The Children Left Behind

Last night's Channel 4 documentary suggests answers for several issues of class size and motivation.

Research carried out in Bristol by Wetz uncovered the fact that many of the children who left school with no qualifications were doing well in their education at the age of 10 or 11 - the turning point came as they joined their secondary schools. He asks if the giant new schools now being built all over Britain, in the biggest school building programme since Victorian times, are the best way to engage these disaffected pupils, to improve standards and reduce truancy and exclusion rates.

So if a 2000 pupil school were split into 4 smaller ones, the choice for parents would be greater, the schools more personal, and the resulting motivation for teachers, children and parents significantly higher.

Why then does the government seem so intent on building big schools? Presumably they think the cost per pupil comes down and the justification for extra facilities is easier. It is time these assumptions were seriously questioned. No supposed economic analysis should ignore completely factors such as the power of motivation which are potentially critical in achieving a quality result.