“So, what did you have for school dinner today?” I asked my nine-year-old daughter, Milly. “Cheese and crackers!” came the cheerful reply. Harrumph: £1.90 a day for that? And now I’ve got to go from 0 to 5 in one hit with her fruit and veg. Milly would have preferred a packed lunch anyway, but the chances are her super-disorganised mum would barely have had bread, let alone anything to put inside it.

The debate rumbles on, just like the stomachs of those children who jettison their mothers’ lovingly made soups and sandwiches to the nearest bin – a dinner lady at my children’s school told me that every lunchtime, bins overflow with sandwiches. Ironically, sweet stuff or crisps (banned by many schools) are devoured. 

The issue of school dinner v packed lunch usually centres on food quality. Thanks largely to Jamie Oliver, turkey twizzlers and reconstituted chicken gristle are no more, yet the expected uptake in school dinners hasn’t happened. For some, the fried stuff had a ring of cosy familiarity: as parents we all know how hard it can be to persuade little Johnny to try something new today (apparently it can take seven tastes of a new food before it is accepted).  As a result schools try to steer a middle ground, giving children what they like without taking the easy option of nuggets and chips or challenging them with anything too exotic. 

 

At my children’s school, this meant plenty of vegetables, but rarely chips or fried food and everything made on the premises, partly to ward off the child obesity epidemic that is looming in Britain. Admirable. But this is also fraught with difficulty: my children – used to veg cooked al dente – whinged about soggy veggies and gristly meat. Even with the right food choices, staff need training.  

On balance it makes sense for all children to eat a nutritious, filling, hot lunch on a winter’s day – a godsend for some families entitled to free school meals who may not be able to give their children nutritious food due to lack of money, long  working hours or poor cooking skills. But it’s a constant challenge for schools to provide quality food at low cost: in some areas, efforts are being made to support local farmers and other food producers (also reducing food miles and helping the rural economy) so that children also learn where their meat and potatoes have come from.

A packed lunch gives parents more control, can include their five a day for fruit and veg and is essential for those with food allergies. Yet peer pressure kicks in early. Seven-year-old Sophie could end up championing some brand of processed cheese over cheddar, making the supermarket shop even more fraught. Suddenly, shepherd’s pie and jam roly poly can seem positively Utopian.

At secondary school, the whole issue is less incendiary. By then, most children are less fussy and may enjoy the option of baguettes, salads or a jacket potato. And with cashless payment systems, your teenager will get used to budgeting for what they eat – good practice for life. At one school, in Barking, Essex, there’s even been an 11% rise in numbers eating school dinners, as cashless cards have removed any stigma previously attached to those entitled to a free school meal. 

Jo Lamiri is the editor of Delia Smith’s website and a member of the Guild of Food Writers.

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This year Road Safety Week is all about children having their say. Kids have strong opinions about how safe our roads are and how adults should drive. It’s not surprising, because negotiating roads is something that many kids have to do every day. Walking and cycling is so good for children’s health and development, but it’s difficult for them to do this safely with so many people driving too fast on roads where they live, near local shops and on their route to school. 

As part of Road Safety Week, we asked more than 15,000 9-13 year old children their thoughts about speed. A huge majority, 86%, said they thought drivers go too fast in their neighbourhood.  Hence our theme for Road Safety Week this year is ‘Kids Say SLOW DOWN!’

The sad fact is that too many children continue to be hurt on our roads every year.  10% of the surveyed children said that had already been hit by a vehicle when walking or cycling, and a further 56% said they had had a near miss. That’s a lot of children.

Thankfully, not every one of these incidents results in death or life-changing injury, but far too many do. In 2009, 12 children were killed or serious injured every day. Most of these (59%) were children on foot and bicycle.

In fact, although the UK has the second lowest road death rate in the EU, our child pedestrian death rate is worse than 10 other EU countries, and eight times higher than Sweden’s. Incidents on our roads are also by far the biggest non-medical killer of children in this country. In short, road safety is a very big deal for children.

Most parents with children old enough to walk and cycle unaccompanied, will no doubt worry about their children’s safety, and will probably have taught and implored their children to take care using roads. But even if we teach children to use roads safely, their age will still affect their ability to make sound judgements. It’s important to bear in mind, therefore, that there are ways we can stick up for children and make roads safer for them. 

