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If we can’t agree on our childrens’ education, what hope is there?
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
A 10-year-old girl listens as her parents explain to me how she hopes to gain entry into a grammar school in Northern Ireland.
Naturally they want to do their best for her. They tell me that, come September next year, they hope she will attend either a Catholic grammar school or one of the 34 schools which have signed up to the Association for Quality Education.
At the end of the day, it will be down to the child. A winter of academic selection tests lies ahead. This child, along with many others across Northern Ireland, will be required to take three one-hour tests in November and December for the AQE schools and to spend another entire morning sitting two tests in quick succession in a Catholic school.
One child’s experience of Northern Ireland in the post 11-plus era is that she will face more exams than ever conducted in the assembly halls of big grammar schools rather than in the familiar surroundings of the primary school she attends.
Thousands of parents are registering their sons and daughters for the AQE’s substitute for the 11-plus and/or the Catholic schools’ equivalent. In doing so, they are ignoring the policy of the Minister for Education, Caitriona Ruane. She may live in denial, but the 11-plus in other guises remains the reality of life this winter in many, many homes across this province.
The Catholic selection procedure looks extraordinarily daunting to say the least, committing 10 and 11-year-olds to completing two papers in succession in one morning. The time-span seems more in keeping with a university or A-level requirement, than for children so young. It is worse than the 11-plus and begs the question as to why a standard test for all grammar schools could not have been agreed.
No surrender. Not an inch. No selection. Not by a long chalk. As another school year begins, Caitriona Ruane has shown that tough, uncompromising and intransigent attitudes are not the exclusive domain of hard-line unionism.
The Minister for Education has exceeded all our worst expectations by her resolute obstinacy. Thousands of children have become unwitting pawns in the battle between a minister with |an ideological mindset and a grammar school lobby digging in for a long fight. Compromise is not in their vocabularies.
The Catholic Church has been pushed into a position where it is now looking two ways at the same time. The bishops accept that some form of interim selection procedure is necessary for their grammar schools for the next two years, contrary to Ms Ruane’s view that ability-related testing for such schools should not take place at all.
Yet, by 2012, the church foresees no need for selection, thus consigning its grammar schools to become comprehensives. The Catholic bishops are taking a gamble. While morally they see the abolition of selection as the right course, practically, they may find that more Catholic parents with bright sons and daughters will not relish sending their children to all-ability comprehensives.
Many have already chosen instead to send their children to non-Catholic grammars as is evident from the background of pupils at schools such as Methodist College and Belfast Royal Academy.
If this trend were to accelerate after 2012, where will it leave some of the long-established Catholic grammar schools? If more Catholics decide to send their children to other non-denominational grammar schools, competition for places will intensify and 11-plus style testing |will be all the more difficult to phase out.
What of the grammar schools which are opting to continue with academic selection? The Department of Education is helpless to stop them other than to issue guidance notes which are noted by grammar principals but then largely ignored.
There is absolutely no sign of the grammar school lobby stepping back. The long term prospect is of an elite band of schools operating their own academic selection procedure.
No matter how united Northern Ireland appears to be in |waving goodbye to the old 11-plus, consensus government has ensured no agreement at all on what replaces it.
We can blame whoever we please — Caitriona Ruane or the grammar schools — but apportioning blame takes us no closer to a solution.
The education system remains shambolic. Ms Ruane has failed to stop academic selection at 10 or 11 years old. She is about to be ignored by thousands of parents — Protestant, Catholic or whatever — who will put their youngsters through the very selection procedure she seeks to abolish.
I ask the parents of the 10-year-old girl how they felt. They were critical of the stand-off and said they thought more effort should have been made by all sides to find a compromise.
Partnership government at Stormont has fallen at an early hurdle and failed them. The stand-off between the Minister for Education and the grammar schools may not bring down the peace process but it is a sad reflection on our politicians.
If they cannot govern Northern Ireland effectively, efficiently and consensually on such a fundamental issue as the education of our children, what hope is there longer-term on other contentious issues such as justice and policing?
The following sample questions were drawn up by the Association for Quality Education. Questions can be found on the AQE website: www.aqe.org.uk:
Q1 — Marie plays a computer game 12 times. The range of her scores is 6. Her lowest score is 2. Her mean (average) score is 5.
What is Marie’s highest score? What is Marie’s total score for the 12 games?
