New secondary school league tables

[Ruffler]

The new secondary school league tables including the "English baccalaureate" make interesting reading. None of our local state schools appear to score very well under the new system.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/8254443/GCSE-league-tables-2010-Greater-London.html

[Kes]

Worth bearing in mind though that on the new measure the national average is only 16% and this was only devised after the exams were taken so schools where languages are not compulsory, or where many children opt for RE rather than History or Geography will inevitably look really bad. For a comparison, my old school, not in London scores 2% on the new measure. (That's probably one kid!)

[Ann]

I agree Kes. The core subjects of English, Maths , Science are compulsory in most if not all schools. Many including Grammars and Independents will insist on a modern foreign language but History and Geography are almost always an option. Some of you may be surprised how limited these options can be. A child who is say, musical or artistic may have to choose one of these at the cost of a Humanity subject, likewise Drama ,PE and even a second foreign language. Also don't forget ICT is compulsory in most schools, it's a lot to fit in.

I have a year 10 son. His option choices were Spanish, Geography, ICT (Compulsory) and DT Graphics. He could therefore meet the criteria for 'The English BAC' but by pure coincidence. No way would we have selected a language without the positive feedback from his teacher. Some boys who opted for a language were not allowed as they were not considered appropriate. Fair enough, best stick to a subject you've got a chance of passing.

Although I'm no expert on the French BAC, from what I do know it offers a much more limited range than our schools presently do. For example Drama, Music, Art etc. are not taught routinely in French Schools. These subjects at GCSE are not easy at all. I believe this breadth of subjects produces a more rounded individual. I've met a lot of French teenagers in recent years (on holiday and exchange) and my overall impression of their English skills were pretty poor. My daughter last summer (post GCSE)on holiday had a far superior grasp of French, especially grammar. Admittedly she has opted for French and Spanish A level so I appreciate it's not a fair comparison but it did occur to me that foreign languages just weren't appropriate for all. A pass in PE is better than a fail in French or German!