Ability sets in schools destroying pupils?

For the past 10 years, it has become compulsory for all high schools to divide students based on their grades. Has anyone ever thought what effect this has on students mental health? NO.hence I decided to get answers to these important questions myself.

At Glenthorne high school, all students are divided into 5-9 ability based sets with roughly 20 students each. I spoke to the English department where I got various views from teachers on this topic, Mrs. Wright, who has been teaching English for 6 years was in total dis-agreement with the statement and said: “when you have mixed ability set, students who have great knowledge tend to make students with less knowledge feel shy causing them usually not to answer questions as they think they might get it wrong or might be laughed at.however,when you have them in ability sets,they feel less shy and tend to answer more questions willingly”.

When I asked a student from the lowest set in maths, who doesn’t want to be identified, what he thought about the set system, this is what he had to say: “I don’t really think it g=helps at all.it makes me feel dumb because I’m in the lowest set. I don’t really feel like bothering to learn cause ill always stay in this set”.

I asked 50 students in the lowest set the same question, here are the results:

57% of the students felt “lles able”

13%-had a mixed opinion

30 of students thought it had no effect

57% is far too high. We need to change this percentage and make sure that no student is made to feel less able due to what set they are in.we need to act upon this, now.

Asim Ahmed

Glenthorne High School