Schools ‘reluctant’ to push brightest pupils

Why not say ‘You have the potential to walk on water’, rather than say ‘I’m going to grind and grind away until you get a C’? Liz Allen, Head of Newstead Wood School for Girls

Allen criticised the Government initiative to provide one-to-one tuition for pupils falling behind and failing to acknowledge the brighter pupils. This reflects growing concerns that the brightest pupils are not being dealt a fair hand in the state system.

League tables are a ‘significant barrier to the brightest’ she argued, as there is a focus in schools on pupils achieving five GCSEs graded A to C. As teachers are concentrating on borderline C/D grade pupils in order to push up the school’s average.

“Why put a huge spotlight on a child to say ‘I’m going to get you to a C’. Why not an A? Why not say ‘You have the potential to walk on water’, rather than say ‘I’m going to grind and grind away until you get a C’?” said Allen.

A fear of elitism

According to a Government-funded report published earlier this year, it claimed some teachers were against providing extra help for gifted pupils. Schools were also unwilling to enrol students in initiatives such as the ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme set by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), to push performance for a fear of promoting ‘elitism’.

Allen alleged there was a huge reluctance among her colleagues to focus any kind of real attention, activity and resources on the most able and attacked the Government initiative to give tuition to pupils falling behind in Maths and English.    

She used the analogy that if she was not good at running the 100 metres and the government were to pay for a tutor, would she then run better? “I think not. I can see a huge value in investing one-to-one in exceptionally, able, independent young women.”

What about the average students?

The DCSF defended one-to-one tuition for students falling behind stating that no parent whose child is now back up-to-speed in class, thanks to personal tuition, would describe it as a poor investment. They are also setting out legislation to guarantee intensive support for children falling behind in English.

“No pupil should be left to fall behind in primary schools and at the beginning of secondary schools. That’s why we are giving specialist one-to-one tuition to 300,000 seven to fifteen year olds in English and Maths by 2010.”

A spokesperson for the DCSF agreed that the most talented should also be supported and stretched without ignoring the students falling behind. “The new primary and secondary curriculum will mean that teachers can target the brightest because it is less prescriptive and teachers have far more scope to plan classes according to the needs of their pupils.”

A spokesperson for Brighton College not only defended support for all students but also maintained that they are realistic: “Not everyone can secure straight A grades, but the delight when students get their results makes them realise the importance of hard work and perseverance."

Get in touch

Do you agree that brighter students are ignored over average students needing extra support to catch up?