Pathways To Inclusion

There are no easy answers to the 2020 grading problem, that much is clear. The disgruntled murmurings in Scotland may be nothing compared to the cacophony of anguish we’re about to be subjected to on this side of the border over the next couple of weeks. There are going to be some very distressed students, and parents - understandably, justifiably so. I sympathise with those suggesting that we should just let all teacher predicted grades stand without moderation. But on the other hand Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney do have a point when they say that this would rather undermine the credibility of the system on which we apparently have come to rely. The question we should now be asking is: are we ok with being  completely reliant on a system whose ethical foundations are so shaky in the first place? Clouds (1905) by Arkhip Kuindzhi The main aim of the algorithms used to adjust this year’s scores appears to be to preserve the credibility of our exam grading system - thr...

“As with almost everything, the impact will be felt most by low-income communities and families, and we as a nation will have to ask ourselves how we view our role as a society. Is it to support those in need? Is education a public good or a positional good?” (Akil Bello) Now is patently not the right time to be putting children through the 11-plus. While all other exams have been cancelled, schools will be ploughing ahead mercilessly with the 11-plus tests in September as planned. These are exams which will determine the path of these children’s education, their friendships, their careers, their lives. The highest of stakes, the greatest of pressures, and a level of stress most 9-10 year olds probably don't need in their lives right now, let alone their parents. What's more, this year will inevitably see the widest gulf between those children fortunate enough to live in comfortable, well-resourced homes, and those who do not share these advantages. Between those who can offer ...

In the 1940s, Americans were encouraged to smoke Camels as an aid to digestion. The ‘increased alkalinity’ was particularly good for you, apparently. Smoking wasn’t just regarded as innocuous, it was seen as positively beneficial . Light up on any street today, and you become a social pariah, polluting the air and draining the NHS of resources, selfishly taking doctors away from the sick kid who needs a heart transplant and making them tend to your odious blackened lungs instead. My point is, social attitudes change over time. And what one generation regards as harmless, even a force for good, future generations may come to view as socially undesirable. Last night I attended a debate put on by the Private School Policy Reform (PSPR) group, who are valiantly trying to establish some kind of meaningful direction for future reform of the independent education sector. Six speakers offered their proposals for how they would level the playing field. There was a brief discussion, follo...