Education Quandary

Hilary's advice

If you want to know what is rotten at the heart of a society, look at its schools. When I was international editor of The Times Educational Supplement, I applied this rule all over the world and it worked every time.

In this country, we have a large gap between the haves and the have-nots. This is reflected in the under-attainment at the bottom end of our school system, and in the excellent achievements at the top. Full marks to Christine Gilbert, head of Ofsted, for pointing this out so unflinchingly in her report on school standards.

In some areas, such fissures are starting to cut through all schools. One is in science. A shortage of qualified teachers and easier exam options mean there is no guarantee that a pupil will be well taught in the sciences at the average state secondary school.

Private school pupils make up just 7 per cent of the school population but get 37 per cent of all A grades in chemistry, while 80 per cent of physics teachers in private schools have a physics degree, compared to a mere 30 per cent in state schools.

If you want your daughter to be sure of her science A-levels, moving her to a private school would, sadly, be a good bet. Some universities are under pressure to widen their intakes and could be prejudiced against her as a private-school applicant, but without good A-levels she would stand no chance anyway.

Readers' advice

If you can afford it, give her the chance to excel at a private school. I wanted to be a doctor but was bullied by the boys in science. Girls didn't get a chance to get on the equipment and the boys just larked about. I left school at 15 and became a secretary.

Maggie Riordan, Bristol

It would cheaper to hire a private tutor. Your daughter would benefit from staying in her own school rather than being the poor student at a posh private school.

Adiella Black, Ross-shire

I'm afraid there is no magic formula for ensuring a place at medical school. Many schools, state and independent, have good track records of pupils gaining places, and your first port of call should be her current school. You need to establish whether she has the potential to pursue such a choice, and discuss provision for applications, related work experience (as vital as good A-levels), results and success rate.

However, the age of 12 is very early indeed to assess your daughter's potential for a medical career with any confidence. Why not wait until she is 14 or 16, when the situation should be clearer and when, if you are still concerned, you could move her elsewhere for GCSE or sixth form? Much will depend on the local schools or colleges available. If you remain interested in independent schools but are concerned about finances, many of them offer bursaries.

Gillian Low, Headmistress, The Lady Eleanor Holles School, Middlesex

Next Week's Quandary

Dear Hilary,

Last week, I sat with my daughter and watched the National Teaching Awards on television. She said she couldn't see what was special about the winners, and some of her teachers were just as good. Isn't a star system like this inappropriate for a field of public service? After all, we don't have best orthopaedic surgeon or top cancer nurse.

Send your letters or quandaries to Hilary Wilce, to arrive no later than Monday 29 October, to 'The Independent', Education Desk, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS; or fax to 020-7005 2143; or email to h.wilce@btinternet.com. Please include your postal address. Readers whose letters are printed will receive a Collins Paperback English Dictionary 5th Edition

h.wilce@btinternet.com