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- Experts say grammar teaching doesn’t always lead to better GCSE results
- It comes five years after the government allocated £50 million to these schools
Elementary schools have long been at the center of the debate, with children being denied what is often perceived as a better education at age 11.
But experts have now questioned high schools, as research shows there’s no evidence they lead to better GCSE results.
New research, led by the University of Durham, claims that areas with comprehensive education are actually doing just as well, with similar numbers of students achieving grades A*-C (now 9-4).
Meanwhile, it turned out that the brightest students actually did better in middle school than in high school.
The results come just five years after the government allocated £50 million to the expansion of new secondary schools in a mission to raise national standards.
Elementary schools have long been at the center of the debate, with children being denied what is often perceived as a better education at age 11. But experts have now questioned selective schools, as research shows there’s no evidence they lead to better GCSEs (stock image)
“Our study adds to evidence that the expansion of secondary schools and the selective system are unlikely to raise national academic standards,” said study co-author Dr Xin Shao of University College London.
“The cost of reorganizing our education system to have more selection would be high, and there are much more important priorities for investment to support equal opportunities for people regardless of family background: expanding the selective system would not be a wise decision. ‘
As part of their analysis, experts analyzed the GCSE results of nearly 500,000 students from 2016.
The team takes into account a number of factors, including the students’ social background, gender, and many other factors.
Although areas with a secondary school were associated with a small increase in graduation rates, their presence did not seem to significantly boost overall regional performance.
Students in high school areas were slightly less likely to earn five A or A* grades (now 9, 8, and 7) compared to non-selective areas.
Meanwhile, students of both types of education in a selective local government were less likely to achieve five A or A* grades than equivalent students in predominantly broad areas.
As a result, experts say neither system is superior, and further expansion of high schools is unlikely to raise national academic standards.
They also argue that the competitive nature of selective education can be detrimental to students’ mental well-being.
The results come five years after the government allocated £50 million to these schools
As an example of this, the “big fish, small pond” phenomenon was cited, where grammar students may view themselves as inferior to other bright classmates.
Still, experts emphasize that further research is needed to understand the influence of other factors on this phenomenon.
For example, the high performance in London, where not many secondary schools are located, can pull up the average for comprehensive systems.
“While the overall results for the effects of the two systems show that neither system is superior, an internal pattern implies negative results from the selective system, which can affect both high and low achievers,” says Dr. The University of Durham’s Evidence Center for Education.