Inequality in British schools
Schools have been in the news a lot recently with the whole grammar school debate. Here are some articles that have got into the Red Book, plus a few statistics and facts.
If you read only one of these articles, make it this one, highlighting why grammar schools are no longer effective in helping poor clever children and actually result in less social mobility: http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2086601,00.html
Yes, grammar schools gain brilliant results. 87% of grammar school students gain at least 5 grades A*-B at GCSE, compared to 22.7% in comprehensives. 48% get 5 A*-As, compared to only 8.3% at comprehensives. But it comes are a social price: only 2% of grammar students are on free school meals, compared to 14% nationally. This shows the extent to which grammar schools have been taken over by the middle classes. Already wealthy, these parents are able to push their children into grammar schools so that they get a better education and job than others, further entrenching their advantage.
Here is a supplementary article: http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2553888.ece
The inequality is so entrenched by the time people go to Uni that only 14% of children from social group D - unskilled manual workers - get to university, compared to 77% of those from group A - managers and professionals.
Finally there is this article on private education: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1745127.ece
This reveals that although only 13% of students go to private schools, they get 46% of grade As at A level in chemistry, 44% in physics, more than 50% in languages and 54% in Further Maths. That's ridiculous.
I was aiming for a B in further maths this year, but after seeing this I'm aiming for an A, even though it isn't strictly neecessary, just out of principle.