A-levels and beyond
This coming Thursday will see the first A-level results to feature the newly added A* grade. I noticed in the Observer the other day (sorry Sean but I don’t choose what newspaper we get while at home) that if the A* grade had been in place last year the Independent Schools Council (ISC) said 16.5% of Private school A-level entries would achieved an A* compared to a mere 5% with state school candidates.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are certainly a fair few BULS members from Private Schools so I state my opinion with the greatest degree of respect (and caution), but given that the Private sector receives a mere 7% of all the pupils this is clearly is a disproportionate imbalance. This clearly noticeable at Birmingham Uni where I have yet to meet a substantial number of students from non-grammar state schools. This all leads into background of the pupil given that bright children from the poorest homes are seven times less likely to go to a top university than their richer peers, according to the Office for Fair Access (Offa), an education watchdog.
Now don’t get me wrong, Labour in 13 years did have some great achievements with education, but redressing the balance between the private and state sectors is something we did not do enough of. It’s just a matter of time now to see what difference the new A* grade makes.
Max
Birmingham University Labour Students
John Ritchie
Brigidjones
daveborland
dorameredith
bensemens
chrisblewitt
oliverjackson
maxattacks
joshualt
suzannahrobinson
kohalloran
jakelambertonline
smurphy2010
labourluke
bulsonline
Guardian Unlimited
Speaking as a non-grammar state school student, I couldn’t agree more that more needs to be done to redress the balance regarding grades and university applications.
What I have found is that the prime reason why students from comprehensives and non selective state schools are under represented is due to two main factors: what is in the personal statement; and a lack of awareness and ambition. Students who are predicted to pass with flying colours are still being turned away from the top universities because they often have less experiences of travelling, gap years, so-called ‘soft skills’ and so on. An increase in funding and help for these sorts of endeavours(including fairer funding for internships)would help, however this is highly unlikely to be considered in the current economic climate. In an ideal world, we would indeed have an entirely equal and comprehensive system in this country, but this is not an ideal world, as Diane Abbott has demonstrated.
Not enough information is given in state schools of how best to aim for those elite universities, how to cope with interviews and what exactly they are looking for. Promising pupils should be given gentle advice about how to go about this as early as possible, in careers lessons which at present are frankly boring, unhelpful and a waste of good teaching time.
Sadly it is clear that under the ConDem government the new legislation over ‘free schools’ and a slash in funding for the education system will only serve to boost the chances of the already-advantaged, as pushy parents with lots of confidence, money and time on their hands establish schools for their little charges with their own curriculum, robbing good schools nearby of their funds and pupils.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/aug/19/a-level-private-schools Need we say more, personally in favour of eventually scrappin them, but hey what do I know about equality of oppurtunity
Scrapping the A* grade? Or scrapping private schools? I`m up for both!