Bring back Sec Mods.

Before the days of Comprehensives aspiring to be Grammar schools and Polytechnics, Universities, there were Secondary Modern schools of which I am a proud and thankful product. Sec Mods catered for the working classes who knew their place, where Grammars were for the children of the pushy aspirational; the eleven plus being more an examination of precociousness than intellect. Each accurately catered for their clientele. Sec Mods aimed at preparation for real life where as Grammars aimed to extrapolate their parental group’s esoteric expectations towards university. Thus a ‘spade’ was for ‘digging’ or “a playing card suit; a sturdy hand shovel that can be pushed into the earth with the foot”, or “[offensive] (ethnic slur) extremely offensive name for a Black person”, i.e. education based on either usage or definitions. As education based on usage is useful it became endlessly fascinating to me how I could use mathematics, science, wood and words. The more I knew the more I could do. To know more in some disassociated esoteric way may bring intellectual gratification but not the deeper satisfaction of usefulness. I’m not wishing to portray this demarcation as low, vocational versus high, intellectual, but rather real learning and disassociated learning, and not on the grounds of worthiness but enjoyment and fulfilment. Learning is a lifelong joy that must not be snuffed out by aspirational, inexplicable fact accumulation. If a student can’t offer a good reason for learning what they’re being taught the process is probably for the benefit of the teacher. Or no one. Or maybe the Secretary of State for Education, Mr Balls.