Stories + Views: Mixed Ability Teaching

Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Ofsted Chief Inspector hints at recommendations before publication of report. Is this any way to conduct proper debate?

“Secondary schools face being told to stream pupils by ability after a major inquiry by Ofsted found that state comprehensives were failing large numbers of the brightest children,” said the Telegraph. So where is this major inquiry? You’d expect it to be mentioned on Ofsted’s news page but not a syllable. It appears Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted Chief Inspector, decided to reveal ... read more and comment →

100 comments

Latest comment by Ed Banks: "100! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hEEBVlJ8pA..."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Roger Titcombe: The dangers of common sense

It is ‘common sense’ that grouping children of similar ability will result in better teaching and learning. Similarly, that boys will learn better without the distraction of girls, and that girls will also benefit from single sex groups because this will free them from competition for the esteem of boys and allow them to learn without the disruption caused by ... read more and comment →

96 comments

Latest comment by Tubby Isaacs: "Dear O Lord, just read that Oldham Chronicle article. Burkard should not be allowed anywhere near a school. Quote: he is confident that the school promising discipline — all “teachers” will be armed-forces veterans — and grammar-school standards will get the go-ahead ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: No template, says Ofsted chief, just so long as you avoid mixed-ability teaching, says DfE

It’s encouraging that Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw said, “There will be no OFSTED template which compels teachers to do things they wouldn’t normally do. We need to celebrate diversity, ingenuity and imagination in the way that we teach.” However, this diversity isn’t extended to teachers with mixed-ability classes. Sir Michael acknowledged that it’s possible to teach mixed-ability classes ... read more and comment →

40 comments

Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "I agree that that is the point...."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Meraud: The only important thing, in the end, is to pull down the ‘wall in the mind’ and then help a child run with whatever they see beyond it. Good private schools do it with money, but I don’t believe that’s the only way.

The child of left-wing Oxbridge-educated parents (one of whom went to Holland Park...), I went to a very ordinary, run-down, unhappy 'comprehensive' during the mid-80s, when teachers' strikes were pretty ubiquitous. It was an ex-secondary modern, with many of the same teachers still there, and the narrow worldview and poverty of aspiration was tangible. It was a long way from ... read more and comment →

41 comments

Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "I don't know if you've worked through situations where staff are a barrier to students applying Tabbers. The actual reasons there are barriers are not so simple as 'inverted snobbery'. Different staff tend to have different personal reasons ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Allan Beavis: A reminder – How Finnish Education reform addressed the economic inequality of society

Finnish schools and why they are an inspiring model to emulate has been discussed on Local Schools Network many times before, but it is worth thinking about them again. Posts on this site about the recent speeches and "initiaves" by Gove and Clegg claiming to prove the coalition's commitment to social mobility and cohesion have prompted debate once again about the ... read more and comment →

64 comments

Latest comment by Sirkku Nikamaa-Berg: "Yes, Ressu offers basic education (non - selective ) and a high school (upper secondary) that selects its students just like all other high schools in Finland do. Students apply to upper secondary education through a centralized application process after ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Rebecca Hanson: Why do so many people hate mixed ability teaching?

Among academic circles in education and the teaching associations, properly executed mixed ability is very highly regarded, as it is in all the schools in which I have worked (most of whom have never done it) because local schools which did it were so successful and well reputed. Yet wandering around in cyberspace are a number of people who hate it. ... read more and comment →

19 comments

Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Just came across this article from Gove's DFE http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/toolsandinitiatives/tripsresearchdigests/a0013256/themes-pupil-grouping-and-organisation-of-classes and still wonders why it seems to be a fad of free schools to actively promote extreme setting. Clearly it's a case of policy being to give the parents with little knowledge about ......"

Comment + Debate