Grammar schools debate

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The grammar schools debate [1] is a debate about the advantages and disadvantages of the existence of grammar schools in the United Kingdom. Grammar schools are state schools which select their pupils on the basis of academic ability, with pupils sitting an exam (called the 11-plus) in the last year of primary school to determine whether or not they gain a place. The debate on selective education has been widened by measures which allow a proportion of students to be chosen based on their "aptitude" for a particular subject. [2]

Contents

Context

[3] A grammar school is another name for a selective school, a school that makes admissions decisions on the basis of academic ability. [4] This is done by a locally devised exam known as the Eleven-plus (11-plus).

Statistics

Arguments in support

Individual successes

In 2006, according to the National Grammar Schools Association, pupils in England's 164 grammar schools produced more than half the total number of A grade A-levels in 'harder' A-level subjects than those produced by pupils in up to 2,000 comprehensive schools. [7] Selective state schools produce some of the best performance in examinations based upon league tables. [8]

Undermining privilege

In support of grammars it is argued that grammar schools provide an opportunity for students from low-income families to escape poverty [9] and gain a high standard of education without recourse to the fee-paying sector. Oxbridge intake from state schools has decreased since grammars were largely abolished [10] and studies have shown social mobility to have decreased. [11]

More equitable

It has been argued that the grammar system helped bright working class students' social mobility. Chris Woodhead has stated "grammar schools have contributed more to social mobility than any other institution this country has known". [12] Abolishing grammar schools may also be seen as attempting to impose a "one size fits all" education system on an area. [9] The introduction of the CEM style test in 2013 was thought to improve social mobility further, because the exams became much more difficult to "tutor for", which meant that well off parents couldn't simply pay to ensure an exam pass. [13]

Access to the best "comprehensive" schools is determined by the ability of parents to afford inflate property prices in catchment or feign religious affiliation; in contrast grammar schools offer academic rigour regardless of parental wealth or social capital.

School environment

With increasing concern about levels of classroom discipline, it is argued that comprehensive schools can foster an environment that is not conducive to academic achievement. [14] Bright children can suffer bullying for doing well at school, and have to justify their performance to their social group. [14] The grammar school, by insulating the more able, would provide a safer environment to learn. The National Grammar Schools Association suggest that the ethos of a grammar school could foster a culture high of attainment. [7]

Parental choice

When parents in Ripon were balloted on whether to maintain a grammar they voted in favour. [15]

Arguments in opposition

Divisive

It is argued that the grammar school system is divisive [16] [17] and that the system leads to a waste of talent in those that fail the exam at age 11. [18] Roy Hattersley has argued that there is an adverse psychological effect on pupils when considered failures at such an age. [9]

National Challenge Schools

LEAs with a fully selective education system have a higher proportion of schools in the National Challenge, that is, schools that don't meet the government's floor target of 30% of students achieving at least 5 GCSE grades A*-C including English and Maths. Kent currently has 33 National Challenge schools, more than any other LEA in England. [19] This is out of a total of 96 secondary schools, representing 34% of the total number of schools, higher than any other Shire non-urban LEA. [20] Lincolnshire, which also operates a fully selective system, too has a high proportion of National Challenge schools, 29%, compared to 0% in neighboring, fully comprehensive, Leicestershire.

Class bias

Many opponents of the Tripartite System argue that the grammar school was antithetical to social levelling, [14] that claims of raising social mobility were misleading, [21] and that the intake of grammar schools is firmly middle class [22] as evidenced by the low number of students on free school meals at grammar schools. [9] It has been argued the current system benefits the middle classes who can afford private tuition for the 11-plus exam. [23]

Regional and gender variation in opportunities

Practicalities, local political decisions, and historical issues have led to widespread variations across England as to the proportion of pupils attending grammar schools.[ citation needed ]

Similarly, the numbers of places offered to boys and girls varied not according to their results in the 11-plus, but to practical considerations about the number of places in girls and boys schools. In practice, such as in the example of Medway Council, where there were broadly equal numbers of places available for boys and girls, the 11-plus pass mark tended to be higher for girls than for boys and also favoured older rather than younger pupils. [24] [25]

Starving resources

Some research work (that was later retracted, see below) initially suggested that closing grammar schools would improve overall test results. [26] A research report from York University suggested that the average GCSE performance of able pupils who go to comprehensive schools is as good as that of able pupils who go to grammar schools [26] and that the existence of grammar schools depresses overall exam performance in an LEA. This report, however, was later retracted as the researcher deemed that there were serious flaws in data provided by the Government. [27]

Failures of curriculum

Grammar Schools have been criticised for their negative effect on primary education. The critics assert that schools are subject to continual pressure to train pupils to pass the test. [9]

Political party positions

Political parties in the United Kingdom have taken various positions on the merits of grammar schools.

