THE PEOPLE'S EDUCATION
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]
Sift,—Few experienced people doubt the truth of Mr. Oakley's two statements that (1) the existing Special Place Examination has on the whole the paramount advantage of satisfying parents by its fairness, and (2) it misses many of the best candidates, particularly that type of late developer who by his solidity and staying power has very great potentialities. Fact (t) justifies the examination as a whole for the present ; and what we want is a way round the difficulty stated in fact (2).
A way round is now possible. Two evolutionary changes now happening have accidentally provided it. One is the development of the new Senior Schools, which next year will keep their pupils till the age of 15 plus, and the other is the change in School Certificate Regulations which will make it possible for a school certificate to be awarded to a candidate not taking a foreign language. A child who fails to get a Special Place at t is plus will still be unable to get a late transfer to a Secondary School during the school certificate course, because the absence of mathematics other than arithmetic, and the absence of a foreign language from his Senior School Course will prevent him from taking his due place in the Secondary School.
But—here is the point—if the Education Committees are willing to provide the quite small increase of staffing and accommodation needed to allow a small school certificate class at the top of the senior school, late developers with enough impetus could take the school certificate in the Senior School, and make it their qualification for transfer to the post-certificate forms of the Secondary School.
There is always room at the top in a Secondary School, where at least some of the available courses are specialised, and numbers in classes are small.
The cure is therefore as follows : (t) Allow facilities for a small school certificate class at the top of the Senior School, and allow candidates to stay to 16 plus. (2) Let the school certificate give the right of late entry into Secondary Schools, so that late developers can get across to take advanced courses at 15 plus or 16 plus, and stay at school, if they wish, till
8 plus or 19 plus. I should not be surprised if such late developers proved to be among the best of all.—Yours faith- fully, H. W. HECKSTALL-SMITH. Chippenham Secondary School, Wilts.
[We cannot continue this correspondence.—ED. The Spectator.]
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