Parent's view on the expansion of grammar schools

Alan Gurbutt's picture
 54

I am bitterly disappointed with Morgan’s decision on Kent, it is weak and unthinking in terms of how many more children will have to be divided into sheep and goats at 11 years old. Our coastal community in Mablethorpe/Alford provides a bad example of how education divides us. It’s very much “them (the grammar school) and us”. I speculated almost two years ago that Michael Gove’s drive for education would level the selective field in terms of funding being diverted to academies and pupils going elsewhere to escape the 11+. As much as I am against selection I don’t see independent tax-payer funded schools as a positive way forward. As a parent, I would rather have an end to the 11+ than schools closing. My view is not popular in Lincolnshire because people in power either value their grammar school educations or are afraid to speak out. They simply blame the Tories. The problem with Lincolnshire is that selection is in our DNA, attack it and you are attacking 500 years of tradition, including the Church. As a thinking Christian, I don’t believe it is unreasonable to want comprehensive schools that are universally available to all children’s talents, gifts and imaginations. I hope that’s worth fighting for.

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Be notified by email of each new post.





Comments

Michele -Lowe's picture
Tue, 20/10/2015 - 11:59

Good point, Agov. It has crossed my mind academies are just the opening gambit to later selection, but I felt duty bound to judge Mr Gove on his record.

Alan Gurbutt's picture
Tue, 20/10/2015 - 13:59

I will take heart, thanks Michele. I wondered if there has been a forensic study of the 'unintended' consequences of selection on children, starting from primary school to employment (and alternatives pathways), and how it has impacted upon parents and teachers.

Michele -Lowe's picture
Tue, 20/10/2015 - 15:09

Hm! Unintended consequences of selection on children? If anyone would know, it would be Janet. I've not come across any longitudinal studies personally. I suspect it's an untold story, or rather an inconvenient truth.

Alan Gurbutt's picture
Tue, 20/10/2015 - 17:09

The debate is surely coming. I don't think anybody truly knows the consequences because the nature of the 11+ means people tend to react according to how it has affected them which limits the scope to find solutions.

Regarding academies quietening selection, that's the point I was trying to make at the top. Academies have been slowIy killing grammar schools because the funding has gone with the child. I assume the proposed Kent expansion means they want it back.

Academies are a gambit for the free market sacrifice of schools predicated on neo lib economics. When combined with the 11+ they are a toxic mix.

No school should be able the select their children. They should be developing a national education system where schools are open to all children's talents and skills from all backgrounds. We must not support a system that supports one child at the expense of another, no matter their background.

Sorry for being awkward but I also think we should be challenging the harm selection is causing to those who support it - for the teachers and children.

Pages

Add new comment

Already a member? Click here to log in before you comment. Or register with us.