New System Afoot....What will it mean??

[EmeraldE]

Hi all
Just heard on the grapevine that the LEA will not be organising the 11 plus exam next year.

1. Can anyone enlighten as to what this might mean?
2. Will the exam just be the same VR as in previous years, but run by the schools and I assume marked as usual by the company who set the exam?
3. I am assuming this has something to do with the schools being academy status?
4. Will it still be 'shared results'? Do Shire Hall still do the allocations?

Any thoughts, or anyone know anything more concrete?

EE

PS..not meaning to spread a wave of panic!!

[mitasol]

http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index ... eid=106383" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I don't see any reference to a change in their consultation documents but if the changes are at the school level, the consultation documents should be appearing shortly. The web page above suggests the admission criteria for will be published by 4 January 2012.

[gloucestermum]

I'm afraid I don't know any more than what Mitasol has found in the link above.

I will have a look around

[gloucsdad]

I wonder if this is something to do wit the new admissions code recently published?

I think it says popuar schools can now expand if they want ......STR, Chosen Hill, KLB, HSFG, Pates, Balcarras, Cotswold, CHipping Camden, Dean Magna - all excellent. Would it be good if they all increased by, say, 2 groups per year each? As long as they could mnage the extra numbers (a bif IF) with a few extra classrooms, maybe, wouldn't everyone benefit?

[capers123]

I wonder if this is something to do wit the new admissions code recently published?

I think it says popuar schools can now expand if they want ......STR, Chosen Hill, KLB, HSFG, Pates, Balcarras, Cotswold, CHipping Camden, Dean Magna - all excellent. Would it be good if they all increased by, say, 2 groups per year each? As long as they could mnage the extra numbers (a bif IF) with a few extra classrooms, maybe, wouldn't everyone benefit?

Don't forget SHS - also had an excellent OFSTED last year. Of course, Acadamies no longer have OFSTED reports made public.

Yes, the new admissions code (only proposed at the moment, as not yet agreed by parliament) does allow schools to increase, which can be seen as a good thing - however, it also means that other schools will have a smaller intake, thus lower income and decreased facilities / courses.

So what, if it's a poor to avereage school? Well, if you live near to it and have a low income (even the middle class can find themselves unemployed), you may well not be able to afford the bus fare (or fuel for your Range Rover) to the 'increased sized better school'. You won't get free transport as it's not your nearest school.

If Grammars increase in size (and I seem to remember that they are not allowed to), then they would have to have a lower pass mark to increase the intake, thus the average ability of a child at the school will be lower and the range of abilities in the classroom becomes wider, so the teaching becomes less focused. Remember, there's only so many children bright enough for grammars in the county, and increasing the number of grammar places won't make children brighter!

[aargh]

As long as they could mnage the extra numbers (a bif IF) with a few extra classrooms, maybe, wouldn't everyone benefit?

A few extra classrooms is vastly expensive (We just had a disabled toilet extension and extended the office, that came in at £54,000). Think of the effect all the way up the school as each year's larger intake moves up. That is more than a few classrooms you need. But more expensive still is the ongoing staffing cost with the necessary extra teachers.
Is it worth it for the school?
Agree with Capers about the effect on other schools too.

In the area of London I lived in, the popular primary expanded as you describe. People flocked to it It was then suddenly unable to maintain its previously high standards due to being too big
Suddenly the primary along the road from us vastly improved its standards due to its shrunken classes That didn't last long because of course the LEA cut back its funding due to the lower intake

Analogy: Gov wanted (still wants) to close the Dilke hospital in the Forest of Dean and direct resources to improving Gloucester Royal, There you go a fancy super hospital. But some stick in the mud pointed out that the extra time it took to reach Gloucester might lead to people dying on the way in an annoying fashion. Moral: have something adequate nearby rather than something brilliant too far away.

[Rob Clark]

there's only so many children bright enough for grammars in the county, and increasing the number of grammar places won't make children brighter

Although as has frequently been pointed out – both here and elsewhere – there is a vast rump of children who fall narrowly either side of the pass mark, and given the very narrow parameters of the 11+ test, I think it’s safe to assume that plenty of those who just miss it could cope very happily at GS.

And since there is a large body of evidence suggesting that children’s peer groups are the greatest influence on their education, I think the second half of your statement is a ropey as the first, actually.

[Amber]

Analogy: Gov wanted (still wants) to close the Dilke hospital in the Forest of Dean and direct resources to improving Gloucester Royal, There you go a fancy super hospital. But some stick in the mud pointed out that the extra time it took to reach Gloucester might lead to people dying on the way in an annoying fashion. Moral: have something adequate nearby rather than something brilliant too far away.

The trouble is that the Dilke Hospital and others like it aren't equipped and staffed to deal with the kind of urgent cases who are in danger of dying on the way to hospital, so they might just die when they get there instead. Unless you are going to equip every small cottage hospital with scanning equipment which can distinguish the 2 types of stroke from each other, and indeed from cardiac events or other causes of falling over suddenly, and then add in the specialists and drugs to deal with any eventuality, you probably are better off concentrating resources in a few centres of excellence, provided they are not too far apart. Personally I don't think the analogy works - all schools should be as good as each other which would end this nonsense of children being bussed across county boundaries for hours every day to attend what are thought to be 'better schools.'

Love the 'in annoying fashion' btw. "Oh what did you have to go and die like that for? So annoying!"

[Rob Clark]

Moral: have something adequate nearby rather than something brilliant too far away.

The trouble is that the Dilke Hospital and others like it aren't equipped and staffed to deal with the kind of urgent cases who are in danger of dying on the way to hospital, so they might just die when they get there instead

Reminds me of the time when DD’s medical condition was much more volatile than it is now and consultant told us over-dramatically that at any given time DD was ‘20 minutes from death’. My reply was that it was a good job school was only 18 minutes’ walk away. Only DD laughed – must be a family sense of humour

[aargh]

I agree, all schools should be equally good. Then parents can 'choose' the school nearest.
It is the Gov's mantra of parental choice which allows some to be good and some to be bad because they are allowing market forces to enter the system instead of, as is their duty, providing well for everyone. There has not been much sign of choice driving standards up anyway.
The Gov acts as if it is a given that there should be a variety of schools to choose from. Throwing £600 million at "Free schools" is not going to improve matters either (and where was that funding taken from?).

Is DD improved Rob?