Grammar Schools: Yea or Nay? Options

[JeffG]

Nowt wrong with Grammar Schools. We all need servants (who go to the other place) after all...

[Rdg]

the thing is it doesn't matter how we interpret the article - it just needs some schools to interpret it as "don't stream / set" and they won't.

Also the modern "targets" are set as the schools having to get as many pupils as possible to this notional 5 c grade level. That means they ignore the more able pupils who will hit it no matter what, ignore the most needing help as they wont get it no matter what, and concentrate on the borderline pupils they can tip over that level.

Thus we have schools targeted to make the mediocre a bit better whilst ignoring bottom and top - what a great ambition. No wonder given this that parents who feel there is even a faint chance that their children are above that level feel it is worth tutoring etc and hopefully getting their child into a grammar where they will be pushed to significantly beat that 5c ambition.

I live in hope that the more recent change to value added measurements changes this BUT it relies on the NUT etc not scuppering the entry level measurementsneeded to calculate the value added by sabotaging the SATS in yr6