Research shows that 20mph zones reduce child casualties by more than 50%  among 0-15 year olds, according to a recent report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine This is because slower speeds give drivers time to react and hopefully stop altogether if a child mistakenly steps into the road. Driving at 20mph, you should be able to stop in time if a child runs out three car lengths ahead. At 30mph, you would barely have time to brake at all before hitting that child at 27mph. 

The government is being called on to reduce the default urban limit to 20mph to save kids’ lives. Kids will be kids and they will make mistakes from time to time. It’s important that they don’t pay for those mistakes with their life. 

Ellen Booth is Campaigns Officer for the road safety charity Brake.

Find out more about Road Safety Week.

Check out the Department for Transport website – Think!

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The day of the BBC Children in Need appeal show is upon us and Pudsey HQ is buzzing. Believe it or not, this will be the 31st annual appeal show for BBC Children in Need. In that time, the show has raised over a staggering £550 million thanks to the amazing generosity and hard work of the British public.

Although the show has been running for over 31 years, some things do not change.  One is Sir Terry Wogan, who has been ever-present hosting the show, and has become almost as synonymous with the charity as Pudsey himself. Secondly and most importantly is the ‘need’, which is as great at it has always been. Did you know that over 4 million children in the UK live in poverty? BBC Children in Need helps to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged young people right here in the UK.

The fantastic support schools and parents have given to BBC Children in Need over the years, has been central to our success, as schools are one of our biggest fundraising groups. Thank you all for your support. One of the many ways BBC Children in Need funds young lives across the UK nations is through financing extended services attached to schools, such as breakfast and after-school clubs. 

 

An example of one of the many projects of this type, funded by BBC Children in Need, is the Log Cabin in Ealing. The Log Cabin adventure playground provides a safe and fun environment for children who have learning or physical disabilities, or who are disadvantaged. As well as offering Saturday and holiday services, the Log Cabin runs an after-school club, which encompasses the Cabin picking the children up from school, then setting up a range of fun activities including arts and crafts, as well as stimulating play activities to help the children develop their social, emotional and creative skills. The after-school club also serves healthy meals, which meet the specific dietary requirements of the children.

I have been lucky enough to visit the Log Cabin. Throughout my visit, I was so impressed by the effectiveness of the play workers in meeting the requirements of the wide spectrum of needs which the children had, by being able to control them, but ensuring they are having fun at the same time. What I found so magical about Log Cabin was its inclusiveness to all children, which meant children with learning and physical disabilities were playing with mainstream children. This social interaction between all children, regardless of their ability was great to see, and was a breath of fresh air – but is unfortunately something many children are unable to experience. BBC Children in Need funding helps provide the after-school play facilities for the children.

All this week we are asking parents and children to 'show your spots and help raise lots' for BBC Children in Need, this could be a cake sale, a sponsored silence or even a fashion show, anything goes - especially if it's spotty. For more information, including our tailored fundraising pack for schools, please visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey

It may sound like an old cliché, but your money and support really does make a difference to thousands of disadvantaged young lives right here in the UK.

Thank you for your support.

Will Cook works on BBC Children in Need.

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I think bullying is a concern for most parents and it is clear from recent research, that most bullying situations occur in a school setting. Worryingly, it is not just at school but on the way to and from school. A survey released to mark Anti-Bullying Week (November 15-19) says that nearly half of 11 to 16 year, have witnessed bullying on their journey to school.  Shockingly, 47% had failed to report bullying that they had witnessed in the last year, 44% thought it wasn’t their business and 1 in 10 didn’t know who to tell. 

If this is the case, then schools need to educate children about bullying and to stress that not reporting it is helping the bullies. Standing by and watching should not be considered an option. Obviously if an individual feels they themselves are in danger they should find an adult, or teacher that can help them.

I recall vividly watching a child being bullied when I was at primary school. The individual in question was being surrounded by other children, who were chanting insulting things at her in the playground. I am ashamed to say that I knew it was wrong and although I did not join in, I didn’t tell anyone.  I genuinely think that I didn’t know who I should tell or what I should do.

There is a real fear among children, about becoming a victim yourself if you ‘tell’. We had never had a lesson about bullying and what to do if we were bullied or saw someone else being bullied. We used to have dinner ladies that supervised us in the playground and unless physical force was used, they tended to turn a blind eye to verbal abuse.

 

I believe that schools should have a zero tolerance to bullying. Teaching children that it is wrong and how to cope with it, is crucial to managing the problem. Anti-Bullying Alliance has advice on how to manage bullying for children and their parents. Another good website is National Bullying Helpline. One option for a child who doesn’t want to talk to a parent, is to call Childline on 0800 11 11. 

