The great grammar debate – are grammar schools truly better than comprehensives?

Are grammar schools any more successful than their comprehensive counterparts? The evidence is conflicting, with strong arguments on each side. Alex Jones investigates.

At the end of 2014, the Independent carried a story which concluded that grammar schools are no more successful than comprehensive schools at getting pupils into elite universities. ‘Working-class pupils are just as likely to get a degree after attending a comprehensive school as a grammar school’, the article stated. The piece was underpinned by in-depth analysis of the educational histories of more than 7,000 people, carried out by researchers at the Institute of Education and the University of Manchester.

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      string(4673) "……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Policy andpractice17Don’t Like Mondays –providing hope for thedisaffectedHow can schools and their staff make a difference for the great number of disenfranchisedyoung people? Sonia Blandford explores a way forward along the Achievement for Alljourney.in education or employment, half of them not deemedwork ready. The tantalising knowledge is that througheducation their lives could be different, their self-beliefsturdier, their achievements greater, and their futures somuch more in their control. That is why we all go intoteaching isn’t it? The belief that it could be different andthe understanding that as part of an education system wecan have a profound and positive impact on all childrenwho move through our country’s schools.■■■ Why I’m in teaching – ‘Our chance tochange their world’What keeps me awake at night is, I am guessing, whatkeeps others, and particularly many headteachers, awakeat night: the pupils whose futures seem to be mapped outby their background, personal circumstances or specialneeds. These are the children and young people whoreally ‘Don’t Like Mondays’. These are the vast number ofyoung people – over a million at last count – who are not……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Don’t Like Mondays – providing hope for the disaffected ■■■■■18■■■ Stepping back and seeing the biggerpicture.But for so many – too many – teachers and headteachersthere is the stark realisation that many pupils – pupilsjust like my own children – seem out of reach in anenvironment where heads and their staff can feel forcedto focus on the ones who are progressing and who canhelp them meet targets. And while they’re doing that,they’re already busy firefighting as they prepare forthe return of Ofsted, deal with social or mental healthissues among the pupils, cope with discontent amongtheir staff, or address problems with families who seemon the fringes of the school community. That can bethe experience of a leadership team in an outstandingschools or a school in special measures.While they are fighting those fires headteachers tell us theyoften live with the fear, and too often the reality, that thosepupils who inspired them into this profession will remainwhere they are, and that they won’t make the difference tothem they know they could and should be making.The first question I ask the headteachers I meet is whatwould happen if they continued to do what they were doingevery day, every week, every year for the rest of their careers.What would happen if they never got the chance to standback and reflect on their original ambitions when they tookthe post? What would happen if they had chance to exploreand draw on ideas outside their own frame of reference tohelp them achieve those ambitions?What is your view? Why did you enter teaching?Achievement for All 3As is designed to empower headsto do just that. It is proving every day it can give youback the advantage by helping you take your eyes ofthe minutiae of the day and focus on wider, bigger,better outcomes for the children in your school. It isbeing welcomed into schools struggling to help childrenmake progress, and schools who are already deemedoutstanding but who don’t want to stand still. Primaries,comprehensives, grammar schools, special schools,Academies and pupil referral units are all among thethousands now signing up. It’s a programme that worksirrespective of a schools’ governance, structure, fundingsource or admissions policy.Have you considered accessing coaching, information,training and on-line support to help you develop yourpractice in engaging those pupils with challenges, needs,or those experiencing disadvantage?A new way of closing that learning gapAchievement for All 3As started life back in 2009. A statefunded pilot programme it was, quite simply, set up tohelp"
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Professional Development

Don’t Like Mondays – providing hope for the disaffected

12 Sep 2016

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      string(5770) "23Sponsored by Capita Education Services23Sponsored by Capita Education ServicesIn this issue:Could do better?Good use of pupil data can have a significant impact on teaching, explains Bob Hardwickof Parkstone Grammar School.The difference between good and greatJohn Christian feels data is essential in helping teaching staff to identify where they needto target their teaching efforts.Teaching and learning – Help sheetA step-by-step guide on how to get the data you hold in your management informationsystem out to the teachers that need it, in an easy-to-understand format.STRATEGICLEADERSHIPSUPPLEMENTThis is the second in a series of six featuresproduced in conjunction with CapitaEducation Services which, combinedtogether, will provide schools with acomprehensive plan of action to achievetheir long-term improvement goals.Part Two: Teaching and learning24Sponsored by Capita Education ServicesThe subject of school improvement is a hottopic amongst heads, governors and manypoliticians. 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Digital Learning

