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RUSH FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL PLACES
Selective entry grammar schools do not provide a
chance to achieve upward social mobility in the UK,
according to research by Professor David Jesson
from the Department of Economics in the University
of York.
His findings, originally published in the British
Education Research Association’s Journal –
Research Intelligence, showed that, by using the
conventional measure of disadvantage (those
children eligible for free school meals), 2% of the
children in grammar schools were “disadvantaged”
in contrast to 12% of children in other schools in
the same areas.
FACTS:
At present England has 164 grammar schools and Northern Ireland has 69. There are no grammar schools in Scotland or Wales
Graeme Paton, writing in the Daily Telegraph,
quotes the Professor as accusing parents of “buying
grammar places” and intimates that “thousands are
enrolling young children in fee paying preparatory
schools – where they enjoy smaller classes and more
teacher attention – to maximise their chance of
getting a free grammar school place at age 11.”
When asked why he felt that such a high proportion
of preparatory school children gain these coveted
places, even though the tests are designed to
identify inherently bright children rather than those
who have been coached, David Hanson, Chief
Executive of the Independent Association of
Preparatory Schools (IAPS) responded: “The
children’s success is the result of their teachers in
prep schools providing a rich, diverse and well
taught curriculum. Although it may appear to be
counter intuitive, the time the children spend on the
arts, music, languages and sport helps develop their
skills to perform better in literacy and numeracy.”
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