It is also important to deal with the bullies. They often have something going on at home or in their personal life, that is making them behave badly.

ParentlinePlus have  recently joined forces with Bullying UK and take an active role in dealing with bullies and their parents. They just launched a briefing paper ‘Dealing with the Bullies’ which calls for parents of bullies to receive support to tackle their behaviour.

I think most parents would be distraught to be called in to school to be told their child was a bully. Some of these charities offer courses and counselling to parents to help them manage the situation. Parents can feel really isolated when their child’s behaviour is out of control. So this is a vital lifeline for them to get help and meet other people who are struggling with similar issues. 

It is likely that our children will witness bullying in some form or another, whether they are just a witness, being bullied themselves or they are the perpetrator. We need to take responsibility as parents to teach then that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and if we are struggling, to seek outside help with the situation.

Claire Winter is a member of the BBC Parent Panel.

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Sometimes, even after years of working with children, a story about bullying will grab me by the heart. I think I’ve heard it all before —but then, a mother will call, frantic that her little girl is self-harming again, or a newspaper will ring for a comment on the death of a ten year old, who’s hanged himself after a prolonged campaign of bullying. 

I remind myself there is help for those parents and those wounded children, help that will in most cases allow them to overcome their difficulties. But anyone who loves children is struck by the violence that many face, and the effects on the children, on the adults they grow into, and their own families. Such small acts have such a large rebound.

Wind the clock back and we can all remember the children deemed “weird” or different, who were teased mercilessly over their clothing, their accent, their interests, and their awkwardness. Perhaps you were one of them yourself—I’m sure I’m not alone in remembering being targeted; in my case, as I was new to England and English, for my “froggie” accent. We do know a bit more about bullying now, though, and as a mother, as well as someone who sees the consequences of bullying every day, I know that initially, these lifelong skills are learnt in the home. 

 

Bully-proofing your child begins as your child matures, and needs constant reinforcement as they grow. Here are some points that may help:

• Learning to share is key

  From toddlerhood, emphasise that playing involves sharing, that hitting is not all right, and playmates must take it in turns being “the boss.” A very young child is going to make the same mistakes over and over again, so be prepared to repeat, repeat, repeat.

• What is your body language saying?

  Young children can begin to learn to stand up straight, to look people in the eye, to speak up. Our experience shows that bullies home in on young people who look timid, and who are easily prone to cry. A child who looks like he has self-confidence - even if he isn’t feeling it -may never be bullied. And acting brave will turn into believing in one’s own courage. 

• Learning to be assertive not aggressive

  It’s never too late to teach assertive—not aggressive—behaviour. That means, standing up for oneself, without attacking others.  It’s much better when they can learn this early, within their own family. If you had your own problems with bullying as you grew up, and have taught your child to “be nice”—you may need to look at your own body language and speech. Children learn from what’s around them. 

• Everyone has a right to be different

  It is an old adage that children who are “different” are bullied—and I know that happens.  It could be because they have red hair, use a wheelchair, have lost a parent, are very clever or have learning issues.  It is worth reminding your child to learn that everyone has the right to be different and that many of our strengths grow out of just that.

• Encourage them to have special interests

  It’s a lucky child who has a passionate interest, odd as it may seem sometimes—reptiles, anyone? Supporting your child in pursuing a dream is helpful to his or her self-esteem. Having lots of friends with different interests means that the young person will have more than one circle to join. Doesn’t like football? Find another outlet.

The chief difficulty in helping a child who is being bullied is trying to find out if he or she is under attack. Children may not want to tell parents their secrets at the best of times. They may be being threatened with more harm. They may feel as if no one will understand, or support them. They may adjust to their situation, however hard, and fear any intervention will make it worse.

If they are being cyber bullied—attacked by phone or online methods—they will keep silent lest their parents take away their phone or computer. The destruction of their self-esteem that bullying creates makes many feel as if they are no good— that they may even deserve their bullying.

What are the signs of bullying that a parent should look out for?

Be aware that there are some predictable periods when bullying increases in ferocity, often differing by gender. Girls of 8 or so, then again around 10, and on into secondary school, are very reliant on their social circle; boys come later to this stage. But girls as well as boys are increasingly turning to violent behaviour. Evidence of the ladette culture is too often in our newspapers.

