Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TAX FAMILIES WHO HIRE TUTORS FOR GRAMMARS
Paper says levy will fund poorer kids
FAMILIES who use tutors to help secure grammar school places should be taxed to pay for poorer children to access the same help, it was suggested yesterday.
The authors of a new study argue a levy should be imposed on high-income families to help level the playing field in access to selective schools.
The paper, by academics at the UCL Institute of Education, examined the backgrounds of more than 1,800 children in England and Northern Ireland were grammar schools are available.
It found in England, children from A BAKER is now the Guinness World Record holder for making the world’s biggest scone.
Neill’s Flour, which has just celebrated its 150th anniversary, made the 141.8kg treat with a little help from celebrity chef Jenny Bristow and Belfast Met catering students.
The scone took four hours and seven minutes to bake and the ingredient list included 70kg of Neill’s flour, 10kg of butter and just over that amount of sugar, 55kg of buttermilk and 2.2kg of baking powder.
Together they beat the former New Zealand record of 119.45kg which was held by a team from New Zealand.
Neill’s spokesman Karl Mccrum said he was delighted with the “great news” from Guinness World Records.
He added: “It was important for us to make our 150th year a memorable one and achieving this is the perfect families in the bottom quarter of household incomes – had less than a 10% chance of attending a grammar school.
In the top quarter of household incomes, it’s a 40% chance.
Study author Professor John Jerrim said: “The Government claims expanding grammars will boost social mobility.
“But our research shows private tuition used by high-income families gives them a big advantage. The Government way to end the celebrations. It took a lot of time and preparation from everyone involved and it’s great to see that all of the effort and hard work has paid off.
“I would like to thank Warren Patton, Jenny Bristow and the students from Belfast Metropolitan College for taking part, as without them the record attempt wouldn’t have been possible.
“They are just as much world needs to explain how they are going to level the playing field.”
One option may be an extra tax for those who use tutoring services.
Professor Jerrim added: “I would envisage this as being levied on high-income families who use these services.”
The study also says in England, for each £100 weekly rise in income there was a 6% rise in the probability of a child receiving coaching record holders as we are!” The attempt at Patton’s Bakery in Newtownards took place on 22 November 2017.
Mr Patton said: “An unbelievable amount of time and work was put in to achieving the largest scone world record.
“I am over the moon that we were able to secure it here in Northern Ireland and hopefully it’ll be ours for many years to come.” for a grammar entrance test and an extra 4% to 5% in maths and English tuition.
It means the higher the income, the higher a child’s chances of being tutored.
Just under 75% of those children in England who were tutored gained a grammar school place, compared with 14% of those who were not.
UCL YESTERDAY