Q2 — Write the answers to the |following calculations:
3.29 x 1000 = ________
567 divided by 100 = _______
Q3 — Work out the cost of each of the following:
3/4 of a kg of sweets at £1.20 per kg ___ p
30 litres of milk at 94 pence per litre £_____
40 cm of material at £1.50 per metre _____ p
Answers: 1) 8 and 60 2) 3290 and 5.67 3) 90p, £2.82, 60p
- Text Size
'christine' let me try to explain.
The most influential individuals in NI society, the opinion formers and 'trend setters' have historically made judgement calls over what is regarded as a 'good' school. Grammar schools, lets remember, used to deliver Latin & Greek (hence 'grammar') and prepare the 'ruling classes' for their place in society. Vocational schools, and institutions such as 'Tecs' were (and are) perceived as secondary and of less worth that the "real schools".
Thus there was the development of a two tiered education SYSTEM, schools for MY children and those for the children of trades people.
To provide a fig leaf of respectability, and an illusion of equality, a testing system was established, the 11+, based initially on discredited notions of IQ measurement.
Now we have a system that segregates the privileged into homogeneous masses and confirmes the "Untermensch" as being second(ary) class.
Thats why the system stinks!
Posted by Exasperated | 17.09.09, 09:54 GMT
I dont understand how people can blame the 'system' for young people leaving school with no qualifications. all of our schools, secondary and grammar have teachers willing to go the extra mile to help kids do the best they can in exams. the reality is some kids (and their parents) dont value education, and dont care. it wouldnt matter what school these kids go to, they still wont care, and wont make the effort to study. and it only takes one troublemaker in a class to disrupt it for everyone.
the statistics from nisra show only 4.8% of 16 year olds in Norn Iron leave school with no GCSEs. this is WAY lower than in england, which has almost 20%! so even at the worst end of our current education system, the results are better! and at the top end, Queens Uni has the highest proportion of students from a working class background, of any of the top 100 universities in the UK - so we are blessed with much greater social mobility than GB!
Posted by christine | 15.09.09, 10:00 GMT
I'm not sure the 'system' is the problem, I suspect it's more to do with how encouraging and involved parents are with their childrens educations. I attended a grammar school, I was the first in my family to do so and I put it down to the attitude of my parents that I could do well if I put my mind to it and the encouragement that they gave me. Others in my school whose parents were wealthy and had everything they asked for but emotional support fared less well when it came to exams.
Posted by Nellie | 15.09.09, 08:59 GMT
Westy thanks for your complement re; Idealism, perhaps if some of our 'Leaders' displayed ANY kind of idealism we would all be better off?
Now to my point, some future Doctors & Solicitors are being educated at the moment in the same school as our future Hairdressers and Bricklayers; there are excellent all ability schools sprinkled across NI.
Some of these schools, far from being 'English Comprehensives' are centres of educational excellence and outperform some well known 'selective' schools.
The difficulty begins with a refusal to acknowledge that there is a problem with our education system. This problem does not just lie with grammar or secondary schools; our system is crazy!
This fundamental problem is exacerbated by self interest groups who won't engage and compromise; education, like everything has been politicised; the pro selection lobby is actively attacking the non-selective sector by sowing obfuscation, misinformation and down right lies in the minds of parents.
Posted by Exasperated | 11.09.09, 09:29 GMT
Exasperated, I have to admire your idealism,
Unfortunately real life gets in the way.
Doctors & Solicitors will not be educated in the
Same schools as Hairdressers and Bricklayers.
As another post below mentions, we will end up
With Fee Paying Schools – and Shambolic
Comprehensives for those that cant afford them.
Please refer to previous example in England
God help all our Children.
Posted by Westy | 10.09.09, 17:22 GMT
Westy the system is dysfunctional, not aspects of it.
Our main problem is the refusal of some to see there is a problem!
Not all grammar schools are good, neither are all secondary schools bad; our system deprives children of opportunity, constrains choice and contributes to social segregation.
We have an opportunity to design a better, more fit for purpose educational system where the best practice from grammar schools can be married to the best practice from secondary.
Where the Doctors and Solicitors of tomorrow can wear the same uniform and be educated in the same school as the electricians, bricklayers and hairdressers.
You know, what’s it called? Oh yes a more equitable education system.
Posted by Exasperated | 10.09.09, 15:15 GMT
The Pacific Rim has as much to do with our education as Finland does.
