November 3: How to expand grammar schools the Kent way
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HAS County Hall found a
solution to the problem of having too few grammar school places
compared to the numbers who want them?
Not exactly but it seems the Conservative
administration is determined to tackle the problem. The question is
whether in doing so they end up creating even more problems and, in
doing so, the painstaking efforts made in recent years to establish
more collaborative relationships between secondary schools in Kent
are undermined.
The County Hall remedy being mooted is for the
number of places at selective schools in west Kent
to be increased – but by re-distributing “unfilled” places at
grammars in east Kent, where there is claimed to
be less demand.
(I gather that there is also some discussion
about whether there may be an option to reduce grammar places
elsewhere, too.)
The solution is neat in one respect. It does
not imply an expansion of grammar schools – as some have
represented it – but a redistribution of places available at the 33
selective schools.
That means in theory that it avoids clashing
with the present Government’s legislation that forbids any
expansion of grammars. It also sidesteps problems over David
Cameron’s pledge that the Conservatives will not permit any more
grammar schools either.
And it will undoubtedly be popular with some
parents who risk ending up with places being offered at other ends
of the county.
But is it fair and how will it go down in east
Kent, notably Thanet? I’m told that there is already disquiet among
heads of selective schools there and I’m not surprised. The Thanet
South Labour MP Dr Steve Ladyman - no fan of
Kent's selective system - has already denounced it as "unfair".
You can’t do much about a falling birth rate
but schools that lose pupils lose funding and no head likes
that.
The other issue is that it is not just
selective schools that are over-subscribed in this part of Kent. In
fact, there are many parents who positively choose a non-selective
school for their child above a grammar school (although I’m not
entirely sure this is ever properly appreciated or understood by
politicians.)
There are several non-selective schools in the
same boat who would probably fall over themselves to add an
additional form of entry if it was offered to them. Will KCC be
applying the same principle to them? After all, if there is genuine
parity as is claimed for Kent’s mixed economy of schools, surely it
should be.
Other headteachers of non-selective schools
will undoubtedly complain that in sucking away more able children,
their efforts to lift classroom standards will be made more
difficult - as will balancing their books. Already one has
described the plan as illegal.
KCC’s Conservative administration will no
doubt weigh up the consequences of all this but if it goes ahead,
it could re-open some old wounds that some had thought had
healed.
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After expressing unease about the
way in which the Audit Commission was conducting
its assessment of how well councils were doing under a new
inspection regime known as Comprehensive Area Assessment,
I hear KCC's sabre rattling and threat of non-co-operation has come
to an end.
Which can probably mean one thing. When the new league tables
are published in December, KCC will probably hang on to its
status as one of the better performing authorities.
The only problem is that having been so critical of the way
the Audit Commission was going about its business of assessing
performance, there is now the issue of somehow saying that the
assessment process was rigourous and fair.
We are sure the spin doctors are on the case...
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Tuesday, November 03 2009
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