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Letter: League tables are the problem
I read with interest the comments of Mr Walls, headmaster of Giles School at Old Leake in the Boston Standard.
Over the years there has been much debate regarding the benefits and disadvantages of grammar, high, secondary modern and comprehensive schools.
During that time across the country there have been both good and bad examples of them all. There are three main ingredients that are needed to make a good school; the facilities, the pupils and parents/guardians and at the top of the list a good headteacher and staff.
Different types of schools have evolved to cater for the different demands of the class society in Britain and all to a greater or lesser degree fulfil those needs. To compare them however is of no real relevance. To publicly set them in a league table is insane.
Last week's article highlighted CVA scores. There can be few people nowadays not familiar with league tables for schools but I wonder how many readers have even heard of Contextual Value Added (CVA) scores?
I was a pupil at Boston Grammar School from 1954 to 1961 and a teacher at Kitwood Boys' School from 1964-1992 and therefore able to compare objectively the two types of schools and what they offered.
During those years the 11+ system supplied the Boston Grammar School with a percentage of potential academic males while Kitwood Boys' secondary modern and others opened their doors to the remaining majority.
In doing so the secondary modern schools were faced with a greater challenge than the Grammar School for they had to accommodate the wider ability range of their pupils. To say we coped at Kitwood is incorrect; we excelled.
During my 28 years at Kitwood Boys' I attended numerous parents' evenings and so often found myself praising the character and achievement of the offspring of proud parents.
League tables create public misunderstanding and unhealthy competition between schools. Put your trust back in the teachers and give them support, not criticism. There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that forces Mr Walls to resort to having to defend his corner in the press.
Terry Despicht
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Weather for Boston, Lincolnshire
Thursday 09 February 2012
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