A very obvious explanation of good schooling from a British perspective.

There is frequent reference in the media to “good schools”, usually concerning how to create one or get one’s children into one. It is clearly assumed by writers that use this phrase that everyone understands what it means. I am not so sure ….

So what exactly IS “a good school” as far as a parent who wants the best for his children is concerned?

Do the teachers make “a good school”?
Well, teachers are clearly an important contributor to the quality of a school, but are they the critical factor? I think not ….

The premises, facilities, equipment and environment?
The answer is for me the same as for the first question.

The relevance, logic, variety and quality of the curriculum?
Once again, we have the same answer ….. and in truth, it is not too difficult to work out a curriculum that corresponds to these criteria.

So, what IS the critical factor then?

Well, the answer is obvious, and yet …… it is rarely stated. The critical factor is whether a motivated child can study in good learning conditions. And by “good learning conditions” we mean of course ALL of the above BUT critically the maturity, motivation, capability and attitude of the child’s peers.

Putting myself into the shoes of a concerned parent, what I want is for my child is for him or her to be able to listen, work and learn:

1. without being constantly perturbed and slowed down by educationally, emotionally and psychologically-deprived and/or disturbed children from disadvantaged families
2. with a fair share of the teacher’s time

Now the problem is that in many areas, though there are otherwise “good schools” into which the government has poured money and well-trained and experienced teachers, if in my child’s class there are 6 or 7 unruly children who prevent my child from achieving his or her full potential then to be honest I’d prefer him or her to be somewhere else.

This is why parents of modest means living in “deprived”areas who are able to give their children a rich home-learning environment will do almost anything to get their kid into a “good” school where the ratio of unruly children is much lower. It is also why endless promises to “improve teacher quality” and “parents’ rights” and “to improve discipline” are just empty blather.

I make the comparison with an adult seeking to learn a language at night school or evening class. You simply would NOT GO if in your class of 10 there were two or three others who made it impossible for you to study and progress as you felt you could. WE wouldn’t subject ourselves to that and so it is quite logical that concerned parents will seek to avoid subjecting their kids to it either – if they can ….. and many bust a gut to.

Note that I apportion NO BLAME to my child’s peers who are so deprived and/or disturbed that they are unable to study properly. It is not THEIR fault; it is their parents’ fault. And of course, it is neither MY fault nor more to the point MY CHILD’s fault. And much as I would wish it were otherwise it is NOT otherwise.

Today, apart from the occasional special case of exceptional talent or entrepreneurial spirit, education is everything, and the inflation of educational qualifications also plays a part. A degree is no longer sufficient for many fairly mundane jobs; for anything half-decent in the non-craftsman world you have to have a masters. Now my kid is not going to get a masters if his entire school life is spent in a class with half a dozen kids who endlessly disrupt lessons.

It is no good pretending this is not the case; that would be a lie. I have been there, seen it, done it ……

The consequence is that a very large percentage of those who CAN afford a private education opt for it. If they happen to live (as they clearly almost always do) in a well-off area full of “good” schools with kids from “good” families who are usually far more motivated and equipped to study, then they may have a good state school option, not because there are better teachers, premise or facilities but because there are “better” kids.

What the solution to this is, I do not know. However, it would be useful if the above were more clearly recognized and accepted.

You CANNOT have in the same class half a dozen kids incapable of “proper learning” (they can’t read or write properly, have no manners or respect, cannot concentrate and all the rest) AND serious, well brought-up, motivated, literate kids. If you DO, then the latter will not get the education they deserve and will not progress at the speed they could.

Of course, you can conduct a sociological experiment by forcing “good” kids into classes with lots of “bad kids”. Great – very noble – social engineering at its most imaginative. However,  please not with MY kid.

I wish this were not true, but it is, and we cannot advance without clearly accepting the truth.

By Chris Snuggs

• Education