Children who are being bullied may:

• be frightened of the journey to and from school
• have nightmares, or regress
• be unwilling to go to school
• begin doing badly in their school work
• become withdrawn, distressed, self-harm, even attempt suicide>
• have possessions or money disappear
• give improbable excuses to explain any of this
• feel isolated and excluded

It’s helpful if your child is still small, to make the habit of a talk, perhaps as part of a bed-time ritual. It’s best to build the trust and confidence for when you and your child will really need it. 

And remember—it’s time we all worked together to keep our children safe.

Claude Knights is the director of Kidscape, the UK’s first anti-bullying charity, now celebrating its 25th year. Visit www.kidscape.org.uk for more child safety information and support.

Watch a clip on cyber bullying on BBC News School Report.

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It’s often reported that today’s children spend too much time indoors, looking at computer and TV screens. How much of this ‘indoor time’ could be down to too much homework? From my perspective, as a primary teacher, I think that formal homework can wait - certainly until a child is well into Key Stage 2.

I taught in a faith school with a rigorous approach to homework. From Year 1 onwards, children had weekly spelling tests and tasks each evening, which were supposed to include written work. Some of the children could barely read the alphabet, let alone produce a piece of writing each evening!  

The pressure to give out homework was mainly from the parents – it seemed to be an indicator that the teacher and pupils were getting ‘value for money’ from the school.  More than once, a parent complained to me that the homework I had set was too easy – and this was for 5-year-olds. What happened to just playing and relaxing after a busy day at school?  

There is an alarming trend for pushy parenting to be the norm. An over-emphasis on homework is one aspect of this trend, which includes the increase in private tutoring and the rise of after-school clubs. But is this really helping kids long-term? 

As parents and teachers, we need to examine whether the homework given is actually meaningful in terms of a child’s learning. For primary school age children interaction and input from others is very important – ‘busy work’ like worksheets, will all too often bewilder the less able and bore the rest, without anyone really benefiting.

Of course, there are things that need to be learned by rote and practised at home, from recognising the alphabet and learning times tables to memorising dates and information for exams in later school years. But surely burdening small children with up to an hour of work each night, will lead to a tired child, not a more intelligent one. 

I understand that as children get older, formal homework is necessary, but if someone reads with a young child at home and takes an interest in what they are learning (ie talks to them!) then that should be enough early on. So let children do what they like after school, being allowed to play freely and to discover things for themselves is just as important for learning as reciting times tables. And it’s more fun too!

Hannah Hunter is a member of the BBC Parent Panel.

Check out the BBC Parents article on 'How to help with homework'.

Listen to debate on Woman's Hour about 'Homework in primary schools'.

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Try not to let the words ‘baking with kids’ fill you with terror. Along with experimenting with pots of brightly-coloured paint, tubes of glue and tubs of glitter, and maybe a set of felt-tip pens (which inevitably end up making their mark on everything except the paper provided), the thought of letting toddlers and young children do certain creative activities in your home seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Okay, so with toddlers, there’s a very high chance that they will make a big mess. My advice would be to avoid or limit such activities, if you’re of a nervous disposition or stressed out, and especially if you’re about to move house (as I was earlier this year). Nice clean carpets and walls + paint, glue, glitter, inky pens or cake mixture + prospective buyers coming to view your home = not a good combination. 

But once they are around the age of three, don’t underestimate your child’s ability to focus on the task in hand and have a fantastic learning experience. I’m feeling a lot more relaxed about letting my daughter wield a gloopy paintbrush, or crack eggs and sift flour, as she did the other day. “It’s like how they do things on ‘I Can Cook’  on Cbeebies,”  she announced proudly, standing on her little chair beside me as the contents of her sieve whirled around us. 

 

I think I was a little older than her when I was allowed to help my mum in the kitchen, but I have fond memories of assisting her – whether it was dolloping out the cake mixture into the tin (and gleefully licking the spatula afterwards) or carving out squares of a super-sweet, chewy treat we dubbed ‘Sticky Wicky’ (melted toffee slabs, margarine, marshmallows and Rice Krispies). YUM! 

I guess the latter is probably not the healthiest thing you could make with your child. But it was a great way of introducing us to the concept that cooking could be really fun and we could invent our own recipes. Having a daughter myself, that’s what I want her to experience too - along with the knowledge that you also need to eat a balanced diet.

