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Calling budding Olympians: state school to pick pupils on rowing ability Calling budding Olympians: state school to pick pupils on rowing ability
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A renowned inner-city state school has further fuelled the debate over pupil admissions by introducing selection according to students’ aptitude for rowing. A renowned inner-city state school has further fuelled debate over pupil admissions by introducing selection according to students’ aptitude for rowing.
Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, east London, is inviting applications for up to 10 extra places in year nine based on pupils’ potential to become elite rowers. It is believed to be the first state school in Britain to use rowing as a selection criterion. Students will be chosen according to physical characteristics such as height and arm span as well as fitness, strength and “coachability”.Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, east London, is inviting applications for up to 10 extra places in year nine based on pupils’ potential to become elite rowers. It is believed to be the first state school in Britain to use rowing as a selection criterion. Students will be chosen according to physical characteristics such as height and arm span as well as fitness, strength and “coachability”.
The move, which is likely to see children with strong sporting talent and dedication move from neighbouring state schools, has brought accusations from local parents of cherry-picking by Mossbourne – a heavily-oversubscribed and academically successful school that was previously headed by the current chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw. The move, which is likely to see children with strong sporting talent and dedication move from neighbouring state schools, has brought accusations from local parents of cherry-picking by Mossbourne – a heavily oversubscribed and academically successful school that was previously headed by the current chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw.
The school argues that rowing aptitude could be a proxy for likely academic success, because students accepted on to the demanding programme – who do not have to have rowed before – will need to show they have the focus and determination to succeed while still studying for GCSEs.The school argues that rowing aptitude could be a proxy for likely academic success, because students accepted on to the demanding programme – who do not have to have rowed before – will need to show they have the focus and determination to succeed while still studying for GCSEs.
Mossbourne also faced criticism from a former schools adjudicator for referring to an “interview” for young candidates on its rowing admissions form, which gives details of a physical aptitude test involving weights, a fitness assessment and trial rowing session and asks for details of existing sporting achievement. Any form of selection by interview in state schools is illegal, though they can select up to 10% of pupils by academic, musical or sporting aptitude.Mossbourne also faced criticism from a former schools adjudicator for referring to an “interview” for young candidates on its rowing admissions form, which gives details of a physical aptitude test involving weights, a fitness assessment and trial rowing session and asks for details of existing sporting achievement. Any form of selection by interview in state schools is illegal, though they can select up to 10% of pupils by academic, musical or sporting aptitude.
The academy’s principal, Peter Hughes, rejected claims of poaching, saying the plan to develop the school’s existing and increasingly successful rowing programme – based in the Thames Docklands at the London Regatta Centre – was intended to offer Hackney children the same opportunities as pupils at elite private schools. The academy’s principal, Peter Hughes, rejected claims of poaching, saying the plan to develop the school’s successful rowing programme – based in Docklands at the London Regatta Centre – was intended to offer Hackney children the same opportunities as pupils at elite private schools.
“I believe I’m doing the right thing by the children,” said Hughes, who has ambitions for Mossbourne to become the first state school to win at the Henley regatta, and for individual rowers to reach Olympic level and secure funded sports scholarships to US universities.“I believe I’m doing the right thing by the children,” said Hughes, who has ambitions for Mossbourne to become the first state school to win at the Henley regatta, and for individual rowers to reach Olympic level and secure funded sports scholarships to US universities.
He conceded that Mossbourne had been wrong to use the term interview on its application form, and said it would be removed. It referred only to a consultation meeting to allow parents to ask questions about the programme, and not to interviews with pupils, Hughes said. Hughes said: “We’re obviously looking at what the elite private schools are doing and doing our best to replicate that. We want our students to have the same opportunities.
Mossbourne’s plans – due to see the first year-nine rowing intake next September – will stir the highly contentious issue of admissions in English state schools. Under recent school reforms, more than 70% of secondary schools, including academies,are their own admissions authorities. “Our longer term plan is we have pupils who maybe would not have thought they could go on into higher education who could get a free education through a rowing scholarship in the United States. Imagine somebody coming from a Hackney council estate and then rowing for a University of Michigan crew.”
