The Tory party appears to support grammar schools but seems reluctant to build new ones.
When our boys took the entry exams we saw this as a test of parental aptitude rather than a test of the children. The exams are not overly difficult - the children at the school are not particularly gifted. The exams, however, require a measure of support and preparedness which can only come under parental direction; few children could do it for themselves.
This is what makes grammar schools successful: parental support and a unified belief in what education should be; it's not so much about the cleverness of the children in them and (though the exams are about screening out low IQ) it is far more about screening out parents who are indifferent.
The tragedy is that, owing to high demand for grammar schools, even well supported children who pass the 11 plus can be rejected.
A teacher friend of ours at the local state school has just quit her twenty year career over the fact that the Head will not back the staff over abusive children and their equally abusive parents. This was the school that my boys went to and this is why we encouraged them to go to grammar. Pity the children who have to share secondary schooling with those types (as did I when I was young. I barely managed 3 'O' levels and had to go to night school to pass English.)
I have seen for myself the scuzzy, tattooed mothers storming up the school drive, fag in hand, faces puce with rage, ready to do battle with the staff.
That's one scene you do not see at grammar. So why have there been no new ones for 50 years allowing parents to segregate their children from such disruptive people ?
Why are parents in Sevenoaks having to campaign for a grammar to be opened via a loophole in the law which states that no new schools can be built but that annexes to oversubcribed ones can ?
Are the Tories ashamed of this system ? Otherwise why can't we have it up front ?
If there is a clamour for a particular type of education why can't everyone who wants it, and who is prepared to work for it, have it ?
10 comments:
So why have there been no new ones for 50 years allowing parents to segregate their children from such disruptive people?
So that you can't segregate your children from such disruptive people.
It really is a plot against you, not paranoia.
I don't know why not either, the demand for state grammars and proper streaming is huuuuge and so can only agree with WoaR. I understand that all state schools will eventually move to academy status which will mean an end to local education authorities and so to loss of jobs and therefore a supposed saving on the education budget. I find all this totally confusing and also glad I don't have kids of school age anymore.
Did you read the story from Orpington this week, a ten year old male child (no further details) GBH's a couple of female teachers in their 50's. He's been nicked and has been bailed. What the press reports don't tell you is that it is a 'special needs' school. So this isn't going anywhere is it? The kid is either one of the mutants from the local pikey site at Star Lane or a PONA (person of no appearance - i.e.from an ethnic minority, with one comment I read elsewhere saying he could be one of these mutant varieties, 6' tall, built like a brick shithouse 10 year olds or one of the many20-something illegal immigrant types claiming to be 10!
Whatever....I wouldn't / couldn't be a teacher these days.
What HAS happened to the right wing in this country let alone the Tories?
I would never send a child of mine to a state school, not even a "faith" school
Probably best to send them to Africa, carib, Asia or eastern Europe where teachers are allowed to kick the you know what out of them for being disruptive
Good parenting also helps as your J&S show
My school had a punishment system that was one step away from capital punishment and wasconsidered "liberal"
Mr Ranter
I schooled with some Persians (1970s)
we had one who would have made a Silver back Gorillia look effiminate
this was a private school
Full beard and built like the kind of shit house that would make a brick shit house shit itself and claiming to be 14
F ucking joke
Mate of mine hit him with a heavy wooden chair
happy days
Love the Beast's post! Can't stop laughing, though I am sure not funny at the time!!
My son is at a Grammar and I thank the lord every day that he has not had to waste these precious years in the company of people for whom education is at best uncool and at worst something to be violently resisted. As you rightly point out, E-K, much of the screening is done to identify the right parents..but also the right children. Hen is intensely academic and highly motivated to work. He's have had seven bells kicked out of him elsewhere...except that he is , fortunately, very tall and athletic! Anyway, when we went round Colyton pre entrance exam, his first comment was ' I could really work here'. He's not a nerd but he is serious and so are 99.99% of his classmates. No abuse, no bullying, no intimidated teachers, no knives, no swearing, no violence of any sort. Oh joy! Very good prog on Beeb about history of grammar schools.
Once again , I reiterate my boring little speech about academic excellence and privilege/class being inextricably linked in the minds of the terminally chippy.
@beast - marvellous stuff. Not so funny though when a serial rapist (Catford a few years ago) was a 13/14 year old West Indian yoot who was over 6' tall and intensely muscular - all that selective breeding in the 17 & 18th Centuries I suppose.
The demand for selective/Grammar schools teaching the 3 R's + self-discipline etc are what parents and so many young people want. It is as if the political class are scared of any more joining them, it seems they need an ill-educated servile underclass to survive - or so it seems.
Same with Lammy and Abbott and the rest of the 'Black' elite (Boateng for one - remember him, his mental wife and rapist son?) who seemingly don't mind getting out of the ghetto but are happy to keep the rest of 'their community' down in it so they can keep their exalted positions and lickle bit of power moaning about the plight of thier brothers and sisters and the terrible racist society they are all doing so well out of.
It's mental innit? As far as I can make out it's the exact frontline of the sham that goes for politics these days. Only about 50 marginal constituencies matter in this country, the rest can go hang so each party sells its own voters down the river to appeal to the other's demographic - hence Blue Labour and wishy washy Tory (although Camoron issued an edict that Tories shouldn't call themselves Tory - I shit you not)
The Tories don't need the votes of people who want grammar schools as they already have them. How's that for playing politics? Our mantra at the last election was 'if you don't vote Tory you can fuck off' - nice, eh?
He added: "The vision is to offer the kind of education that children would typically receive at the country's very best prep schools, but make it available to all." He said there have been 1,074 applications already for the 120 places available at the secondary school next year
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24026536-toby-youngs-latin-lessons-vision-could-lead-to-chain.do
Woman - Yes. I believe that you're right.
Ranter - We had six footer beardies when I was thirteen.
Anon - Capital punishment in schools ... now there's an idea.
Apricot - It isn't about being snobby or chippy. It's about being scared shitless of what some of these types can get up to.
Beast - We had a few like that. Very funny.
Dick - Tories not calling themselves Tory ? At last they admit it.
Like many of my age I was lucky enough to go to a grammar school and even though seperated from many of my friends on our estate I was happy to make it. The combo of De la salle brothers and good teachers set me as a rather rough scouser in good stead. I'd dearly love my children to have at least the chance of following in my footsteps.
Post a Comment