Reply to: Would You Send Your Child To A Faith School......

[vetran]

Aspiration is one thing. Being told that all schools must be better than average is impossible.

we could of course make sure all schools are below acceptable and send the leaders children to paid schools. Better known as the Labour way.

Does the average include the fee paying schools?

[MicrosoftBob]

Aspiration is one thing. Being told that all schools must be better than average is impossible.

Unless they deem them all to be above average because that requires no semblance of reality

[TheFaQQer]

All schools should aspire to be above average, but clearly that's a moving target

Aspiration is one thing. Being told that all schools must be better than average is impossible.

[d000hg]

All schools should aspire to be above average, but clearly that's a moving target

[oscarose]

So Buddha was actually Isaac Newton?

That's quite possible I think. Did he spend many years sitting under trees and relaxing?

[BrilloPad]

By getting better all the time.

This is the logic of the former education secretary, now justice secretary. But Nicky Morgan echoed the sentiment - all schools should be good. Good is better than average.



(linky)

So like GCSE and A levels then? We have no idea how well anyone is doing?

In my day only the top 10% got an "A". I did get lots of "A"s - it took of slate and chalk to get there.

[TheFaQQer]

How can every school be better than average?

By getting better all the time.

This is the logic of the former education secretary, now justice secretary. But Nicky Morgan echoed the sentiment - all schools should be good. Good is better than average.

Q98 Chair: One is: if "good" requires pupil performance to exceed the national average, and if all schools must be good, how is this mathematically possible?

Michael Gove: By getting better all the time.

Q99 Chair: So it is possible, is it?

Michael Gove: It is possible to get better all the time.

Q100 Chair: Were you better at literacy than numeracy, Secretary of State?

Michael Gove: I cannot remember.

(linky)

[BrilloPad]

Every school needs to be good. To be good, the school must be better than the average.

How can every school be better than average?

I believe he was a wise man who sat under a tree for a few years to clear his troubled mind.

So Buddha was actually Isaac Newton? Then I withdraw my criticism. Newton was amazing - I always loved his solution to the Brachistochrone.

[MyUserName]

I am an atheist but I sent mine to a faith preschool. Daughter went to a standard primary school afterwards but she has specified special needs which influenced our decision there. When she goes to secondary school we intend sending her to the faith school again because it gets far better than average results. Her brother might well just stay in the faith school until he leaves school completely..

Even if she ends up being a Christian it does not really mean anything. Christians are an incredibly diverse bunch even within our church (some believe in sex before marriage, some don't, some believe in the death penalty and some don't etc.) that it is quite possible to end up a normal well rounded person even if you believe you can telepathically communicate in all powerful, super natural, creature.

[oscarose]

Who is this Buddha guy? Is he another of these so called "Scientists" that guess at what is happening and present it as fact?

I believe he was a wise man who sat under a tree for a few years to clear his troubled mind. Following such a period of enlightenment, he then kindly passed on wisdom gained to punters and regular folk of the era.

Hope that helps?

[TheFaQQer]

In our experience of looking at schools, there is a big difference between "satisfactory" and "outstanding"

"Satisfactory" doesn't exist as a classification any more, it'e "Requires Improvement". Then there's "Good" and then "Outstanding", so there must be a big difference between the first and third grading in the system.

Every school needs to be good. To be good, the school must be better than the average.

And just because a school is classed as outstanding when OFSTED come in, that doesn't mean that they stay that way - my nephew's school went from Outstanding to Inadequate in the space of 18 months.

[eek]

At my kids Catholic school, the only difference is that RE is mandatory to GCSE.

They are strict. Most of the best performing schools are.

+1. Same with us. That means that while its suitable for many children it may not be suitable for all. Our neighbours are sending their children to the other good local school. Which is a shame for the boy as he really would be better looked after at the smaller more personal but not quite as good* nearest secondary.

* It used to be awful but is actually quite good. Downside is the really bright children don't go there as their parents play the games required to get them into the schools that have been known to be good for decades..

[meridian]

In our experience of looking at schools, there is a big difference between "satisfactory" and "outstanding", so even as an atheist we would lean towards the faith school, but not before additional research. What proportion of their day is spent on RE? For RC, what proportion of Y1/2 is spent memorising for communion? What's the curriculum like for science?

[mudskipper]

Youngest went to a C of E primary.

They had a couple of services a year at the local church, and Christmas etc had the religious story. I don't think he was ever told "This is what is true", more that "This is what our belief is". RC may vary.

He seems to get more religion at his secondary which is not a faith school, but has Christian clubs (including optional confirmation classes), a chapel onsite which they attend weekly, as well as a very high proportion of Asian kids (who I'm guessing mostly aren't Christian). He tells me that no-one opts out of the services, so I guess it's not seen as a problem. So a non-faith school doesn't necessarily mean no religion.

[BrilloPad]

Yes, as long as there is no other 'funny business' going off and the lessons don't all revolve around God. Hopefully, Buddha gets a mention too.

At my kids Catholic school, the only difference is that RE is mandatory to GCSE.

They are strict. Most of the best performing schools are.

Who is this Buddha guy? Is he another of these so called "Scientists" that guess at what is happening and present it as fact?