16 replies to this topic

[gingerjon]

Grauniad

[Wolford6]

The change is more a reflection of the impact of white flight in the city than how the school governors have changed any educational philosophy.

[paley]

The change is more a reflection of the impact of white flight in the city than how the school governors have changed any educational philosophy.

I don't see why that would affect it. Private schools draw their pupils for a large area rather than the local area. I went to school in Pudsey but the day boys came from all over Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax, Leeds etc. The boarders, of course, came from all over the world although it wasn't unknown for some weekly boarders to come from the same areas as the day boys

[Wolford6]

Bradford white people have left in droves to Baildon, Queensbury, Lightcliffe, Calverley, Birkenshaw and Brighouse.

There are decent private and state schools much nearer to their homes than BGGS. In addition, Bradford no longer has the widespread employment base that it had pre-Thatcher ... you only have to join the M62 every morning to see how many Bradfordians work in Leeds.

My boss' daughter went to BGGS as a day-girl, thirty years ago. He was a local government officer, his wife was a headmistress ... both worked in Bradford and could deliver and pick her up every day.
Nowadays the sort of white people who can afford to pay school fees don't tend to both work and live in Bradford. The school-roster has, to my casual observation, been increasingly supported by Sikhs but is probably no longer viable.

[Student Ram]

Batley Grammar changed to Free school status this september - seems to be the way to go. Independent, able to control what u teach (/how u deliver the NC) and what you pay, but without worrying about raising your own fees.

[Johnoco]

I knew about this via a friend with girls there. Already got an application in for my daughter for next Sept. You still have to pay for next year but I'll manage somehow. It's a terrific school, absolutely top notch. As for the area, I imagine an effect sort of like in Menston where people buy houses in order to get them in a school. Could well lead to the area improving massively.

Edited by Johnoco, 30 November 2011 - 07:49 PM.

[Severus]

Batley Grammar changed to Free school status this september - seems to be the way to go. Independent, able to control what u teach (/how u deliver the NC) and what you pay, but without worrying about raising your own fees.

I don't know whether this is very lefty of me to say this but grammar schools seem to be a good thing. Also, give schools autonomy, cut down on the amount of paper work generated and let teachers teach.

[Trojan]

I don't know whether this is very lefty of me to say this but grammar schools seem to be a good thing. Also, give schools autonomy, cut down on the amount of paper work generated and let teachers teach.

They were a good thing. Unfortunately, in the days of the eleven plus exam, if you didn't go to a grammar school you went to a secondary modern. Which was very secondary and not very modern.

[Griff9of13]

I've always been of the opinion that grammar schools were/are one of the best ways of encouraging social mobility. The comprehensive system only addressed the problems at the bottom by damaging a very good system at the top.

[Severus]

I passed the eleven plus but went to a comprehensive school as opposed to a grammar school. Worst decision I ever made. I left with no A-Levels to my name and the year after I left it was put on special measures following an Ofsted report. Retook my A-Levels at an FE college, gained entry to an ex-poly and managed to do quite well in the end. I can't help thinking what could've happened had I gone to the grammar school (although I should point out I am happy with my lot in life at the moment).

[Kenilworth Tiger]

I knew about this via a friend with girls there. Already got an application in for my daughter for next Sept. You still have to pay for next year but I'll manage somehow. It's a terrific school, absolutely top notch. As for the area, I imagine an effect sort of like in Menston where people buy houses in order to get them in a school. Could well lead to the area improving massively.

menston? We used to call the thickos Menston rejects.

is it really a nice place to live now?

[paley]

menston? We used to call the thickos Menston rejects.

is it really a nice place to live now?

That was because of Highroyds hospital in Menston.

St Mary's seems to be a very good school

[Trojan]

I've always been of the opinion that grammar schools were/are one of the best ways of encouraging social mobility. The comprehensive system only addressed the problems at the bottom by damaging a very good system at the top.

If you listen to Lawrie Taylor's Thinking Allowed you'll hear an argument that contradicts this theory
http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/b006qy05
But in the days of the eleven plus most people didn't go to grammar schools. They went to the secondary modern schools. In the part of the West Riding where I lived most of the education budget obviously was spent in the grammar school. I went to the secondary modern school - we had text books dated 1920 that were dropping to bits. We had one sports field for soccer, hockey, athletics and cricket. We had no gym and (given that we were supposed to be headed for a manual job) no metal work shop. No showers, no inside toilets. Any education I managed to get was subsequent to school at evening classes - I was attending them until I was nearly twenty.

Edited by Trojan, 01 December 2011 - 06:50 PM.

[Johnoco]

menston? We used to call the thickos Menston rejects.

is it really a nice place to live now?

Oh yes. Even in this recession, houses within the St Marys catchment area go in a breath. We used to make the same joke too

[MrPosh]

We still have the 11+ and Grammar schools down here in darkest Lincolnshire.

They do nothing for social mobility - they just reinforce the class structure.

Where I live, in Sleaford, the 'fail' school is great and lots of passers opt for it. In other towns around here, Boston, Grantham, Skeggy, a failed 11+ is a disaster.

[Severus]

If you listen to Lawrie Taylor's Thinking Allowed you'll hear an argument that contradicts this theory
http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/b006qy05
But in the days of the eleven plus most people didn't go to grammar schools. They went to the secondary modern schools. In the part of the West Riding where I lived most of the education budget obviously was spent in the grammar school. I went to the secondary modern school - we had text books dated 1920 that were dropping to bits. We had one sports field for soccer, hockey, athletics and cricket. We had no gym and (given that we were supposed to be headed for a manual job) no metal work shop. No showers, no inside toilets. Any education I managed to get was subsequent to school at evening classes - I was attending them until I was nearly twenty.

Sounds very similar to my comprehensive school 1989-1996.

[paley]

If you listen to Lawrie Taylor's Thinking Allowed you'll hear an argument that contradicts this theory
http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/b006qy05
But in the days of the eleven plus most people didn't go to grammar schools. They went to the secondary modern schools. In the part of the West Riding where I lived most of the education budget obviously was spent in the grammar school. I went to the secondary modern school - we had text books dated 1920 that were dropping to bits. We had one sports field for soccer, hockey, athletics and cricket. We had no gym and (given that we were supposed to be headed for a manual job) no metal work shop. No showers, no inside toilets. Any education I managed to get was subsequent to school at evening classes - I was attending them until I was nearly twenty.

I had graffiti carved into my desk from 1874 - oddly enough the chap who carved it was an ancestor of a chap who was in the year above me.