The Return of Grammar Schools - Divide and Misrule

Teresa May seems determined to follow in David Cameron's footsteps by courting disaster. Following Cameron's catastrophic error in calling the EC Referendum, which has divided this country in a number of ways, Mrs May wants to exacerbate social division by returning to the old Grammar School system, which she, along with her party and the Campaign for Real Education, sees as being necessary to improve British educational standards. As the Daily Telegraph says:
"It marks a major departure from David Cameron’s education policy, with the former prime minister repeatedly refusing to give in to pressure from backbenchers on the issue.
A government source said allowing new grammar schools was about “social mobility and making sure that people have the opportunity to capitalise on all of their talents”. "
Mrs May is not just ignoring her backbenchers on this issue; she is also ignoring the views of educational experts. Sir Michael Wilshaw, the OFSTED chief, a man of whom I rarely comment favourably, says that more grammar schools would be "a retrograde step"; Alan Milburn, head of the Social Mobility Commission, says that it will be "a social mobility disaster". The present-day evidence clearly shows that selective schools do not improve social mobility. Kent has the highest proportion of selective state schools in England and yet only 27% of children in Kent who receive free school meals gain five good GCSEs. In London, which is almost entirely comprehensive, the proportion is 45%.
As someone who remembers the old system, I am left wondering why Mrs May, Justine Greening (Minister for Education) and other pundits make no mention of the children who will not be selected for grammar school. As I was one of this group, back in the so-called "good old days", I know what it means to be part of that "rump", which was made up of 75% of all children between the ages of 11 to 15/ 16 years of age.
For those who do not know, in the 1950s and 60s, children in their final year of primary school sat an exam called "The 11-Plus". The 25% who scored highest went to grammar schools, while the supposedly less academic children were sent to secondary modern schools. Only in 1972 was it discovered that the man who devised the 11-Plus, Sir Cyril Burt, had forged his evidence to justify that dreaded examination. John Parrington says here:
"In Britain IQ tests were first popularised by Cyril Burt, an educational psychologist and one of those responsible for devising the 11-plus. Burt claimed his 40 years of research proved a child's intelligence was mainly inherited from its parents and that social circumstances played only a minor role. His research formed the basis of education policy for half a century-from the 1920s until the 1970s. Yet only a year after his death in 1971, evidence began to emerge that Burt was a fraudster who had simply invented results to fit his theories about the hereditability of intelligence...Things started to unravel soon after Burt's death, when it was shown by respected US psychologist Leon Kamin that Burt's figures constituted a statistical impossibility. 'A liar and a fraud,' was Kamin's verdict. This charge was borne out when it was found that Burt's two female 'collaborators', who supposedly collected and processed his data, had never worked with him and probably never existed! Eventually even Burt's friend and official biographer, Leslie Hearnshaw, was forced to accept that the charges of fraud were justified".
And so, because of this man's fraudulent research, hundreds of thousands of British children were earmarked from the age of 11 for the menial jobs of society. I well remember a secondary modern schoolgirl back in my hometown of Southport being told by one of her teachers that girls from her school were all "future Moors Market women" (Moors Market was a kind of 1960s Southport version of Aldi, but more down market - no pun intended). When it came to resources, the grammar schools were always better provided. In my secondary modern school, the "O" level GCE classes took most of their classes in the school kitchen, while "A" Level students at the grammar school for girls were being given their own 6th form coffee lounge. My school, at least, provided exam classes; until the school leaving age was raised, many secondary moderns expected their pupils to leave school at 15, as befitted their place in the educational system and wider society. Besides this, I remember the occasional friction that existed between grammar and secondary modern pupils, which sometimes resulted in name-calling and abuse. Grammar school kids were called "snobs" and secondary modern pupils were looked down upon as being thick. I fervently hope that no future generations of our children will go through that. As to whether Mrs May and her government will listen, I doubt it.
I would like to end on a personal note. Because of ill-health, I missed a lot of school and left with no qualifications. After an improvement in health and success at evening classes, I went to University at the age of 27, expecting to be the oldest on the course. To my surprise, I wasn't. Out of a small course of about 24 students, there were three 27-year olds, one of 30 and another of 40. This showed me that I wasn't the only person to have been failed by the system. When we graduated in 1980, my friend Bill from Rochdale gained a first class honours degree, and I passed with a high 2/1. We were both former secondary modern schoolboys.

