Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Teaching a class of students

Should selective schooling be banned?

September 23, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

Should selective schooling be banned? The benefits of achievement and the perception of elitism and discrimination in grammar schools.

Question

Why should discrimination, elitism, and selective schooling be banned?

Answer

The majority of UK schools are comprehensives, which are non-selective, but there are 164 grammar schools still in existence across the UK, and the current government are purportedly intending to reinvigorate this system.
Opponents of selective schooling emphasise its divisive nature, as the system is essentially dividing children into ‘intelligent’ and ‘unintelligent’ at the age of eleven, which can have devastating consequences on children’s self-esteem and ability to achieve. In addition, there are issues of class surrounding the debate, as students accepted into selective schools are far more likely to be from middle or upper-class backgrounds than from lower income families, as evidenced by the low number of students on free school meals. These issues have led to some perception of grammar schools or other selective schooling as ‘elitist’, discriminating against pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds and therefore preventing social mobility. However, some would champion the notion of ‘selective schooling’ as ensuring that individual children reach their full potential, as they frequently lead league tables in comparison to non-selective schools. This is somewhat countered by the fact that Local Education Authorities (LEAs) which are fully selective have a higher proportion of National Challenge schools (schools which do not meet the target for 30% of pupils achieving 5 A*-C grades, including Maths and English) than neighbouring LEAs which are non-selective. Proponents of selective schooling also argue that this system actually increases social mobility, as it allows bright working-class children opportunities that a standard comprehensive would be unable to provide. Ultimately, although the concept of selective schooling undeniably has merit, a great deal of the assertions made in its favour are unsupported by research, and research has frequently debunked any strong links between selective education and significantly increased achievement.

References

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Critical Chain Project Management

Next Post:

Parental involvement and student achievement

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT