STREAMS IN GH JUNIOR SCHOOL by Peter Price
As a teacher, I have been asked by the editor of Tho ‘leek to write some brief notes about the vexed question of reaming in the junior school. It is a vast subject, wd I hone, therefore, this note will m-xe some Sense.
Streaming, as readers with young children will know, is the system whereby children coming into the junior school are sorted into their first classes on the basis of what is called their "ability". "Clevor' children are put together into "A" classes and ‘dull and backward" children are taueht in "C" classes,
As mirht be exvected, children who are allocated at eicnt years age to "Ail classes are more then likely to be selected at eleven for schools, On the other hand it would be nearly miraculous for a child the "C" class to vet a dlace in a srammar school, Not unnaturally, therefore, parents are intensely interested to see that their children are placed in the hivrher streams. Prom this you will se¢ that I have related the nractice of junior school streaming to the wider question of the eleven-plus selection examination. There are wany reasons why these two should be considered together.
Not the least is the interestins fact that in those areas of Leicestershire where comprehensive education is already a fact and all children so on to the same secondary school without any form of eleven plus ta place, the overwhelmin- majority of junior schools have already abandoned the practice of streaning,
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A lot of evidence has now been accumulated showins that, much many peonle's surprise, standard of o.ttainnent in wunstreaned junior SCVOOLS are hither than in streamea schools. iiven the very bricht children seem to do better in unstreamed or “mix redeability" classes. However, the overwnelvinugs advantage of non-stre-ming in schools is the way in which this practice helps the less-able children. In vnstreamed junior schoo.s, educational backwarcness is no lonrer the major probvlem it often »wresents in lar hishly-streamed junior schocls.
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The “Week is harcly the »lace to areue technically the benefits of non-streamingz. Thish s been widely done in the educational press. “hat does seem Lnoortant, however, is that Spour Mducation Authority should express firm vicws on this vival auestion - without, of course, acting in any dictatorial way.
In any case, when cleven-plus selection is really ended, sid that cannot be longs delayed now, per School streamine will automaticcolly lose its meanings. ‘"The sooner the a onarent, teacher and cui will be heard to snay.
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