UK Grammar Schools - Bring Them Back

The grammar schools were starting to be dismantled around the 1960's by the larbour government. Margaret Thatcher increased the number when she was education secretary.

It seems to me that this was a huge mistake. Grammar schools were said to be elitist, but in reality they were just there to teach students who were of a higher intellect, is that really wrong? Is it wrong to take the intelligent students who want to learn and teach them more faster without the distraction of having to wait for less intelligent pupils to catch up?

I know when i was in school that the less intelligent pupils, or the pupils who just didn't want to learn could hold back an entire lesson. Sometimes we would spend time just told to read a chapter whilst the teacher had to take the kid to the headmistress!

It seems that the parents of the less intelligent kids were simply jelous and had the mindset of "how dare they say my child isn't smart". I'm tired of this, 'm tired of the way we treat even the dumbest child as if they're an A student. The cold hard fact is that in a challenging education system, not every student will get good marks and to tell them they will is simply setting them up for failure. Our system has become less challenging with easier exams.

I like the idea of grammar schools as long as they're based solely on intellectual merit and there is no corruption with local politicians getting their children in even if they're not smart enough. Currently our schools are often disrupted by a few bad pupils, classes are held back whilst people have to have something explained many times before they get it and the others wait for them. Comprehensive education is a sham, a stupid idea, causing the shiny smart apples to be lost in amongst the barrel of mediocre ones.

For those who will call this elitist, well maybe it is, but intellectual elitism isn't a political ideology, it's a simple fact. Some people are smarter and will go further, whether it's enviromental or genetic, some people are just smarter. Not everyone can be a doctor, solicitor, engineer or scientist. If people can't accept that then they're just in denial, or too scared to voice this naked truth.

Bring back the damn grammar schools!

I don't know anything about the grammar schools, but I fully support the idea of a school with the description you are giving. I always felt like the school system was holding me back, especially in grade school.

University wasn't nearly so bad, but the problems were still there. At least with university, in most classes I was being intellectually challenged, but there was still the problems of other students who were disruptive, slow, or, on the exams/assignments, cheating and thereby messing up the grade curve.

I think that as long as admission into such schools were based on intellectual merit, and not on the size of one's bank account (i.e. were public schools, free for all, not tuition-based) that this would be not only fair, but ideal.

edit to clarify one sentence that read poorly

[edit on 10-6-2008 by DragonsDemesne]