We often make a compromise when it comes to being healthy, so the home-made flapjacks we bake together have less sugar and fat than the recipe states and more oats, plus added ingredients like dried apricots. We bake this delicious light sponge which is made using whisked egg whites rather than butter, and we place fresh raspberries on top rather than smothering it with jam. We’ve added grated carrots and cream cheese to muffins to create a savoury version, and when it was Hallowe’en we used some of the hollowed-out pumpkin flesh for the filling in a quiche.  

Children love stuff that’s hands-on and getting their fingers covered in edible goo is a bonus. And it’s a good way to fill what can sometimes feel like a very long afternoon with a young child, especially now it’s dark earlier and you’re more confined to your home. Plus, it’s a good way to impart a life-long skill which will come in handy as they grow up. At least, I’m hoping it will... 

And it can sometimes raise cash for a good cause. With BBC Children In Need  approaching (although I never really need an excuse to bake cakes), the Little Lady and I might well be taking up the Get Baking challenge and rustling up a few goodies to sell at her nursery. There are some really good tips and Get Baking recipe ideas if you fancy setting up a bake sale. I think we might try out the recipes for banana bread and lemon drizzle muffins, and perhaps the chocolate brownies. Mmmm. Plus, if you have a younger child take a look at the Grown-ups pages on the Cbeebies site for a few other ideas.

Good luck and I’ll let you know how we get on. I’ve got a feeling I will be the one licking the spatula, not the Little Lady...

Joanna Youngs is a member of the BBC Parent Panel.

Read Katy Ashworth's blog on cooking with very young children on the BBC Food site.

Check out the Get Baking booklet,  featuring recipes from Great British Bake Off.

Find out how to set up a bake sale with Get Baking for Children in Need.

Fancy making your own bunting? It's an activity the children will enjoy too.

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Before I sat down to write this, I googled ‘degree in university funding’. No results found. This was a blow because with the complexity of issues involved, the myriad of different viewpoints on offer and the sheer volume of information in the media, a degree course - covering perhaps economics, politics, ethics and psychology - would have come in handy.

To be honest, with around a decade in hand before my eldest heads off to university, assuming he follows that route, I haven’t seriously thought about the financial implications. Just re-reading that sentence now makes me feel more than a tad nervous. At some point in the future my partner and I might be supporting three full- time students. When I have given it a passing thought, and given Scotland’s tradition of delivering higher education free at the point of delivery, I assumed we’d be forking out for accommodation and other living expenses, not facing the prospect of paying tens of thousands of pounds in fees.

As things stand the Scottish Government has pledged not to introduce upfront tuition fees. But in the face of budget constraints, if a week is a long time in politics what changes will the next decade bring?

I’ve struggled to work out where I stand on the issue. I’ve thought long and hard about my opposition to both fees and a graduate tax. To my Scottish psyche, tuition fees are a definite no, but maybe now is a good time for everybody to become a little more open-minded.

A green paper on the subject of Scottish higher education funding is to be published in December, after cross party and public consultation. With both the president of the NUS Scotland and Universities Scotland, who represent Scotland’s university principals, backing some form of graduate contribution, it’s apparent  people have been freeing up their thinking and not just rigidly sticking to their old ideals for the sake of them.

My gut reaction in the past has been against a graduate tax, but thinking about it from first principles, it may well be the lesser of many evils. One of the main reasons I have been opposed to any form of personal funding of higher education, is the idea that it would put off potential students from deprived backgrounds. Research has shown fees at a certain level can be off putting to certain socio-economic groups. A clearly outlined graduate tax could side-step this obstacle. 

Many parents across Scotland with children approaching university age may well breathe a sigh of relief at the idea of a graduate tax. Firstly it puts fees firmly on the back burner, at least for the present. A top-up tax kicking in at £28,000, for example, would be noticeable but relatively painless. It’s even been suggested that the revenue raised could be used to help future students facing financial difficulties. 

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that politicians, parents, students, educators and all other parties with a vested interest in our children and our society’s future keep an open mind when figuring out a fair but pragmatic way to proceed. Maybe along the way we can all learn a thing or two. 

Flora Napier works for BBC Learning Scotland.

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It’s that time of year again, when the country goes a little ga ga for the ‘pfft’, ‘bang’, and ‘whizz’ of fireworks, and the lure of building bonfires takes over, all to celebrate Guy Fawkes’ foiled attempt at blowing up Parliament over 400 years ago.  

For the majority of families across the UK bonfire night will go off without a hitch. But on the flipside it is estimated that over 500* children and their families will remember the 5th of November for all the wrong reasons.