Posted by EEkk | 10.09.09, 12:09 GMT
"Exasperated" you want to "Fix" the system by destroying the
very aspect that is good...the Grammar Schools.
Focusing on the "Dysfunctional" weaker aspects of our system
would provide a better all round solution.
Unfortunately - reading your comments, it is you blinkered
dislike of the "Middle Class Grammar Schools and their Pals"
that is your real problem
Posted by Westy | 10.09.09, 12:05 GMT
No democracy will ever have “Same Schooling” for all,
Demand will always create Fee Paying / Selection Schooling.
The only thing “Exasperated” and her Marxist friends will do by trying to destroy the Grammar Schools will be to create a system of Fee Paying Schools (Like England)
This will end the opportunity for social mobility which we still have today.
Political / Ideological extremes always destroy opportunity.
Posted by Realist | 10.09.09, 11:31 GMT
GL asks "What has the Pacific Rim got to do with our education", well lets see;-
1. Those in favour of 'more of the same' (sorry the 'pro-selection' lobby) claim that we in Northern Ireland have "The Best...The Highest achieving...A world class education system". International statistics demonstrate that this is NOT the case.
True our system does produce some good results, however it also produces some of the very worst; such a dysfunctional system needs fixing!
2. Our pupils (and indeed businesses) are in competition with children from Asia and the Pacific Rim countries. If our young people are underperforming in comparison to competitors it bodes ill for the future.
I hope I have explained it for you GL, Northern Ireland is part of a global economy, we cannot be Sein Fein!
Posted by Exasperated | 10.09.09, 09:39 GMT
Exasperated
What has the Pacific Rim got to do with our education, get real.
On reading your comments on a number of these posts I must say that the minister would be proud of you.
Your posts are becoming a combination of spin and stretching the facts to the extreme.
It is because of this precise attidude from the so called minister that we cannot come to a consensus.
Exasperated!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by GJ | 09.09.09, 22:16 GMT
Sam - very mature
Posted by Common sense | 09.09.09, 20:59 GMT
'Finally they grammars have not 'faced' the minister down, as a group they are fractured with Catholic Grammars committed to removing academic selection by 2013!'
Exasperated 09.09.09, 15:11,
If the Catholic Grammars are so dead set against academic selection, why don't they get rid of it in 2010, or 2011 or 2012! Why the delay in getting rid of this, so called, unfair system? Why, 'punish', further children with it?
I was also wondering what will happen if these Catholic Grammars actually do as they say and honour their pledge to get rid of academic selection. I reckon if they do, there will be a mass revolt amongst Catholic parents of potential Yr 8 children, who will as a result attempt to send their youngsters to state Grammars. This would bring about a huge loss of income to these schools and the children involved would miss out on an all important Catholic education!
Not the best idea for these schools or the future life of the Church, I would have thought!
Posted by TJ McClean | 09.09.09, 19:39 GMT
Sam, apart from your spelling correction, you are factually incorrect in all your points:
We do not have a 'world class education system', parts of our system are good but even the best performing 'bits' lag far behind the Asia and the Pacific Rim counties. The SYSTEM is responsible for huge numbers leaving school without basic qualifications.
Academic transfer does not match 'kids to the best schools for their needs'; look at how any grade is accepted by grammars no matching here...
A selective system does not promote social mobility; it’s at its lowest rate for decades.
Finally they grammars have not 'faced' the minister down, as a group they are fractured with Catholic Grammars committed to removing academic selection by 2013!
Posted by Exasperated | 09.09.09, 15:11 GMT
The answer supplied for Q3 b (£2.82) is wrong. It's actually £28.20. Education, huh ?
Posted by dismayed | 09.09.09, 12:33 GMT
I hope Common Sense's children do get into a 'Grammer' school - they might then learn to spell the word correctly... On a serious note, academic selection has given us a world class education system. It matches kids to the best schools for their needs and promotes social mobility. It has also prevented the proliferation of English style private schools, which have so entrenched the class system there. Well done to the Grammars for facing Ruane down.
Posted by Sam | 09.09.09, 08:37 GMT
Caitriona Ruane should be sacked! What a terrible mess that faces the young children of today. Although the 11+ may have put pressure on certain children is was necessary for grammer school selection. When I have children I will want them to go to a grammer if they can, so that means selection tests in whatever guise.
Posted by Common sense | 08.09.09, 20:31 GMT
Good article, unfortunately no answers!
Posted by J Stanley | 08.09.09, 17:42 GMT