Great grammar debate rumbles on

7:55am Tuesday 18th March 2008

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SOUTHEND'S grammar schools are among the best in the country. The schools are lauded every year for their impressive A-level and GCSE results, which guarantee their pupils a place at some of the best universities in the UK.

It's easy to understand why. Grammar schools cream off the brightest, most able pupils from children at primary schools who take their 11-plus exam.

This leaves the borough's comprehensive schools with the challenges of those who fail, or do not take, the 11-plus.

So how do comprehensive schools compete? How do they perform compared with grammar or religious schools, which choose pupils on the basis of ability?

Southend councillors have spent the past two years considering these very points.

A study by the council's children and young people's scrutiny committee found the achievements of pupils at non-selective schools was in line with pupils at similar schools nationally.

It also discovered the gap in progress between the town's selective and non-selective schools was narrowing.

Problems identified by the committee for comprehensive pupils were deprivation, low self-esteem and aspirations, poor attendance and underachievement.

But for some headteachers, the report does not go far enough, because, they say, the council has avoided saying the selection system itself is a problem.

Headteachers who were interviewed for the report included John Duprey of Belfairs School in Leigh, Jean Alder of Futures College, Denise Allen of Chase High School, in Prittlewell, and Sue Murphy of Shoeburyness High School.

Mr Duprey said: "They didn't come up with the idea of scrapping the selective system, which would cure the problems non-selective schools face overnight."

Instead, the report has called for a more vocational, skills-based curriculum designed to help youngsters find new jobs. Substantial building work is to be carried out at Chase, Futures and Belfairs to improve facilties there.

It also recommends trying to attract good teachers to the town and to encourage the Government to pilot new initiatives here to bring extra funding to the council.

Sally Carr, councillor responsible for education, said: "I think the report showed Southend works well with a broad choice of different schools.

"I know some heads aren't happy the most academic pupils are creamed off, but it shows how successful young people can be wherever they attend. I've always thought what's best is an appropriate education for all pupils. The recent key stage three results show children in non-selective schools do achieve well."

Head says youngsters from poor families are suffering

THE selection process itself is the biggest barrier to improving non-selective schools.

That is the opinion of John Duprey, headteacher of Belfairs High School, Leigh.

He believes pupils who fail their 11-plus feel rejected and suffer low self-esteem and ambition.

He said: "The schools system in Southend selects according to ability and research has established they also select socially as well.

"Nowadays, the tests are taken in a special centre on a designated Saturday. For children from poorer backgrounds whose parents are working, that won't happen."

The non-selective schools were left with a higher concentration of children from impoverished backgrounds, often with emotional and behavioural problems, Mr Duprey argued.

He said: "Not only do we put a lot of investment in supporting our children emotionally and academically, you also have to support their family to a point as well.

"Often, the pupil's domestic set up is disfunctional and the school is the most functional part of their life."

Mr Duprey stressed the need to celebrate the achievements and successes of these children as much as possible to counteract their feelings of rejection and failure.

He added: "Often, youngsters here believe they're second best, even when they do really well."

Ditching grammars would be a mistake

However, a grammar school headteacher has defended the selection system in Southend.

Andrew Baker, head of Westcliff High School for Boys in Kenilworth Gardens, said it would be "a great mistake" to get rid of it.

He said: "In comparison to other schools in the country, the performance of all Southend schools scores very highly indeed.

"I think the system in Southend is one that is known to the local community and wanted by them. It is secure and has deep historical roots here.

"It would be a great mistake to jettison anything that's working as well as that."

Mr Baker added the good performance of some non-selective schools, such as Belfairs High School, Eastwood School and Shoeburyness High School, showed all pupils benefited from the current system.

The strong progress of Belfairs pupils between Key Stages 2 (aged seven to 11) and Key Stage 4 (up to GCSE) - which was better than the improvements made by many grammar pupils - was used by Mr Baker as evidence of this.

He said: "If you look at the system, it seems to be performing very well.

"The good performance of some non-selective schools over the past three years reflects very creditably upon them."

He said that grammar and non-selective schools frequently collaborate and pool resources, such as exchanges between staff and sharing teaching methods.

He added: "The selective and non-selective schools in Southend work very closely together and we have extremely good relations. if we continue to co-operate, these improvements can be sustained."