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Poorer students to get two grade "head start"!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8192234.stm

I'm not sure if there is already a thread about this, but I am furious at the idea. I've just finished school at 18, but how is this right?

They say it helps social mobility. It was the Labour Party who abolished grammar schools which actually helped social mobility (facts and figures I'm afraid, not just personal opinion). Some people are left behind, but the majority are do worse because they don't put the effort in or just simply are not acadmeic - neither of which are a reason to give them a "head start".
They shoudl work on improving students grades through helping them actually do better on their own merits than just introducing state sactioned grade-cheating.

Opinions? :p:

To those who have disagreed with my analysis of selective education:
A quote from a report of the LSE's social mobility report:

"Reference to research by LSE that reveals that the ending of educational selection has actually reduced opportunities for the poor and widened the class gulf. The LSE report shows conclusively that the 11-plus was an 'escape route' and removing it has undermined social mobility."

"New research by LSE has revealed grammar schools are the best way to improve a person's social and economic status."

"Recent research from LSE demonstrates that the annihilation of the grammar schools severely reduced the opportunities for the poorest in society to work their way up. As a result, Britain now has lower social mobility than comparable western countries."

Reply 1

PAPAdawg

13

as someone who lives on and has grown up in a coucnil house, dad is a cleaner i think this is total bull.

Gets me SO angry. it is unfair and i know for a fact most poor kids wont appreciate it....most of the ones i know just make me want to vote for etonians. the stereotypes are often true.

anyway, more pc nonsense from nu labour scum

Reply 2

Rayel

8

W
T
F

First I thought you were just a troll because how can this idea be anything else. Then I read the article :-(

It's absolutely out of order. Social mobility my arse, they are cheating every single student who works hard for their grades. I come from a poor background, a very poor background, but worked my arse off. If you want it you should work hard for it.

It sounds like a form of crazy grade bumping communism to me.

Reply 3

BigDave56

1

Decent state schools in the first place is the answer. Bring back Grammer schools and improve comps.

Reply 4

carmcarm

9

Does this plan assume that all working class students are thick? And they aren't able to get decent grades for themselves? Not everyone who gets into the top unis are rich, there are now some many ways for them to pay for themselves there: loans, grants, bursaries etc. so money isn't too much of a problem.

Actually, I could bring all kinds of sociological crap into this argument but this plan is just ****!

Reply 5

Oh-WOW

10

That is rather unfair.
My mum and dad are not overly well of. They're middle class. But they've worked very hard for the money they've got. Neither were brought up in middle class families. They both grew up on farms and had little money. Dad still works on a farm and does not get paid well but my mum h as studied very hard over the years as a nurse. Shes done various diplomas and due to this is well paid for a nurse. And because of this I would get penalised. I would have to work harder at school to get better grades because of these proposals. while having to also work at my part time job because i don't qualify for ema or grants for uni. and my mum and dad can't afford to fund university.

Reply 6

cpj1987

15

carmcarm

Does this plan assume that all working class students are thick? And they aren't able to get decent grades for themselves? Not everyone who gets into the top unis are rich, there are now some many ways for them to pay for themselves there: loans, grants, bursaries etc. so money isn't too much of a problem.

Actually, I could bring all kinds of sociological crap into this argument but this plan is just ****!

This. That scheme makes ridiculous implications about students, and will be offensive to all.
Everyone can get the grades if they work for them.

Reply 7

doivid

17

What would a 'two grade head start' entail anyway?

Reply 8

yesioo

15

Decent state schools in the first place is the answer. Bring back Grammer schools and improve comps.

Easier said then done :sigh:

What utter bull. If they have the potential then they'll achieve the grades themselves and even if they put there grades up by 2 then they may not be able to keep up ect at uni. For goodness sake.

Reply 9

cfc1992

10

Would pretty much cheat the middle class out of university places then.

Reply 10

alexlemon2

doivid

What would a 'two grade head start' entail anyway?

I would assume it would be one of their grades bumped up by 2, surely it cannot be as rediculous to assume a CCC grade student would be bumped up to AAA :eek:

Rediculous proposal.

Reply 11

Gamer99

8

Biggest load of ******** ever.

Go **** yourself Mr Mandleson

Reply 12

Paxdax

11

Only in Britain.

Reply 13

ArtGoblin

16

carmcarm

Does this plan assume that all working class students are thick? And they aren't able to get decent grades for themselves? Not everyone who gets into the top unis are rich, there are now some many ways for them to pay for themselves there: loans, grants, bursaries etc. so money isn't too much of a problem.

Actually, I could bring all kinds of sociological crap into this argument but this plan is just ****!

It's the opposite of assuming working-class people are 'thick'. The scheme recognises that in the current system, grades aren't awarded based on someone's natural ability, but from their background. I'm interested in the 'sociological crap' you could bring in to support your argument, as most sociological studies in this area show that working-class children are disadvantaged by the education system, and would actually support these measures.

Reply 14

PurpleMonkeyDishwasher

13

This makes me furious - the students in the middle ground (upper-working class or lower-middle class) are never accounted for, the government seem only concerned with maximising the potential of the poorest students and giving university places to those who are undeserved of them. If they want to see more diversity in the socio-economic class of top university students then bring back selective grammar schools; the smarter poor students can reap the benefits of being schooled without distractions from those who don't even want to learn. Giving them a two-grade boost isn't going to solve any problems whatsoever, that's giving all poorer students an unfair advantage and once again disadvantaging those students who aren't poor but can't afford to be schooled anywhere other than a dire state institution.

Reply 15

tlozoot

1

"Level the playing field"??

That's not levelling the playing field, its blatantly rigging the outcome.

Reply 16

littleshambles

14

Christ alive, what utter ********. - The proposal, that is. It's a plaster cast on necrotising fasciitis.

I don't see why grammar schools work better than setting by ability in normal schools though to be honest. And if grammar schools are brought back there should be far more option to change schools after 11 and entry to the schools should be based on far more than a simple test like the 11+. Sociological research has shown time and time again however that setting by ability/potential etc is a self-fulfilling prophecy so really grammar schools help the naturally able and do nothing but harm the naturally less able.

It is still possible to be from the lowest social class, go to a succession of exceptionally poor schools and get into Oxbridge. I have to wonder whether we are trying to change something which may not actually be remediable. - And I don't believe it is remediable without a fundamental change in economic organisation but that's another debate.

Reply 17

philjw

13

Labour have always hated the fact that equal opportunities do not mean equal outcomes... and this is just another of their social engineering schemes to try and disguise that fact. "Equality" in Labour is like Orwellian Newspeak, where it ends up meaning the opposite of what it should.

If you want true equality of opportunities, and not this sham, vote Labour out of government at the next election.

Reply 18

B6ENH

Totally ridiculous! Not only because it's unfair on hard working students but wouldn't it also be a bit pointless? Universities might guess that the grades had been added on anyway...
Then when the student starts higher education they might find it too difficult because they haven't got the necessary grade profile they need as a foundation to build their studies on.

Reply 19

Dr Zeuss™

11

alexlemon2

I would assume it would be one of their grades bumped up by 2, surely it cannot be as rediculous to assume a CCC grade student would be bumped up to AAA :eek:

i was thinking it would be like that, but that can't possibly be right. they would be handing students AAA on a silver platter through doing little work, when other students would have to have worked hard to get AAA.

honestly, what imbiciles think up these ideas

Poorer students to get two grade "head start"!

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