« Senior Research Fellow
Regularisation for irregular migrants »

If you would like to comment on a particular block, click on the pale blue bar to the left of the text. If you would like to view the comments on a particular block, click on the speech balloon.

Secretary

“No ability or aptitude entry tests for entry into secondary schools. Secondary schools should be open to children of all abilities, as primary schools. ”

2. How does it fit with Compass’ core beliefs of equality, solidarity, democracy, freedom, sustainability and well being?

Selective education systems are built on failure. Most children fail these entry tests. The effect on their motivation and aspirations is profound. At an early stage in their education barriers are imposed on these children affecting their future achievement and well being. Selective systems result in social segregation in schooling. The evidence is that selective schools take very few poor children. The children who pass these tests have in the main have had private coaching or private primary schooling.

3. How does it build the institutions of social democracy, like social groups and collective and cooperative forms of ownership and control?

Selection results in huge social divisions in secondary education. Ending selection at 11 would promote social inclusion and would support Compass’s aim of renewing a sense of community. Schools taking from all local communities can be a focus of the community, involving families from different backgrounds.

4. How much will it cost or raise and where will any cost come from?

The costs of requiring schools to change their entry requirements from a specified date are minimal. No school should need to close, only to change its entry requirements. Change would release more money to be spent in classrooms as school transport costs would fall. Funding through the Building schools for the Future programme is already planned to refurbish or rebuild schools.

5. Which groups in the electorate are likely to support or oppose this measure? Is there any polling evidence you have on this?

Our diverse system does not mean that parents have a ‘choice’ of different types of schools, as patients might choose hospitals. Selection means schools choose the pupils. Ending selection by ability or aptitude would increase the choice of schools for most parents and children. There has been no evidence of parents campaigning to introduce selection where it is not found. None of the three main parties support selection.Parents with children in grammars may oppose change but if change comes gradually as intakes change without school closure they could be assured that there will be stability.

6. Is there a place or country where it’s worked? Please provide some information.

Finland which always scores the highest in international comparisons is one of the many OECD countries which have a comprehensive system of schools. OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA said in 2007 early differentiation of students by school is associated with wider than average socio-economic disparities and not with better results overall. Scotland and Wales have comprehensive systems. Government action is ending the 11plus in Northern Ireland.

7. What are the three main arguments in favour/against it?

Selection divides families and labels a high proportion of our 10 year olds as failures. We do not need these divisions. We have a National Curriculum, a national system of qualifications and schools collaborating 14 – 19. Scotland and Wales are comprehensive. The Northern Ireland Government has ended the 11plus.

The current system of petitions, ballots and adjudicators will not bring about change. Political will is needed. Even if there is a mechanism for parents voting to stop change, for sound educational and social reasons the Government has to take the lead in ending selection.

microsoft office 2007 email user free Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate microsoft windows xp restore sound pinnacle studio 11 trial version Microsoft Money 2007 Deluxe microsoft office power point download exploring microsoft office 2000 Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac microsoft office system professional download free for microsoft office 2000 professional edition Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise download microsoft office 2003 proofing tools microsoft office release date Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 2000 code microsoft office serial change icons in microsoft windows Microsoft Works 9 microsoft office works download

This entry was posted on Monday, March 16th, 2009 at 11:52 am and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.