By: Jimmy Allen, Student Voices writer
News was being leaked by the government to the media over the weekend that Theresa May has her crosshairs firmly aimed at Tony Blair’s reform to ban the creation of more grammar schools.
Controversial as they maybe, grammar schools are an issue very
close to my heart and my advocacy for them has not waned at all in the since
years since leaving one for university. Why? Because I have experienced grammar
school education first hand.
One of four children in a working class family in a
Victorian seaside town, my siblings and I all embarked on grammar school
education. We are living evidence of bright young children being given the same
opportunity as everyone else to enjoy a higher standard of education that we
would have not enjoyed had certain political parties had their way. Every pupil
in my year was treated the same, respected and no one was left behind
regardless of the speed that they developed. Many of my fellow classmates were
working class hailing from council estates and had single parents.
I think it is that particular point why grammars are so
important to society. Every child has the opportunity to a higher standard of
education regardless of their background. Let those last words sink in –
‘regardless of their background’. What a beautiful concept. Let’s drag up those
less well off to enjoy higher standards and realise their true potential. Why
should bright children have their potential stunted in order to fit a one size
all system?
The link below lists the top 100 schools by 2015 GCSE
results. The first ten schools in the list are all grammar schools – I didn’t
need to check any further down the list, the proof is in the pudding. We should
be celebrating their success, not condemning them for being selective.
Towards the end of 2015, former Education Secretary Nicky
Morgan gave the green light for an annexe to be built for an existing grammar
school in Sevenoaks. Controversy greeted the announcement from the usual
suspects on the left.
But how does Sevenoaks itself feel about it? Let me tell you
as a fellow Sennockian. If one is not familiar with Sevenoaks, it is a
prosperous commuter market town close to the London suburbs. If you don’t have
deep pockets you will discover soon enough that Sevenoaks is not well served
when it comes to state funded secondary schools with just an academy to consider.
This academy (without mentioning names) called its result of 51% of their students
achieving at least five A*-C grades at GCSE as ‘fantastic’ for 2015.
No, no it’s not.
This is a school where the head mistress receives a larger
salary than Theresa May. I think most of us would be ‘tidying our desks’ if we
were scoring a paltry 51% in our jobs.
If parents want their children to benefit from a higher
standard of education in Sevenoaks and cannot afford the fees of public schools
then the choice is to simply send them all the way to Tonbridge, Tunbridge
Wells etc often on expensive train services. Shouldn’t the working and middle
class families of Sevenoaks have as much choice as the next town when it comes
to schools?
“Grammar schools are selecting fewer working class
children!” they will cry at me. Well that is distorted by the figures in Kent;
the home of most grammar schools where there are simply less working class
families. Build more grammar schools elsewhere in the country and then there
will be even greater opportunity for less fortunate children to succeed. If the
education formula that grammars pursue is so successful when it comes to
grades, why don’t we want to keep on replicating it around the country?
Corbyn and his cronies continue to be intent on being out of
sync with the public’s opinion on the important things in life and this would
appear to extend to the issue of grammar schools. The polling company ORB
published a poll on Aug 6th where close to seven out of ten people
polled were in favour of scrapping the grammar school ban. Why can’t those on
the left admit that their communist inclination for a one size fits all
comprehensive system doesn’t work? This is the real issue, it’s not the
grammars. If the Labour movement are so adverse to selection, why did they
bring us ‘Gifted & Talented’ that achieved just that?
I continue to fail to understand why the Liberal Democrats
are so against grammar schools. Their very principals are based on
individualism and liberalism so why not let pupils express themselves and flourish
with the greater opportunities that grammar schools bring? Why are they so keen
to retain a system that stunts potential?
The abhorrent Paul Mason has written in the Guardian this
week that the way forward for education is creating ‘diversity’. However, grammar
schools providing an element of diversity does not sit well with him at all.
His solution was full of hot air – he simply said we need ‘to set education
free’. Cheers Paul, remind me to never read anything your write again.
So there you have it, my colours are firmly nailed to the
mast on this one and I will be cheering Theresa and co on.
It’s time we started speaking up for grammar schools
Reviewed by Student Voices
on
09:15
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Reviewed by Student Voices
on
09:15
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