Schools Week Edition 75

Why £16 for results New column: a calculator round-up The past will is a bargain make you smarter Page 4 Pages 10-13 Page 21 SCHOOLSWEEK.CO.UK FRIDAY, SEP 9, 2016 | EDITION 75 Steve Back (@politicalpics) Groundhog day for grammars Birmingham schools could be used to persuade Lords Kent head tells council of ‘cheating’ in 11-plus tests BILLY CAMDEN The document, written by Department for @BILLYCAMDEN Education permanent secretary Jonathan P16 Slater, said that in order to help pass the laws Grammar schools that prioritise free school meal the education secretary wanted to work with James Townsend: pupils in their admissions policy could be used to existing grammar schools to “show how they can prove that lifting the ban on new grammars will be expanded and reformed in ways that avoid not disadvantage students. disadvantaging pupils”. Our vision for A leaked memo this week revealed the His memo added: “I simply can’t see any way of government plans to open new grammars, persuading the Lords to vote for selection on any church schools although education officials say they believe the other basis.” policy will be blocked in the House of Lords. To gather the evidence and statistics apparently PA/IMAGES SSAT NATIONAL 1-2 DECEMBER CONFERENCE 2016 BIRMINGHAM Media partner ssatuk.co.uk/nc16 2 @SCHOOLSWEEK SCHOOLS WEEK FRIDAY, SEP 9, 2016 EDITION 75 NEWS SCHOOLS WEEK TEAM Birmingham grammars prioritise Editor: Laura McInerney pupils with free schools meals Features editor: Cath Murray Head designer: Nicky Phillips BILLY CAMDEN CONTINUED approached to share evidence of their Designer: Matthew Willsone @BILLYCAMDEN FROM FRONT practice with the government, but he was “open to those conversations”. Sub editor: Jill Craven needed to lift the ban, the government may Councillor Brigid Jones, cabinet member Chief reporter: John Dickens turn to schemes introduced by grammar for schools at Birmingham City Council, schools that favour pupils eligible for free said that the policy of grammar schools Political reporter: Freddie Whittaker school meals. “bending their admissions criteria” to allow Reporter: Billy Camden During questions in the Lords following more disadvantaged children showed the Reporter: Jess Staufenberg the memo leak, Lord Nash, the minister for “absolute fallacy in the 11-plus system”. the schools system, said that “66 grammar She told Schools Week: “All King Edwards Junior Reporter: Sam King schools do now prioritise free school meal schools in Birmingham take far below the Photographer: Ellis O’Brien applications”. average number of children with special One school group, The King Edward VI educational needs and free school meals. Cartoonist: Stan Dupp Foundation in Birmingham, which runs five The real Birmingham success stories are our Lord Nash Financials: Helen Neilly grammars in the city, introduced a similar comprehensives that achieve great results admissions system in September last year. without having to filter children out.” all, not just the lucky few.” Victoria Boyle It allows for at least 20 per cent of places The city recently reorganised its school Russell Hobby, the general secretary of Sales manager: Vikrant Bassi to be reserved for pupils on free school structures in a bid to improve outcomes. the National Association of Head Teachers, Sales executive: Wallace Williams meals, provided they meet a pre-designated This could mean results for poorer pupils said the plans were a “risky distraction”. minimum score. increase at the same time as the grammars He said: “The only thing that really raises Administration: Frances Ogefere Dell Around 28 per cent of the city’s pupils expand their intake, but Jones warned standards is getting more great teachers in claimed free school meals, according this should not be seen as a reflection that front of the children who need them most. Contributors: Russell Hobby to the latest government data. grammars were therefore working for the The expansion of grammar schools would Toby Salt Heath Monk, executive poorest pupils. do the exact opposite.” director of the foundation, “Our approach to education in A government spokesperson told Schools Barbara Taylor said the policy made entry Birmingham is that we achieve more Week that it was “looking at a range of Frank Norris to the foundation’s schools together than we do alone. If grammar options to allow more children to access “a level playing field for all schools want to make a real difference a school that lets them rise as far as their Emma Mattinson-Hardy children in Birmingham”. to life chances, they should abolish talents will take them” and that proposals Chris Pyle Monk said the their arbitrary exclusion will be set out “in due course”, with some foundation had criteria and make their government insiders claiming plans may not