Credit Crunch reveals that often State Schools are the Best

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

State entries rise up Good Schools list

A big rise in state schools rated among the best institutions in the country is revealed in the latest edition of the Good Schools Guide.

Of the guide’s 251 state schools, which are picked on merit and do not pay for inclusion, only 56 are selective grammars, traditionally seen as the gold standard for the state sector.
Also making the grade are 127 non-selective comprehensives and sixth-form colleges, almost 50 primaries.

Mick Connah, a senior education official at Hertfordshire county council, ascribed its strong performance to the “standard management tenet” of “autonomy” – letting each school decide as much as possible. There was “some evidence” more families were applying for state school places this year, he said. “Put that down to good schools and the credit crunch”.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63abdc30-ff7d-11dd-b3f8-000077b07658.html






So to all those posters who have told me that state schools are rubbish - think again;)

Wouldn't it be a shame if the next government wrecked these achievements?

michaels

Of course this means that I can't afford the house I need in St Albans cos of the scramble to buy houses in the right catchment areas by those who are no longer sending their darlings private.

silvercar

"The region with the highest number of state schools in the guide is Hertfordshire, with 13, which includes comprehensives such as the Watford Grammar Schools for girls and boys, and Dame Alice Owen’s School. "

Selective interpretation, if not selective education.

Both those schools select for some places by entrance exam, the remaining places go to siblings (so the younger siblings of academic achievers) and to catchment area (and local houses attract a premium because they are in the catchement area of the best schools).

thelawnet

BACKFRMTHEEDGE wrote: »

State entries rise up Good Schools list

A big rise in state schools rated among the best institutions in the country is revealed in the latest edition of the Good Schools Guide.

Of the guide’s 251 state schools, which are picked on merit and do not pay for inclusion, only 56 are selective grammars, traditionally seen as the gold standard for the state sector.
Also making the grade are 127 non-selective comprehensives and sixth-form colleges, almost 50 primaries.

Mick Connah, a senior education official at Hertfordshire county council, ascribed its strong performance to the “standard management tenet” of “autonomy” – letting each school decide as much as possible. There was “some evidence” more families were applying for state school places this year, he said. “Put that down to good schools and the credit crunch”.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/63abdc30-ff7d-11dd-b3f8-000077b07658.html






So to all those posters who have told me that state schools are rubbish - think again;)

State schools ARE rubbish. Thousands of them are utterly diabolical places that churn out criminals and gangsters.

There are some good ones too.

And why more state schools - any evidence they've got better from this?

Explaining why the guide has more than doubled the number of schools it features outside the private sector in only five years, Sue Fieldman, regional editor, told the Financial Times: “The parents we speak to want more information on the state sector and the best it has to offer.
“This is because the credit crunch is making them think twice about sending their children to private school from three to 18.

The answer is no, it is simply about economics. The cost of private education has gone up sharply, largely as a result of government action (state sector wages have risen, so the private sector has followed), and the economy has tanked (reasons complex, government complicit in massive credit bubble with foolishly low interest rate decisions that they washed their hands of years ago), so of course there is more demand.

That's not to say the product has got better.

KFC sales have gone up 23% in the last year. Has their product got better? Nope, it's still the same old junk food.

Wouldn't it be a shame if the next government wrecked these achievements?

What, the unprecedented economic bust and spiralling costs in education? Hurrah for the Labour party. :T

There is BTW no evidence that these 'good' state schools are doing anything other than taking in the children of wealthy educated parents and getting the inevitable good results.

The wealthy London borough of Kingston upon Thames boasts seven schools in the guide. These include the highly-selective Tiffin grammar schools for boys and girls, as well as non-selective institutions such as Fern Hill Primary.

I googled Fern Hill Primary, it's near Richmond Park. A check on Nethouseprices reveals the following nearby:

46 Albany Park Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5SU £1,400,000
Semi-Detached
Freehold
Not New Build17-Oct-2008
Map (KT2 5SU )44 Albany Park Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5SU £1,500,000
Semi-Detached
Freehold
Not New Build30-Sep-2008
Map (KT2 5SU )53 Albany Park Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5SU£685,000
Semi-Detached
Freehold
Not New Build01-Sep-2006
Map (KT2 5SU)38 Albany Park Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5SY£600,000
Detached
Freehold
Not New Build02-Aug-2006
Map (KT2 5SY)48 Albany Park Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5SU£855,000
Detached
Freehold
Not New Build12-Aug-2005
Map (KT2 5SU)42 Albany Park Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5SY£925,000
Semi-Detached
Freehold
Not New Build08-Aug-2003
Map (KT2 5SY)
15 Durlston Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5RR £690,000
Detached
Freehold
Not New Build28-Aug-2008
Map (KT2 5RR )18 Durlston Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5RT£890,000
Detached
Freehold
Not New Build09-Aug-2007
Map (KT2 5RT)44 Durlston Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5RT£710,000
Semi-Detached
Freehold
Not New Build12-Jul-2007
Map (KT2 5RT)28 Durlston Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5RT£757,000
Detached
Freehold
Not New Build11-May-2007
Map (KT2 5RT)
233 Richmond Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5DH£1,050,000
Detached
Freehold
Not New Build05-Oct-2007
Map (KT2 5DH)Flat 4,
Albany Court Richmond Road,
Kingston Upon Thames,
Greater London,
KT2 5DF£237,500
Flat
Leasehold
Not New Build10-Nov-2006
Map (KT2 5DF)


Not selective, eh what? The only thing there under half a million is a flat, which won't have any kids in it.

Seems this school selects by the basis of the parents of kids there being millionaires to afford the local housing!