Labour

In general, the left-wing such as the Labour Party oppose selective education, [28] whereas the right-wing such as the Conservative Party have traditionally supported it. [29] In March 2000, following the failure of the policy to close grammar schools down by balloting, the then Education Secretary David Blunkett sought to close down the debate by saying "I'm desperately trying to avoid the whole debate in education concentrating on the issue of selection when it should be concentrating on the raising of standards. Arguments about selection are a past agenda." [30] However, in his autobiography A Journey , former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair asserted that the way grammar schools were abandoned in favour of comprehensive schools was tantamount to "academic vandalism". [31]

Under laws brought in during the 1990s it is possible to ballot on whether to maintain a grammar school by gaining the signatures of a percentage of eligible parents. [32]

Conservatives

Conservative Party support for grammars has been lukewarm under David Cameron who stated that the entire grammar schools debate is "pointless" [33] and "sterile". [34] However, support for grammar schools is more popular among Conservative backbenchers and Conservative supporters. [35]

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats would not open any new grammar schools but would not close existing grammars. [36]

UKIP

The United Kingdom Independence Party advocates the retention of all existing grammar schools and encourages the creation of new grammar schools and specialist schools, which would be called ‘professional schools’. UKIP states that they would not return to a pass/fail 11-plus test but introduce a ‘Comprehensive Test’ to assess merit across a wide range of academic and non-academic abilities including vocational skills, crafts and sport. [37]

Green Party

The Green Party of England and Wales is opposed to grammar schools. According to their website "the [grammar school] system can cause social divisions. Evidence shows that the overall standard of achievement is higher where people are educated in mixed ability environments." [38]

Northern Irish parties

Although the 11 plus exam was abolished in 2008 new unofficial exams have since been introduced. Former First Minister Peter Robinson a member of the Democratic Unionist Party has expressed support for grammars. [39] Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin had opposed grammars. [39] The nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) supported the abolition of the 11+ examination. [40]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grammar school</span> Type of school in the United Kingdom and some other countries

A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private schools in the United Kingdom</span> Fee-paying school in the United Kingdom

Private schools in the United Kingdom are schools that require fees for admission and enrollment. Some have financial endowments, most are governed by a board of governors, and are owned by a mixture of corporations, trusts and private individuals. They are independent of many of the regulations and conditions that apply to state-funded schools. For example, the schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum, although many such schools do.

The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardised examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic selection. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years.

The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland. It was an administrative implementation of the Education Act 1944 and the Education Act 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comprehensive school</span> Type of school

A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic performance. The term is commonly used in relation to England and Wales, where comprehensive schools were introduced as state schools on an experimental basis in the 1940s and became more widespread from 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newstead Wood School</span> Grammar school in Orpington, London, England

Newstead Wood School is a selective girls' grammar school in Avebury Road, Orpington, south east London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secondary modern school</span> Type of secondary school in the UK

A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually referred to as secondary schools, and in areas of England, such as Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Wirral,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Belvedere Academy</span> Academy, gdst school in Liverpool, Merseyside, England

The Belvedere Academy is an all-ability state-funded girls’ Academy secondary- formerly independent- school in Liverpool, England. Its predecessor, The Belvedere School, was founded in 1880 as Liverpool High School. It is non-denominational, non-feepaying, and one of the 29 schools of the Girls' Day School Trust. In September 2007 it became an Academy, as one of the first two private schools in the UK to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortismere School</span> Foundation school in Muswell Hill, Greater London, England

Fortismere School is an 11–18 mixed, foundation secondary school and sixth form in Muswell Hill, Greater London, England.

Aylesbury High School (AHS) was founded in 1959, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, when the previously co-educational Aylesbury Grammar School split to become two single-sex grammar schools. The two institutions remain on adjacent sites. The school takes its pupils from a wide area as far from Aylesbury as Oxford and Milton Keynes, as admissions are determined by the eleven-plus. The current headmistress is Marieke Forster.

Lincolnshire is one of the few counties within the UK that still uses the eleven-plus to decide who may attend grammar school, in common with Buckinghamshire and Kent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weald of Kent Grammar School</span> Grammar school in Tonbridge, Kent, England

Weald of Kent Grammar School is a selective or grammar school with academy status in Tonbridge, Kent, England, for girls aged 11–18 and boys aged 16–18. Selection is by the Kent test.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Trust</span> Educational charity in the UK

The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage. The charity was set up by educational philanthropist, Sir Peter Lampl in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Canterbury Academy</span> Academy in Canterbury, Kent, England

The Canterbury Academy is a co-educational 11-19 academy school in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a specialist Sports College and 15% of its 1081 pupils are selected on musical aptitude. The school was founded as a non-selective secondary modern foundation school before gaining academy status in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Direct grant grammar school</span> Former type of English secondary school

A direct grant grammar school was a type of selective secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed between 1945 and 1976. One quarter of the places in these schools were directly funded by central government, while the remainder attracted fees, some paid by a Local Education Authority and some by the pupils' parents or guardians. On average, the schools received just over half of their income from the state.