yet been Heath Monk excellent education open to even be outlined before the end of the week. Managing director: Shane Mann And tweet us your thoughts @schoolsweek or with the hashtag #schoolsweek ‘Bearded’ 11-year-olds sit entrance tests subscribe BILLY CAMDEN He told Schools Week: “I’ve For an annual subscription to Schools Week for @BILLYCAMDEN Exclusive heard Andy talk in the past just £50 visit www.schoolsweek.co.uk and click about the problems with the on ‘subscribe’ at the top of the page. Imposters are taking the 11-plus entrance children turning up to take the www.schoolsweek.co.uk exam to get children into competitive 11-plus. He talks about these or call 020 8123 4778 to subscribe grammar schools, claims a former supposedly 11-year-olds who headteacher. turn up with beards and things ADVERTISE WITH US The allegation adds fuel to worries over like this. the government’s plan to reintroduce “All students have to do is ring If you are interested in placing a product or job advert in a future edition please click on the grammar schools – with poor test up and book a test, give their ‘advertise’ link at the top of the page on school- regulation joining statistics that show the name, and then they sit it. You sweek.co.uk or contact: schools exacerbate inequality in outcomes. never really know 100 per cent E: [email protected] Andy Williamson, who led Wilmington who it is who turned up to take T: 020 81234 778 grammar for boys in Dartford until the test because there is no validation of test must wear their school uniform and this month, told a select committee at identity. Cheating in this manner does not that pupils from the same school would Disclaimer Schools Week is owned and published by Lsect Ltd. The views Kent County Council in February of the come as a surprise to me.” “as far as possible” be tested at the same expressed within the publication are those of the authors “injustice” of students from outside Kent Edward Wesson, head of The Skinners’ centre on the same day “which also gives named, and are not necessarily those of Schools Week, Lsect Ltd or any of its employees. While we try to ensure that the taking the exam. The committee hearing School, a grammar that runs the 11- some assurance that a stranger would be information we provide is correct, mistakes do occur and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of our material. was on grammar schools and social plus exams for out of county pupils in spotted”. The design of the printed newspaper and of the website mobility. Tunbridge Wells, agreed the system was “at Bagshaw agreed that checking is copyright of Lsect Ltd and material from the newspaper should not be reproduced without prior permission. If you Williamson said he received a list of 250 risk of imposters” and “certainly open to handwriting had so far been the only way wish to reproduce an article from either the printed paper or the website, both the article’s author and Schools Week must boys’ names to sit the test on a Saturday at abuse”. to check a child’s identity and it had been be referenced (to not do so, would be an infringement on his school, but there was no identification Anderson said some form of “sufficient” in the cases investigated over copyright). Lsect Ltd is not responsible for the content of any external process to confirm who turned up. identification process needed to be put in the past 10 years. internet sites linked to. Please address any complaints to the editor. We are fully Minutes of the hearing, which have now place to stop any cheating. “I can’t believe Joanne Bartley, a Kent mother who committed to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of come to light, state: “He [Williamson] is identification checks are not in place. It is founded the anti-grammar expansion Kent Practice. If you have a complaint which cannot be resolved by the editor, write to the Press Complaints Commission, Halton aware that cheating is taking place and very strange.” Education Network, said this was further House, 22—23 Holborn, London EC1N 2JD the only way of proving it is to check Responsibility for the validity of the test evidence that selective schools were “not handwriting against the creative writing lies with the local authority. the answer”. Learning & Skills Events, test. This needs to change.” Kent council told Schools Week that She said: “It is just another fault with Consultancy and Training Ltd David Anderson, headteacher of Queen cheating allegations were “very rare” but the 11-plus exams. The whole system isn’t 161-165 Greenwich High Road Elizabeth’s grammar in Faversham, who the authority had explored processes to proactively regulated and there are no clear London SE10 8JA also attended the committee meeting, said stamp out the issue.

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