Dr Jeroen Ensink - The Same Old Story

Dr Jeroen Ensink, R.I.P.

I should have known better. I had hoped that we might be spared any more accounts of murders by mental health patients, at least for this year. Readers of Rhymes and Routes probably feel the same, and I understand that. When a friend sent me an email about the killing of Doctor Jeroen Ensink on December 29, 2015, my first reaction was to tell myself: "You've written about this subject so many times, what's the point in revisiting it yet again?". I then read the details of Dr Ensink's murder and changed my mind. There are uniquely poignant features to this crime, as indeed there are in all such cases, but there are many sadly familiar details.
Once again, we have a story of an innocent member of the public killed by a mental health patient in the street. Again, questions are raised about why such a murderous and unstable person, in this case, a 23-year old Nigerian named Femi Nandap, was out on the streets in the first place. Again, the guilty party, in this case Nandap, pleads diminished responsibility on mental health grounds. And yet again, we are left feeling appalled at the crime, and baffled at how it could have happened.
As well we might. The details of this case defy belief. Last December 29, Dr Ensink, a university lecturer, left his Islington home to post "New Baby" cards to inform friends and family of the arrival of his daughter Fleur, born only eleven days before. In a cruel twist of fate, as he walked to post his cards, he encountered Nandap who attacked him with a knife, stabbing him repeatedly.
As the press have pointed out, Nandap could have been stopped before this happened. As the Daily Mail says:

"Nandap, of Woolwich, south east London, was arrested in May last year and charged with wielding knives in public and assaulting a police officer.

Nandap later flew back to Nigeria in June for three months, missing his bail appointment in August.

He finally appeared in court in October, but was granted bail by magistrates - despite objections from the prosecutor."

The Mail goes on to say:

"The Crown Prosecution Service said today it dropped Nandap's knife and police assault charges because of a 'lack of evidence' - but said even if he was prosecuted he would still be free on bail.

A spokesman said: 'This was a tragic case and our sympathies are with Mr Ensink's family."

Oh well, that's nice. At least they sympathise with the victim's family. Also, at least the national media is taking more of an interest in these horrible events and calling the authorities to account. Not that it will make the general public any safer - there is nothing to stop an incident like this happening again. As Julian Hendy, who runs the "100 Families" website (see "Links") has said:

"This is another deeply distressing case of an innocent man and young family destroyed by the violent actions of a seriously mentally ill offender."

That is absolutely correct. Doctor Ensink's daughter will never know her dad; the feelings of his widow can only be imagined. The more I read of Dr Ensink, the more I am appalled at his fate because he contributed so much to the world in his lifetime.He was an expert in sanitation and water management, and worked in developing countries including Ethiopia, Senegal, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. The director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said:

'Dr Ensink joined the school almost a decade ago, and at the time of his death he was leading a large study in the Democratic Republic of Congo to understand how improvements in water supply could control and prevent cholera outbreaks.'

Femi Nandap will probably be confined to somewhere like Broadmoor where he will receive intense therapy. He may well be pronounced "cured" in a few years time and released - perhaps to kill again, like so many others. Mrs Ensink and her daughter, Fleur, face a life sentence.

As before, I know that I speak for all readers of "Rhymes and Routes" (and all sane and normal people!) in sending condolences to Dr Ensink's family, friends, colleagues and students, should they happen upon this blog. No words from me can heal their pain, but there is a research fund set up by Dr Ensink's university, which readers can access - HERE. There can be no better tribute to his memory.
Speaking personally, I shall try my utmost never to dismiss other crimes of this kind again. It matters not whether the victims are distinguished academics like Dr Ensink or "ordinary" housewives; they are all innocent. Rhymes and Routes will continue to remember them, and do our very limited best to bring these hideous murders to an end.