Academies have been accused of using selection methods to attract the children likeliest to succeed. A report last year by the Academies Commission said schools were manipulating rules to skew their intakes. Recruiting children outside of the usual year seven and sixth-form entry points was not unique, he added. Hackney University Technical College, one of a new breed of UTCs, takes pupils into year 10.
Fiona Millar, of the local state school campaign group Local Schools Network, said: “There are real dangers in having so many schools able to unilaterally change their arrangements and select pupils either overtly or covertly, which can impact unfavourably on other local schools. Children would be selected for the rowing places with the help of Mossbourne’s professional rowing coach using externally devised criteria for measuring aptitude in the sport and not on any other measures, he said. “We are taking our lead from what has given Britain great success in rowing.”
“We should be working towards a situation where all types of selection are ruled out,” she said. The programme was too intense to be achieved through collaboration with other local schools, he said. “I am offering these students the opportunity to be in a place where they can achieve, study and train at lunchtime and after school in a way that would not be possible with a couple of hours here, there and everywhere.”
Mossbourne has written to parents who have previously shown an interest in the school, inviting them to consider applying for the rowing places. One parent of a child at a neighbouring school said: “This is disruptive to other schools. I’m worried it’s a way of taking children whose parents are fighting on their behalf and who are disciplined and likely to do well academically. He conceded that Mossbourne had been wrong to use the term interview on its application form, and said it would be removed. It referred only to a consultation meeting to allow parents to ask questions about the programme, and not to interviews with pupils, he said.
“Mossbourne is a fantastic school – why don’t they offer this to their own existing year nines?” Mossbourne’s plans – due to see the first year-nine rowing intake next September – will stir the contentious issue of admissions in English state schools. Under recent changes more than 70% of secondary schools, including academies, are their own admissions authorities.
Academies have been accused of using selection methods to attract the children likeliest to succeed. A report last year by the Academies Commission said schools were manipulating rules to skew intakes.
Fiona Millar, of the local state school campaign group Local Schools Network, said: “There are real dangers in having so many schools able to unilaterally change their arrangements and select pupils either overtly or covertly, which can impact unfavourably on other local schools. We should be working towards a situation where all types of selection are ruled out.”
Mossbourne has written to parents who have previously shown an interest in the school, inviting them to consider applying for the rowing places. One parent of a child at a nearby school said: “This is disruptive to other schools. I’m worried it’s a way of taking children whose parents are fighting on their behalf and who are disciplined and likely to do well academically.
“Mossbourne is a fantastic school – why don’t they offer this to their existing year nines?”
Hughes said children at the school could join the rowing programme, but a 200-pupil year group recruited under the school’s usual non-selective criteria was too small to ensure a boat of eight top-level rowers. He had opted to introduce elite rowing at year nine after seeing that successful private schools introduced the sport then.Hughes said children at the school could join the rowing programme, but a 200-pupil year group recruited under the school’s usual non-selective criteria was too small to ensure a boat of eight top-level rowers. He had opted to introduce elite rowing at year nine after seeing that successful private schools introduced the sport then.
A consultant and former schools adjudicator, Alan Parker, said Mossbourne’s selection process was permissible under the national admissions code, providing the test identified nothing but aptitude for rowing. “If it appears that the process effectively selects young people calculated to do well at GCSE this would be challengeable. Certainly any form of interview to judge suitability is expressly forbidden in primary legislation.A consultant and former schools adjudicator, Alan Parker, said Mossbourne’s selection process was permissible under the national admissions code, providing the test identified nothing but aptitude for rowing. “If it appears that the process effectively selects young people calculated to do well at GCSE this would be challengeable. Certainly any form of interview to judge suitability is expressly forbidden in primary legislation.
“If it persuades high-performing kids to transfer from other local schools I would expect complaints to go to the adjudicator.”“If it persuades high-performing kids to transfer from other local schools I would expect complaints to go to the adjudicator.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “All state schools, including academies, must comply with the school admissions code. This is clear that schools may select up to 10% of their intake according to their aptitude in a range of specialisms including sport.”A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “All state schools, including academies, must comply with the school admissions code. This is clear that schools may select up to 10% of their intake according to their aptitude in a range of specialisms including sport.”
Any breaches of the admissions code would be a matter for the schools adjudicator, he added.Any breaches of the admissions code would be a matter for the schools adjudicator, he added.