Penalty for laziness

Parents of lazy children at Ilkeston Grammar School in Derbyshire will in future have to pay to enter them for GCEs. In the past the headmaster, Mr D.R.J. Cox, had entered everyone in the fifth form for GCEs, he told TES, but he was now coming into line with quite a number of other schools.

Mr Cox said he had recently told parents that he would not enter for GCEs any boy or girl who was “clearly a slacker”, and if parents wished to enter such children they would have to pay the entrance fee.

The governors agreed three months ago that Mr Cox’s plan was “a wise move”. Mr Cox did not expect any strong reaction from parents or their children because his was “a very reasonable position”.

About 100 children at the school were entered for O levels this year and the cost to the county in fees was #163;740. Asked how much money he hoped to save, Mr Cox said he hoped he would not save any.

An official of the southeast Derbyshire divisional executive said that Mr Cox’s policy had to be approved by the divisional executive and the county and they would consider it, the one next month and the second in November.

The official said that Mr Cox’s scheme had been mentioned to other headmasters and that the head of one grammar school had agreed to it in principle.