Crunch raises state school demand

SingleSue

My youngest son, currently year 6 but working at year 10 for maths (not entered into the GCSE though)

My middle son when he was in year 5, working with the year 9 and 10's across all subjects (apart from English), now year 7 but on the gifted child programme.

Both educated in the state system.

Edited to add - I am a single parent on benefits, living in social housing so by stereotype, my children should be those (according to some) who will fail.

fudgecat

I work for an indepedant educational trust. Do we have privileged children? Yes, but not necessarily in the way that some of you think with all that Jocasta and Tarquin implies in terms of monetary wealth. Increasingly the pupils in my class come from ordinary backgrounds, though obviously with enough money to find the fees. They include a greengrocer and an asian corner shop owner and my pupil gets up early to put out the daily papers (she is VERY well informed about current affairs!). My pupils are very ethnically mixed, particularly from parents who originate from South East Asia, where education is revered and sacrifices to pay fees are seen as more relevent than a holiday on a costa or a gaint plasma TV. I am also privileged, in that my pupils largely are willing to learn and have some sort of stable home life - though this is far from exclusively so. We have children with special needs and those with English as an additional language. We have children from divorced parents, children with serious medical problems and children with disabilities. We have a couple of children with facial impairments whose parents moved them to our school because the culture of the school will not tolerate the name calling and bullying they have experienced in some state sector schools. State school teachers work very hard on class control and motivation, sometimes from disinterested, indifferent or misguided parenting. We also work very hard to meet the pupils needs and the expectations of parents. Our school has a culture of can do and a minimum expectation that pupils will be considerate and give all learning their best shot. In an ideal world all children would go to a school like mine and have committed, loving, caring, appropriately behaved parents and a positive atmosphere, which, to be fair, many many state schools also achieve.
Sadly for those children from poor parents and sink estates in schools where the culture is crowd control and low expectations, the best I can do is pay my taxes, vote accordingly, and hope that government and local authorities will not fail them. Please consider the human cost of broken friendships and distress to the child, if parents remove their children to another school. These are real young people not ciphers of an outmoded class system.

olly300

Geenie wrote: »

Even the Comps have higher and lower levels, though they won't publicise it of course, as all children are equal and open to the best teaching at all levels and years! :rolleyes:

I didn't realise people don't know that areas that only have Comps have selective Comps, and most Comps place students in classes of ability particularly ( but not only) in core subjects.

poet123

Having children educated in both sectors,I believe that it is the ability of the child/parental support that determines academic achievement. My children achieved virtually identical results regardless of which sector educated them. There are pros and cons for each system.

My youngest son is in the state system y7 and currently working at y9 level in core subjects. This is an excellent states chool and fully comparable with the private school which my other children attended.

caveman38

lady_lucan wrote: »

Yes, obviously, but what I am asking is for evidence to back up your statement that private school students work harder.

In my experience working across a number of private and state secondary schools, the one thing that is superior in private is their ability to 'play' the coursework system.Much of the onerous work in this regard is carried out by classroom teachers, not students. It is not uncommon for a piece of GCSE coursework to be 're-marked' 8-10 times before it is submitted. In state schools there is simply not the staff/student ratio to do this.

What I was getting at, from my own experience with my two lads. They attended school 6 days a week, saturdays am. lessons, pm. sports. Every evening 2 hours homework. School hours were 8.40 till 4.00
All the kids round my way were finished at 3 and out playing before 3.30 whilst my 2 still were at school for 30 more minutes. They were not home before 5 every evening and after dinner were still working till 7:30.
They both participated in the school CCF and extra curriculum activities.
Without going on, it was hard graft. But the results were worth it.

SingleSue

I would agree with you there poet, I have always supported their learning and started them young by doing simple counting when they were small. My youngest has a real obsession with numbers and when pre school, the only way to calm him down was not by giving him some sweets or a new toy but by giving him sums to work out! More amazing was that he was barely verbal at the time but was able to blurt out numbers easier than asking for a drink or saying his name (he is autistic).

I have not let up either, in the sales where they are showing a percentage off the marked price, I don't tell them how much it all works out at but get them to work it out for themselves...I advise them how to do it and they take it from there.

It's not just maths either, my middle son surprised his infant school teachers by coming out with 'big' words, they thought he was just using them without knowing the real meaning....well until he put them right by giving them the whole meaning of the words!

I must admit to being frustrated with my nieces and nephews, at age 8, I really expect my niece to be able to add 10 + 10 (something my youngest could do before he even started school) and find it hard going when they just can't do it.

Maybe it's my fault and my standards are too high....

Geenie

olly300 wrote: »

I didn't realise people don't know that areas that only have Comps have selective Comps, and most Comps place students in classes of ability particularly ( but not only) in core subjects.

This isn't an area that only has Comps, and I am not complaining about the service provided as had no effect on me or my family.

It is just the feed back I have had from many friends over the years concerning a particular school that likes to spout it's high achievers, but seems to leave many parents unhappy with children who are not the brightest and need extra help! They feel their kids are being left on the side lines, as the ones who keep the tables high get all the glory and input from the best teachers and resources available. Their words not mine.

I have no idea about how comprehensives work to be honest! Then again, I never for a moment thought it would be the egalitarian clap trap we were all made to think it would be on conception. So my friends complaints of bias and inequality of education of their children has not been a surprise to me.

Generali

SingleSue wrote: »

My youngest son, currently year 6 but working at year 10 for maths (not entered into the GCSE though)

My middle son when he was in year 5, working with the year 9 and 10's across all subjects (apart from English), now year 7 but on the gifted child programme.

Both educated in the state system.

Edited to add - I am a single parent on benefits, living in social housing so by stereotype, my children should be those (according to some) who will fail.

Lots of people don't understand stats. The children of single parents tend to have fewer qualifications. That isn't the same thing as saying that the children of single parents will have fewer qualifications.

SingleSue

Very very true Generali.....it is the same as those who believe that a person on benefits will also have a criminal record, plasma TV, drink etc.

Anyway, I may be a single parent now but when they started going to school (and high school for my eldest), I was married and we were both working so maybe the stats don't really count for me.

Generali

SingleSue wrote: »

Very very true Generali.....it is the same as those who believe that a person on benefits will also have a criminal record, plasma TV, drink etc.

Anyway, I may be a single parent now but when they started going to school (and high school for my eldest), I was married and we were both working so maybe the stats don't really count for me.

I think they apply in some measure at least to divorcees. I'm not 100% sure.