Stories + Views: Grammar Schools

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Janet Downs: BBC documentary on grammar schools was one-sided, say Oxbridge academics

TES reports that the BBC has received a formal complaint about its documentary, “The Grammar School: A Secret History”. The objectors, comprising Oxbridge academics, historians and educationalists said the BBC had a “statutory obligation” to present both points-of-view about selection particularly now that selective education is “back on the political agenda.” The documentary, according to the academics, painted a rosy picture of ... read more and comment →

69 comments

Latest comment by Patrick Hadley: "Ricky, I am sure that nobody would ever go into teaching unless they believed that good schools and good teaching made a difference - and that bad schools and bad teaching let down pupils and can have very harmful long ......"

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Melissa Benn: Some common sense on social mobility……

It would be interesting if it were not so depressing: the more unequal our society becomes, the more desperate the situation of large numbers of citizens, the more we hear about that illusory concept: social mobility. Almost every week, a prominent mainstream journalist sings the praises of the grammar schools - Mary Ann Sieghart of the Times was the most ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Well you won't see me doing that. Having been at the consultations and discussions on this, the stats are very interesting. For example Kings Cambridge went top of the tables after lowering the bar for state school applicants ......"

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Allan Beavis: Have grammar schools in Kent improved social mobility? The fact is they have not….

Mary Ann Sieghart writes in The Independent that, if you live in Kent, access to grammar schools means that you have nearly the same chance as progressing into the top jobs as privately-educated people. Grammar schools as an engine for greater social mobility? Well no. Here Christopher Cook, writing in the Financial Times shows that, on average, poor children do ... read more and comment →

13 comments

Latest comment by Allan Beavis: "Tarr - 1. You talk in extremes. You don't have to "excel" at something to be given the opportunity and culture for social mobility. Under the present government, policies and ideologies has led ......"

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Allan Beavis: Michael Gove claims that private schools’ domination of positions of power is “morally indefensible” – so why is he doing so little to encourage social cohesion?

The Guardian today reports that in a speech at Brighton College, which has just been named “Independent School of the Year”, Michael Gove declared that the dominance of public schoolboys in the upper echelons of politics, business, the arts and sport was “morally indefensible”. At first glance, his speech seemed to suggest that Gove had seen the error of his ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by andy: "I was half expecting that question to arise. The multi-faceted nature of the issue makes it rather difficult to provide a detailed response (i.e. put figures on it). Without wishing to insult anyone the key factors were (and ......"

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Allan Beavis: Jamie Oliver criticises Gove for allowing Academies to serve unhealthy food

Two weeks ago I had lunch in my local maintained school. The food was very good, excellent even, when you consider that the kitchen prepared hundreds of covers every day, including hot food, salads, sandwiches, wraps and vegetarian options. The queues were a bit long perhaps, the children a little unruly and desperate to quickly eat and get out to ... read more and comment →

31 comments

Latest comment by Allan Beavis: "And, according to the report, 9 out of 10 Academies are offering unhealthy food to their students. It seems that Gove's trust in Academies to offer nutritious food to their students is misplaced and so his reassurances that Academies can ......"

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Adrian Elliott: WERE THE 2011 RIOTS CAUSED BY POOR SCHOOLS ?

Both Boris Johnston and the recent report by the Riots Communities and Victims Panel have placed a large measure of blame for last year’s riots on poor schooling. But how far is this a fair or accurate analysis of the causes of the worst civil disturbances for decades. First, the emphasis on schools seems to have led to ... read more and comment →

16 comments

Latest comment by Leonard James: "I'm by no means an expert on this but I'll try and justify my methods as best I can. Being as the school data is expressed as a percentage I don't think parametric tests are suitable - I think we ......"

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