Part Two: Teaching And Learning

1 Jan 2005

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      string(5822) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.ATTITUDES TOWARDS ‘GOOD SCHOOLS’ &SELECTIVE EDUCATIONKeywordsGood schools,selectiveeducation,grammar,educationpolicy, academicsuccess,disadvantagedbackgrounds,confident,selfassuredadultsSummaryThis NatCen report reveals what the public thinks makes a good school and gets beneath theskin of what drives attitudes towards selective education and grammar schools.The grammar school debate raises questions that go to the heart of government education policy:What sort of schools do people want? Is selective education ‘fair’? Does academic selection help orhinder social mobility?This report gives voice to the general public, exploring their views on good schools and gettingbeneath the skin of what drives attitudes towards selective education and grammar schools.Main Findings: ■ Slightly more than half, 53%, would support the expansion of grammar schools; this was one ofthe Conservatives’ manifesto pledges before the last general election. ■ While most thought grammars were very good at enabling children to achieve academic success,they were not seen as being much better at preparing pupils for work than secondary modernschools. ■ As many as two-thirds believe that grammar schools level the playing field for children fromdisadvantaged backgrounds either some, 54%, or all, 13%, of the time. ■ The public was relatively optimistic about the chances of a bright child from a disadvantagedbackground getting into a grammar school – 45% of respondents thought there was somechance and 18% thought there was a high chance. ■ What is a ‘good school’? ■ There was a very clear emphasis on preparation for life and for work. 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Pupils being ‘well-Week Commencing 26th June 2017http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/1442622/grammar-school-selective-education-report-final.pdfhttp://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/1442622/grammar-school-selective-education-report-final.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.presented and well-behaved’ was considered very important by 72% of respondents and‘mixing with others from different backgrounds’ was very important for just over half therespondents (53%). It was clear from the responses that ‘good schools’ are not just aboutacademic success, but defined more by work readiness, personal characteristics and makingsure all children progress. ■ What do people think about selection? ■ The majority (61%) opposed the idea of selection, agreeing with the statement, ‘All childrenshould go to the same kind of secondary school, no matter how well or badly they do atprimary school’. However, a significant minority are in favour of selection on the basis ofability which could be considered surprising given that only 5% of pupils in state secondaryschools are currently educated in grammar schools. ■ What do people think selective education achieves? ■ Most people (69%) think that going to a grammar school has a positive effect on theacademic attainment of the pupils who pass the entrance exam and get a place. Just overone-quarter (26%) think it has no effect and a small minority (5%) actually think grammarschools have a negative effect. Age and political views are the strongest drivers of attitudestowards the effects of grammar schools on attainment. ■ There was very strong support for the idea that pupils who go to grammar schools achievegood GCSE grades (81%) and that a high proportion of pupils go to university (76%). ■ What about those who don’t get in? ■ Views on secondary moderns were mixed. Over a third of respondents (35%) think theymake educational outcomes for pupils worse, with a larger proportion (45%) thinking theyhave no effect on attainment, and only a fifth (20%) thinking they have a positive effect. ■  Secondary moderns were more likely than grammar schools to be considered effective athelping pupils mix with others from different backgrounds (77% compared to 38%), and tosupport academic progress for all pupils no matter what standard they start at (62%, 50%).As expected, they were far less likely to be thought of as effective for academic outcomes(GCSE grades and attending university). ■ What does the evidence say? ■ Government education data by the Education Policy Institute shows that the attainmentlevels of grammar school pupils are indeed high with 97% of pupils achieving five A*-CGCSEs compared with the national average across state-funded schools of 57%. ■ There is also evidence that"
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Leadership

