thu 14/11/2024

Unequal Opportunities, BBC Two | reviews, news & interviews

Unequal Opportunities, BBC Two

Unequal Opportunities, BBC Two

John Humphrys asks how we can close the equality gap for kids in state schools

John Humphrys asks what can be done when 'rich thick kids do better than poor clever kids'Copyright: Matt Prince
There’s an equality gap in our education system. Poor kids come bottom of the class, while rich kids are destined for the elite universities. In the eloquent words of education minister Michael Gove: “Rich thick kids do better than poor clever kids.” And we’ve got loads of stats to back this up.

There’s an equality gap in our education system. Poor kids come bottom of the class, while rich kids are destined for the elite universities. In the eloquent words of education minister Michael Gove: “Rich thick kids do better than poor clever kids.” And we’ve got loads of stats to back this up.

But bad schools really can be turned around. And, Humphrys finds, it’s all about leadership

Share this article

Comments

"eloquent"? rich thick kids? if there are rich thick kids then there must be poor thick kids, but what politician would ever refer to them in those terms? quotable, maybe but hardly eloquent. is it ok to call a child thick because their parents are rich?

The choice of school they focused on in Wimboldon with kids being bussed in was a bit bizarre. John Paul the II School is a Catholic school with the usual admissions rules that go along with that. Like most Catholic schools its admission rules are based on on baptism and churchgoing - hence kids are bussed in. As far as I know children can't be offered a place at a faith school unless they apply for it, so presenting it as a sink school where 'poor children are dumped' seemed a bit odd.

I'm going through the process of visiting and applying for schools in a fairly deprived area of South London now and having to figure out the best of the limited choices on offer. It's time consuming, depressing and I'm resigned to believing my child will not end up in a school of choice. http://southlondonschoolhurdlerace.posterous.com/

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters