Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

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bondgirl
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Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:30 am

Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by bondgirl »

Interesting article in The Times today. In short, it says that the choice of secondary school for our DCs does not matter as much as we think. A child's family background has more bearing on academic results than does school. In other words, middle class children will do well anywhere.

Any thoughts......... ?
push-pull-mum
Posts: 737
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:52 pm

Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by push-pull-mum »

bondgirl wrote:Interesting article in The Times today. In short, it says that the choice of secondary school for our DCs does not matter as much as we think. A child's family background has more bearing on academic results than does school. In other words, middle class children will do well anywhere.

Any thoughts......... ?
Um - your comment pre-supposes that everyone here is middle class. :shock:

I grew up in a Council house. My parents both left school at 14. I went to a Grammar school and then to Oxford University.
Sadly, I think that it would be much harder for someone in my daughter's generation to do the same.
vasu
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Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:36 pm

Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by vasu »

A mediocre school and a bright child is like blowing a balloon in a box. The balloon will be as big as the box lets it to be, in-spite of the balloon's capacity to be much bigger! Hope you got my gist... :?
Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.
vasu
Posts: 719
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 3:36 pm

Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by vasu »

push-pull-mum wrote:
I grew up in a Council house. My parents both left school at 14. I went to a Grammar school and then to Oxford University.
Sadly, I think that it would be much harder for someone in my daughter's generation to do the same.
That is so commendable PPM. Wow! Absolutely impressed! :D
Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.
sherry_d
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Location: Maidstone

Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by sherry_d »

I have just read the article PPM, its the article that presumes everyone is middle class not BondGirl :shock:

Its really talking to middle class parents (...well its The Times)
I find the obsession of relating everything with class always ridiculous.

I am neither middle nor working class nor do I or my children define ourselves by class and wonder where my kids fit in all these class obsessed "research". It would be nice sometimes having these studies on just children (not based on Middle Class-ness or how many are on free school meals)

...but does choice of school matter? I bet for the majority of people on this forum it does otherwise this forum will be long dead :wink: .
Impossible is Nothing.
bondgirl
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Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:30 am

Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by bondgirl »

sherry_d wrote: I have just read the article PPM, its the article that presumes everyone is middle class not BondGirl
Thanks sherry_d - yes, it is the article that presumes everyone is middle class, not me! I am also of good working class stock ppm and worked hard to be the first (and only so far) from my family to go to university and get a decent degree (though not Oxford :) )

The article concludes that though the school does actually matter, we, as parents, matter even more. I think I would concur with this. If a child has the right guidance and support at home, they should be able to fulfill their potential at any school. The article helped me justify my decision to send DD1 to our local girls comp (albeit a high achieving one) instead of a grammar in the next borough, as I felt it was the right school for her (as did she). I still wonder if I did the right thing but 5 weeks in to Year 7 she's in all the top sets and flying.
push-pull-mum
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Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by push-pull-mum »

sherry_d wrote:I have just read the article PPM, its the article that presumes everyone is middle class not BondGirl :shock:
Sorry sherry d - I thought I was making a fair assumption on the basis of -
bondgirl wrote:In short, it says that the choice of secondary school for our DCs does not matter as much as we think.
Presumably The Times is saying that working class parents should worry because their children are doomed by accident of birth.
bondgirl
Posts: 802
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Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by bondgirl »

bondgirl wrote:Presumably The Times is saying that working class parents should worry because their children are doomed by accident of birth.
Not explicitly ppm but I suppose you could draw that conclusion! Various pieces of research are quoted and it makes for a thought provoking read.
starmum2000
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Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by starmum2000 »

I'm not sure I completey agree with this, but I am pretty sure that in a few years (possibly less!) I will be wondering what all the stress was for, just like you stress over breast or bottle feeding, why your baby isn't putting on enough weight etc, & a few years later you realise it really didn't matter that much to your now happy healthy child!!!
I think parental input has a huge amount to do with how well a child does at school, but I do think there are possibly schools that may not let them develop their full potential.
bondgirl
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Re: Secondary schools - does it really matter which one??

Post by bondgirl »

starmum2000 wrote:I think parental input has a huge amount to do with how well a child does at school, but I do think there are possibly schools that may not let them develop their full potential.
Hi Starmum2000,
I think you're right and that was the general conclusion of the article ie. that the school does matter, but the parents matter even more.

One point that it raised is the need for parents to keep a close eye on progress, particularly when it comes to GCSE options as some secondary schools will "corral children into easier subjects to improve league table scores". As we're 2 years away from options, it wasn't something I'd been aware of. Forewarned is forearmed :evil:
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