less well off households would get access. If all that is going to happen is that rich children who would otherwise be at private school will access the new places then surely the policy is a failure.

My comment was based on the fact that there are many parents around here who try for grammar and Indie. Some DC's who didn't get a grammar place have ended up in quite well regarded Indies. An increase in grammar provision would, other things being equal, probably result in a few more of these children gaining a grammar place.

But having read the proposal document from the school, they do mention prioritising local residents and disadvantaged children. So I suppose the Indie's can breathe easy.

Do the DC to whom they have to award bursaries tend not to do very well, then?

[squareofthewicket]

In Harrow, a whole new secondary school has recently been built to meet the demand for places.

There is also a school that is coming up in Osterley near the park (actually an existing School moving from Isleworth). Looks amazing from the outside - big grounds, nice new shiny building. Would be interesting to visit the school once it has opened.

[thisisnuts]

A partial consequence of the increase in grammar places, in this neck of the woods at least, will be fewer children going private.

And, just a week later...

Not grammar school related but still backing up my point about the effect on Indies, the fee-paying Swaminarayan school in Neasden (LA: Brent), attached to the temple, has announced its closure at the end of the next academic year.

The blame has largely been placed on the development of free Hindu schools in London, and the knowledge that the trust behind most of these free schools is searching for a site in Brent. Said trust is responsible for one of the new-build schools I mentioned in earlier posts on this thread.

My comment was based on the fact that there are many parents around here who try for grammar and Indie. Some DC's who didn't get a grammar place have ended up in quite well regarded Indies. An increase in grammar provision would, other things being equal, probably result in a few more of these children gaining a grammar place.

Do the DC to whom they have to award bursaries tend not to do very well, then?

The Indies don't operate on a needs-blind basis. After determining need, the limited busary pot is usually offered to the children the Indie most wants to attract. One assumes those will be the ones who will be expected to excel, academically or otherwise.