Stories + Views: Private Schools

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Melissa Benn: Is efficiency really the new accountability?

Talking to various  politicians and parents and others in recent years about education, I have noticed a worrying shift in attitudes about school accountability.  As local authorities are progressively stripped of their power and funding - with barely a squeak let alone a snarl of protest! -  and more and more trusts, charities and businesses take over our schools, few ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Fiona Millar: "Here is some information about making complaints in academy schools. Unfortunately it doesn't mention staff, only parents and pupils. As you will see it is necessary to go through a remote quango called the Young People's Learning Agency. I understand ......"

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Henry Stewart: The Oxbridge Whitewash: A Damning Indictment

The revelation in today's Guardian that 21 Oxbridge colleges failed to admit a single black student shows the extent to which Oxbridge has failed to ensure its admissions reflect actual ability. It is another indicator that admissions are based more on connections (of the schools they go to) than on student ability. We already know that state school students are under-represented ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Nigel Ford: "This was the Oxford response to David Lammy's article, stressing that it does have outreach events for state school pupils. http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/behind_the_headlines/101307.html A work colleague of mine (security guard) who's son had done well in his GCSEs and had attended a school ......"

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Paul Hopkins: Fair schooling for a fair society

I went to a very exclusive public school and was lucky enough to get a scholarship but we need an open fair education system for all that supports parents and children and does not offer a bias assessment of "good" and "bad". The free market is not the model for education, because it does not work and there is no ... read more and comment →

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Francis Gilbert: Why does Gove believe dead languages and Ancient History are more important to learn than the Arts, R.E, Sports and Technology?

It's official. Finally, Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has proclaimed that Ancient History is more important than a whole raft of subjects that might actually teach our teenagers something of value. If you look at the list of "approved GCSEs" for the English Baccalaureate, you'll see that Ancient History sits proudly there as an approved Humanities GCSE, yet Religious Education, ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by FJM: "Have a look at O-levels from 30 years ago and you will understand why some people say GCSEs are easy. It's all relative...."

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Nigel Ford: Should universities discriminate in favour of state school pupils?

Now when I say state schools I mean comprehensive and 6th form colleges rather than grammar schools. We're forever being told that Oxbridge and other Russell group universities has a far higher proportion of public school pupils despite only 7% of the school age population attending these schools and we know that this isn't necessarily due to superior teaching in the ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "I've become more in favour of positive discrimination as I've heard more and more stories from students coming from difficult backgrounds. Take Mohammed who attended a failing comprehensive in Milton Keynes who got into Oxford with weak GCSE grades on ......"

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Nigel Ford: “Hypocrisy” of private tuition?

When middle class parents elect to send their children to the local comp rather than choosing a state school further afield which is higher up the league tables or remortgaging the house to go private there are often accusations from opponents of double standards if such a parent pays for private tuition to augment their child's school teaching. This usually ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by David Barry: "I dont see how that follows Jake. The people behind this site have said they want to see a good local school available for everyone. The process of getting there requires various things including, it is acknowledged explicitly, commitment and ......"

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Nigel Ford: Why top private schooling won’t always deliver

The latest musing from Ms Birbalsingh deserves some beating for its rubbishing of state schools. She sarcastically opines whether Prince William and his fiancee will be sending their offspring through the state system and then proceeds to denigrate the whole state school sector. What, she didn't say, and as one poster pointed out on the blog, was that Prince William's youger brother ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "The standard of teaching at many private schools is actually quite poor. I experienced this myself when I sent my son to a private prep school in the days when I didn't know better. Some of the teaching there was ......"

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Nigel Ford: Katherine Birbalsingh on the Politics show today.

Katherine was discussing her views on education and while some of her blogs aren't easy on the eye (her latest is about free schools becoming profit making) I wouldn't disagree with the points she made about victim culture and dumbing down of GCSEs. The two politicians on the show with her were Charlie Falconer (former Labour Chancellor) and Francis Maude, Conservative ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Nigel Ford: "I think those two scenarios are right Melissa and as you point out it's because the people in the media are scared of their own shortcomings where their childrens' education is concerned, that this situation prevails and soft questioning persists. The ......"

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Nigel Ford: I sent my kids to the local comp despite having indifferent exam results

I'm a Conservative voter and a great believer in state education which isn't a contradiction in terms. I was educated in the private sector and educated at prep and public school as a boarder although I would have preferred to have been educated at the local grammar school (there were no comprehensives back in the early 70s) but my father thought ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "This is a very important story for everyone to take note of: supporting your local school is definitely not about being left-wing or right-wing for that matter. It is simply about supporting your local community. It is worrying how the ......"

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Laura McInerney: Local state schools ARE my choice

At 11 I passed a full scholarship for a private school 20 miles away in the centre of Liverpool. My parents, ardent trade unionists, were torn. Like every parent they wanted what was best for me and so, I think, tried not to sway me either way. I wanted to stay at my local school. In many ways it was 'worse' ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Laura McInerney: "Pascale - I only just found your comment. It's very difficult to say whether I would be happy about my child going to EVERY school because I think there can always be things that bother you about a place ......"

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