Despite the fireworks code being widely publicised and known by many, there are still numerous incidents resulting in minor or serious injuries happening year after year. There are easy-to-follow safety tips to help parents and families avoid incidents, like those that can happen on bonfire night.  Everyone wants children to lead active, healthy lives – not ‘wrapped in cotton wool’.  In order to do this, children need to be able to experiment, play and take risks. But there is a balance to be struck - no parent wants their child injured in a serious accident that could have been prevented.

So what can we do to avoid incidents involving fireworks?  Given that the majority of injuries happen during private or family displays, we do have an element of responsibility in making them as safe as possible for younger children. We can also make sure older children and teenagers know the real dangers of messing around with fireworks and the law regarding using them in public places.

There is a really good guide to firework safety on the DirectGov website, but here are a few tips to get you started:

• don’t drink alcohol if you are lighting fireworks or sparklers

• keep a bucket of water nearby  to put out any small fires

Fireworks

• only buy fireworks marked BS 7114 – this is the British Standard that all fireworks should meet, and only buy them from a reputable or known firework stockist 

• store fireworks in a fireproof or metal box and take out one at a time

• follow the instructions on each firework – read them in daylight or by torchlight, never by a naked flame

• only one person should be responsible for lighting fireworks

• light fireworks at arms length, using a taper, make sure everyone stands well back

Sparklers

• sparklers are not ‘fireworks lite’, it is often forgotten that they can reach temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Celsius, 20 times the boiling point of water

• never give a sparkler to a child under the age of five

• make sure older children wear gloves and hold sparklers at arms length, keeping a bucket of cold water nearby to put sparklers in, hot end down

Have a safe and happy bonfire night!

*Our prediction is based on statistics published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). They report that in the six years between 2000 and 2005, 6,637 people were injured and required hospital treatment. Around half of those were children under the age of 16.

Kirstin Rowan works for the Child Accident Prevention Trust.

Find out more about bonfire night on BBC Schools Festivals & Events

If you want to make some delicious treats for November 5th, get some inspiration from BBC Food.   

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This is a tricky subject for me, as I went to a grammar school and certainly benefited from the education I received. I was the first person on my mother’s side of the family to go to university, so my time spent at school was certainly fruitful.

However, if you were to ask me if it is a fair system, I would have to say no. How can a system that supposedly favours the brightest ten percent of children, ever be fair?

I wasn’t tutored to pass the 11 plus but I do remember doing a practice paper every night in the months coming up to the exams. I was excited about the prospect of going to a grammar school and wanted to do well.

At age 11, you are branded a 'failure' or a 'success'

I was really excited when I learnt I had ‘passed’ but when it transpired that most of my fellow pupils had ‘failed’ the last few weeks at school were strained and I wasn’t so popular with my peers.

And I think this is the main problem.  At age 11,  you are branded a ‘failure’ or a ‘success’.  Despite our school saying that it was just a selection process we all knew it was ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. Children learn at different rates and some children who don’t pass the 11 plus are incredibly bright.

Being deemed a failure at age 11 cannot be good for a child’s confidence and it also means that you are destined to go to a school that is not as good as a grammar school.

Equally children who are tutored for years to get into a grammar school may also find that they struggle once they start there.

The whole idea that a bright child from a less privileged background can get a good education through the grammar system is flawed. The wealthy middle classes tutor their children to ensure that  they get into the best grammar schools, meaning that a poorer bright child who can’t afford tuition, could lose out on a place.

In this article in the Guardian at the beginning of the year, Peter Mortimore, a former director of the Institute of Education, says that grammar schools are fundamentally unfair:

“…Popular with parents who can afford years of coaching for their children's entrance tests, it underpins a hierarchy of status, promotes snobbery and prevents many schools from gaining a fair share of able pupils. Surely it should have no place in a country wrestling with so many other inequalities?”

He suggests that we capitalize on the success of grammar schools, rather than getting rid of them altogether and turn them into centres of A-level excellence - a sixth form college that can benefit all pupils in the education system.

Interestingly, it is not just grammar schools that are failing disadvantaged children. Top comprehensive schools take even less children from deprived income homes than grammar schools, according to a study commissioned by the Sutton Trust earlier this year. 

The report argues that selection by ballot is the only fair way to allocate places to children, but this is not popular with parents or politicians. Most areas that have grammar schools value them highly. I think it may be some time before they are completely abolished. But it is also sad that in the 21st century, a child’s educational chances can still be diminished by their economic background.

Claire Winter is a member of the BBC Parent Panel.

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