Attitudes Towards 'Good Schools' & Selective Education

23 Jun 2017

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      string(357) "... eligible. For girls, the figures are 51 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.Children in grammar schools do far better than those in non-grammar schools regardless of freeschool meal status. Yet in each type of school, FSM-eligible pupils do worse than non-eligible pupils.In nongrammar schools ..."
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      string(4794) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.MONITORING POVERTY AND SOCIALEXCLUSION IN NORTHERN IRELAND 2016KeywordsAlternativeProvision, off-site alternative,inhouse, schools,subjects,standards,under-achievement,partnerships,providers,regulationsSummaryThere are big differences in outcomes among Northern Ireland’s GCSE-age pupils, basedon their background and the type of school they go to. This report by the Joseph RowntreeFoundation shows the latest data on poverty in Northern Ireland, focusing on the linksbetween poverty, work, and education.Around 60 per cent of boys eligible for free school meals do not get five good GCSEs, compared with30 per cent of those not eligible. For girls, the figures are 51 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.Children in grammar schools do far better than those in non-grammar schools regardless of freeschool meal status. Yet in each type of school, FSM-eligible pupils do worse than non-eligible pupils.In nongrammar schools, the gap is bigger – 65 per cent of FSM-eligible pupils fail to get five goodGCSEs, compared with 47 per cent for non-eligible pupils. In grammar schools, pupils eligible for freeschool meals are more than twice as likely to lack five good GCSEs as other pupils – 10 per centcompared with 4 per cent.The school a pupil attends has a large bearing on their destination afterwards. Around 90 per centof boys and girls leaving grammar schools go on to further or higher education, compared with 61per cent of boys and 74 per cent of girls leaving other schools. Much of this gap is made up by theincreased likelihood of non-grammar school leavers going into work or training – 31 per cent of boysand 19 per cent of girls, compared with 7 per cent and 4 per cent respectively of grammar schoolleavers. However, non-grammar school leavers are around twice as likely to be unemployed or in anunknown destination – around 7 per cent of boys and girls compared with 3 per cent of their grammarschool counterparts.Key Points: ■ Twenty per cent of people in Northern Ireland (NI) were in poverty after housing costs on averagein the two years to 2013/14.. This is around the same as Great Britain and a little higher thanbefore the recession. ■ The composition of those in poverty in Northern Ireland has changed over the last five years.There are more working-age adults, particularly young people, more private renters and fewerpensioners in poverty. ■ Northern Ireland has not experienced the same strong employment performance as Great Britain,only now reaching pre-recession levels. Since 2011, the working-age employment rate hasincreased by 0.6 percentage points, compared with a 3.0 percentage point increase in GB.Week Commencing 21th March 2016https://www.jrf.org.uk/file/48988/download?token=AX4iAZvh&filetype=findingshttps://www.jrf.org.uk/file/48988/download?token=AX4iAZvh&filetype=findingshttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/359483/DFE-RR286_-_Are_free_schools_using_innovative_approaches.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents. ■ The overall employment rate in NI is five percentage points lower than in GB. For some groups,the gap is much wider – 15 percentage points lower for disabled people in NI compared with GB,12 each for lone parents and 16-24 year olds. ■ Average weekly pay is lower in Northern Ireland than a decade ago (after inflation). The gap withGB has remained steady at the median, but low-paid workers have fallen further behind those inGB. ■ Around 60 per cent of boys and 50 per cent of girls eligible for free school meals do not get fivegood GCSEs, compared with 30 per cent and 20 per cent of those not eligible. Pupils receivingfree school meals do less well than other pupils in non-grammar schools and slightly less well ingrammar schools. ■ As well as taking account of the changing poverty landscape in Northern Ireland, the Executiveneeds to ensure there are appropriate monitoring mechanisms, for example to assess thesuccess of policies to mitigate the impacts of welfare reform.WEB LINKMonitoring Poverty And Social Exclusion In Northern Ireland 2016https://www.jrf.org.uk/file/48988/download?token=AX4iAZvh&filetype=findings"
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      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(5) {
        [0]=>
        string(5) "great"
        [1]=>
        string(7) "grammar"
        [2]=>
        string(7) "grammar"
        [3]=>
        string(7) "schools"
        [4]=>
        string(6) "better"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(10) "Leadership"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Leadership

Monitoring Poverty And Social Exclusion In Northern Ireland 2016

16 Mar 2016