The Ravensbourne School is a secondary academy school in the London Borough of Bromley. It stands on a 22-acre (8.9 ha) site in Hayes Lane, to the south of Bromley, and in the parish of Bromley St Mark. It is named after the River Ravensbourne, which runs nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State-funded schools (England)</span> School in England which provides education to pupils between the ages of 3 and 18 without charge

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comprehensive school (England and Wales)</span> Term for a non-selective secondary school in England and Wales

A comprehensive school, or simply a comprehensive, typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic performance. In England and Wales comprehensive schools were introduced as state schools on an experimental basis in the 1940s and became more widespread from 1965. They may be part of a local education authority or be a self governing academy or part of a multi-academy trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's Catholic Comprehensive School</span> Voluntary aided school in Gravesend, Kent, England

St John's Catholic Comprehensive School is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form, located in Gravesend in the English county of Kent.

The Frank Montgomery School was a mixed-gender secondary modern school in the village of Sturry near Canterbury in east Kent. It was founded in 1935 and closed in 2007, when the site and school roll was taken over by Spires Academy.

References

Footnotes
  1. ↑ "Kent News - Grammar school debate". BBC. 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  2. ↑ "11 plus, Schools, Grammar Schools, Choosing a School, 11 plus regions and advice". Elevenplusexams.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  3. ↑ SHUKLA, KARUNAPATI (9 March 2020). "CLASS ROOM". classesroom.com/. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Admissions 2015.
  5. ↑ Danechi, Shadi (2020), 'Grammar School Statistics', House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper No. 1398, London: England.
  6. ↑ Adams 2015a.
  7. 1 2 "Home of the National Grammar Schools Association - grammar, grammar schools, state grammar schools, parents, governors, headmasters, headmistresses, education, educationalists". Ngsa.org.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  8. ↑ Smithers, Rebecca (2001-05-08). "Grammar schools scoop GCSE laurels | UK news". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Carien du Plessis (2001-05-08). "What was said | Education". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  10. ↑ "Pros and Cons of reintroducing grammar schools | Opinion". The First Post. 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  11. ↑ "Disturbing finding from LSE study - social mobility in Britain lower than other advanced countries and declining - 2005 - News archive - News - Press and Information Office - External Relations Division - Home". Lse.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  12. ↑ "Politics | Tories' grammar school 'betrayal'". BBC News. 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  13. ↑ "CEM & GL 11 Plus Exams Guide". 11 Plus Leap. 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  14. 1 2 3 Grammar school debate: Are Grammar Schools Better?, Kate Jackson on BBC Kent.
  15. ↑ Smithers, Rebecca (2001-05-08). "Parents vote to retain Ripon grammar school | UK news". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  16. ↑ "Education | Grammar schools divisive, says PM". BBC News. 1999-02-09. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  17. ↑ Hattersley, Roy (2001-05-08). "For | Education". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  18. ↑ Close (2001-05-08). "Early parting | Education". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  19. ↑ "'No excuses' on school results". BBC News. 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  20. ↑ "DfE Redirect" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  21. ↑ Carvel, John (2001-05-08). "Grammar schools 'no escape route for poorer children' | Education". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  22. ↑ Paton, Graeme (2008-12-18). "Middle-class children coached to get into grammar school". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  23. ↑ Burnell, Paul (2008-12-18). "Education | Is the 11-plus social selection?". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  24. ↑ Medway Grammar School Applications 2014 Entry Kent Independent Education Advice August 2013, Retrieved 9 March 2014
  25. ↑ Medway Test and Review both discriminate sharply against boys and younger children 9 July 2013, Retrieved 9 March 2014
  26. 1 2 MacLeod, Donald (1999-11-02). "Closing grammar schools 'would improve exam results' | Education". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  27. ↑ Lightfoot, Liz (2001-05-20). "Anti-grammar school data wrong". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  28. ↑ Baker, Mike (2003-02-15). "Education | What future for grammar schools?". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  29. ↑ Abrams, Fran (1997-03-19). "Major's grammar scheme is ditched -News". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  30. ↑ "Grammar debate is a 'past agenda'", BBC News, 12 March 2000
  31. ↑ Blair, Tony (2010). A Journey: My Political Life. Random House. p. 579. ISBN   978-0-09-192555-0.
  32. ↑ Carvel, John (2001-05-09). "Battle is joined on grammar schools' future | Education". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  33. ↑ "Politics | Cameron hits back over grammars". BBC News. 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  34. ↑ Ion, Mike (2008-06-28). "Grammar schools are a tricky issue for the Tories too". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  35. ↑ "Conservative groups signal support for wave of grammar schools". Belfast Telegraph. 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  36. ↑ "Q&A: What are grammar schools?". BBC News. 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
  37. ↑ "Education and Training: UKIP policy". Ukip.org. 2009-07-17. Archived from the original on 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  38. ↑ "The Green Party | Education". Policy.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  39. 1 2 "N Ireland politicians disagree over grammar schools - BBC School Report". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  40. ↑ "SDLP". Sdlp.ie. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
References

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