Useful Reading

Here is a selection of books and articles that might help inform your secondary school choice:

Some Kids I Taught and what they Taught me by Kate Clanchy:

This book pretty much sums up what Meet the Parents is all about: Clanchy’s memoir of teaching in state secondary schools won the 2020 George Orwell Prize for political writing.

Hot Topics

Online Learning: “Zoom Zombies”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/online-lessons-create-classes-of-coronavirus-zoombies-jbvzkxgl6

Class and Education:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/19/increasing-social-mix-schools-improve-performance

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/nov/21/english-class-system-shaped-in-schools

Ethnicity and Education:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/14/london-schools-immigration-children-education

Other Issues in Education

http://www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/grammar-schools-are-no-better-for-bright-pupils-say-researchers/

http://dro.dur.ac.uk/20400/1/20400.pdf?DDD34+DDD29+hsmz78+d700tmt

https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisainfocus/48482894.pdf

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/sir-michael-wilshaw-grammar-schools-will-damage-schools-around-them

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jul/30/best-educatioon-state-school-not-private

Grammar Schools v Comprehensives

The May government’s case for more grammars: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/10/grammar-schools-will-cut-private-school-monopoly-of-professions

The case against more grammars: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/10/observer-view-on-grammar-schools?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the outgoing head of OFSTED, on school improvement in London: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/sir-michael-wilshaws-speech-at-the-london-councils-education-summit

More research from the Local Schools Network, an excellent “fact-checker” website set up by London education campaigners: http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2015/03/eleven-grammar-school-myths-and-the-actual-facts

Adolescent Mental Wellbeing

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/suicide-prevention-day-children-mental-health-crisis-education-reform-michael-gove-a7235726.html

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/04April/Pages/Attending-all-girl-school-linked-to-increased-risk-of-eating-disorders.aspx

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3551038/Anorexia-likely-parents-degrees-Research-says-demanding-schools-parents-high-aspirations-fuel-eating-disorders-putting-girls-pressure.html

Co-ed v Single Sex Schools and Achievement

Some opinion pieces, mostly from within the independent sector: https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/30/co-educational-schools-bad-for-girls

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/11325624/Single-sex-versus-co-ed-why-neither-is-best.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/11476686/Are-single-sex-or-mixed-schools-the-way-forward.html