GCSE ‘disgrace’ brought up in business debate
Thursday 20th October 2011, 2:29PM BST.
ITN economics editor Daisy McAndrew moderated yesterday’s Guernsey Review, panellists for which included Guernsey Finance chief executive Peter Niven, left, and Bedell Group partner Advocate Mark Helyar. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 1189693)
ITN economics editor Daisy McAndrew moderated yesterday’s Guernsey Review, panellists for which included Guernsey Finance chief executive Peter Niven, left, and Bedell Group partner Advocate Mark Helyar. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 1189693)
THE poor GCSE results of two high schools – and the way they were communicated – were an absolute disgrace, according to the former chairman of Giba.
Paul Meader, who is still a Guernsey International Business Association committee member, made the comments as one of a panel of experts at the Guernsey Review.
The event yesterday morning debated the threats facing and opportunities open to the island’s finance industry.
It was moderated by ITN economics editor Daisy McAndrew.
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Perhaps if the rich businessmen and women in GIBA sent their children to the high schools and if the business community supported the schools that would help to raise aspirations and would help the schools to do better.
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Absolutely, Mr Bean. That is what is so pernicious about the 11+. It predicates the idea that if the passers of the 11+ are all going *there*, then pass or fail, my child is following.
Give that a couple of centuries to brew and you have our state of affairs, both educationally and in the alma mater of constitutional power brokers.
Private schools can exist without the 11+. You just have to pay more if you don’t like the majority of society interacting with you.
Seems fair to me.
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Mr Bean, how would ‘rich business mean and women’ sending their children to the high schools help to raise aspirations? The only message I can see that sending to other pupils is, ‘Well their folks are rich and they still attend the same school as me, and my folks are on rubbish pay/benefits. Why bother grafting hard at school, if a better job won’t mean I can provide better for my family later in life?’
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Mr Bean – Great post
If the Big Society means anything it means things like successful establishment figures trusting and supporting their local high school. With their additional input in terms of scrutiny and expectations, it becomes a very
effective way of increasing overall educational standards within a school at no additional cost to the tax payer.
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@Hobbesvlocke
Paul Meader commented on, these apalling results, and, the way they were (were not) communicated; that was all. His comments were made as a very minor part/bolt on, of an overall debate concerning a far more important issue to the debate. They have been blown up to major proportions due to the adverse publicity currently surrounding the schools, their pupil’s achievements, their overall running and political management.
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Hobbesvlocke
I absolutely agree with you.
Easy for them to wade in and sling mud at a situation when their children are not affected.
They take away their children with the top 25% of pupils then say the results of the remainder are a disgrace. It’s not constructive it just adds to the unfair stigma and social divide. Its a bit smug really.
Is anyone out there starting to understand why education didn’t want the public using the UK academic benchmark for the High schools? Its so unfair! Being stigmatised in this way is a fundamental failing of the 11+!
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CameraShy
You seem to be suggesting that sending your children to a private school is better than sending them to a high school…
I think that is the root of the problem in Guernsey. If wealthy and successful people such as advocates, doctors, company directors, accountants etc. sent their children to the high schools, then they would have a vested interested in ensuring that the schools performed well and would involve themselves in not only things like the PTA, but in coming in and doing lessons / contributing to the curriculum.
Instead of bringing up the ‘disgrace’ of the GCSE results, GIBA should be offering advice and suggestions. It’s called moving forwards.
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On the nose Mr Bean, but the problem would be that if all schools were equal the better off parents would want a school for their children because they wouldn’t want their children mixing with the Plebs children.
It’s snobbery which is the biggest obstacle to getting an education system which gives all children the education they need in the modern world.
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what absolute drivel on some of these threads
go and get a life and talk to people rather than simply posting on here!
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Jack – I suggest you take your own advice :-)
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