Stories + Views: Private Schools

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Janet Downs: Airbrushing state teachers out of sporting achievement is “mean, unjust” and prejudiced

Airbrushing the tens of thousands of state school teachers who spend hours of their time on sports activities out of the national picture is “mean, unjust and reveals a class prejudice that should have died out with the Romanovs,” writes TES editor, Gerard Kelly. Kelly rightly praises all British Olympians whose inspirational success has received adulation but describes as “appalling” that ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "FullFact also looked at school sports by investigating Stephen Twigg’s claims that by the end of Labour’s period in office at least 90% of children spend two hours or more in PE lessons or doing sport outside of school. ......"

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Janet Downs: Schools Adjudicator finds fault with admissions criteria in two free schools

The Maharishi Free School, Lancashire, and the Langley Hall Primary Academy, Slough, have had to amend their Oversubscription Criteria for 2013 by order of the Schools Adjudicator. Both schools had named privately-owned fee-paying schools as feeder schools – this is not allowed under the new Admissions Code. Both schools are required to amend their Oversubscription Criteria accordingly. In addition, both schools have ... read more and comment →

4 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Brown - unfortunately the schools adjudicator waits until there is a formal complaint before investigating possible breaches of the code. This means that there is a good chance that schools with admission criteria which name private, fee-paying nurseries will ......"

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Janet Downs: Why is the proportion of pupils from independent and state selective schools attending top universities greater than the proportion of pupils from comprehensive schools?

The proportion of pupils from independent and state selective schools attending top universities is greater than the proportion of pupils from comprehensives. This fact has been used to criticise comprehensive schools. But what are the reasons for this discrepancy? Possible answers are: 1 Independents and grammars have a sixth form curriculum geared towards entry to top universities. 2 Pupils at independents and ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by andy: "If you will forgive me I'll largely borrow from my comment made yesterday on the Sutton Trust thread, which I acknowledge you have also responded and flag up the Trust's reference to their top 30 universities: "Although statistics are notorious for ......"

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Janet Downs: The new Sutton Trust scheme will reinforce existing segregation in schools

"Despite its unquestionable commitment to breaking down the educational barriers faced by disadvantaged children,  the Sutton Trust has got it wrong this time," says Fiona Millar in the Guardian.  Read her report here. read more and comment →

33 comments

Latest comment by andy: "Guest You are of course entitled to your opinion. Speaking of slurs you may wish to reflect on the fact that I did not drag a whole list of things across here from TES, that was done by others who joined the ......"

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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 →

20 comments

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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Francis Gilbert: Would abolishing private schools improve the education of all our children?

I attended, together with the other founder members of the Local Schools Network, a fascinating talk given by Pasi Sahlberg this Thursday, in the House of Commons. Sahlberg is, as his website tells us, "Director General of CIMO (Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation) in Helsinki, Finland. He has global expertise in educational reforms, training teachers, coaching schools and advising policy-makers. ... read more and comment →

70 comments

Latest comment by Co-op Schools of the Future, an alternative to Academies and Free Schools | Think Left: "[...] Local Schools Network: Would abolishing private schools improve education of all our children? [...]..."

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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 ......"

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Janet Downs: 93% of Britain’s children are victims of discrimination. Why? Because they are state educated

“Unleashing aspiration: the Final Report of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions” (2009): “…although only 7% of the population attend independent schools, well over half the members of many professions have done so. For example, 75% of judges, 70% of finance directors, 45% of top civil servants, and 32% of MPs were independently schooled.” The Panel found that the ... read more and comment →

17 comments

Latest comment by andy: ""The survey concluded: “…that private education does, indeed, perpetuate a form of separate development in Britain, or ‘social apartheid’.” Separate development is in no way shape or form the same as "apartheid". In the legal sense the latter is enshrined ......"

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Helen Flynn: It’s not rocket science: a different route to social mobility….

So, the Coalition has come up with a new incentive for schools to reduce the gap between rich and poor in attainment and increase "social mobility". How about this for an alternative? Take away charitable status from private schools so that some of the brightest "poor" kids cannot be lured into the private sector with free places and enticements of being ... read more and comment →

54 comments

Latest comment by Tabbers: "Oops, missed my comment, which was "why?"..."

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Fiona Millar: If the impact of private schools is morally indefensible how can they be classed as charities?

On Thursday the Secretary of State made a speech in which he paid tribute to the achievements of the independent sector , applauded its  old boys and girls,  observed their dominance of the arts, media, and political establishment and rounded off  by claiming "the sheer scale, the breadth and the depth of private school dominance of our society points to ... read more and comment →

18 comments

Latest comment by Keith Turner: "An important public benefit the private schools give us taxpayers is they save us money. Every child at private school is one less in the state system. State school cost per pupil is roughly between five and seven thousand per year ......"

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