Will it be tiers before bedtime?

But the National Curriculum is divided into key stages geared to tests at ages seven, 11 and 14.

This means that the last of these tests is taken by Oxford pupils just two terms after they arrive in upper schools.

Those in favour of adopting a two-tier system argue that the current structure does not fit in with the National Curriculum and that results are affected by pupils having to change schools shortly before being tested.

Education correspondent Madeleine Pennell examines the arguments on both sides. *The case against middle schools Alan Lane has been head- teacher of Cheney School in Oxford for 15 years. When he first came to Oxford he liked the three-tier system, but since the introduction of the National Curriculum he has changed his mind.

He says: "When I first arrived I was very attracted to the three-tier system because, among other things, it was similar to the system in the private sector and I thought, if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for Cheney.

"But over the years, I have come to the view that change is inevitable, firstly because of the National Curriculum and also because more and more places are changing from three-tier to two-tier. "Increasingly I felt that it is illogical to have a break at nine and 13. I am not a fanatic of the two-tier system, I am a reluctant convert.

"The fact that middle schools are vanishing rapidly from the scene means it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit good senior staff for the three-tier system."

He argues both Labour and Conservative Governments were in favour of National Curriculum testing at ages 11 and 14 - known as key stages two and three.

But the result in Oxford is that the bulk of syllabuses leading up to the tests are taught in a different school from the one where the pupils actually sit the exams. This has created a situation where an upper school can receive pupils from as many as ten middle schools, all of which might have taught the curriculum in a different way.

The headteachers of Oxford's six upper schools claim this hinders pupils' progress in the National Curriculum tests.

Mr Lane says all the teachers he has asked at Cheney School agree.

"I have consulted my staff and they unanimously felt that they could achieve better results if they could manage the whole of the 11 to 14 age range of the National Curriculum key stage three syllabus. "At the moment we receive students just two terms before the tests take place.

"They feel it is difficult to bring together what has been done in Oxford's ten different middle schools and get students in the best position for the tests.

"Although our students don't do particularly well at the key stage three tests when they have just arrived, they do a lot better at GCSE two years later, which suggests they may be under-performing when they arrive."

Mr Lane is reluctant to embrace the switch to a two-tier system wholeheartedly because of the possibility of disrupting children's education. But he adds: "The sensible thing is to plan it in a way that will be the least painful and most beneficial to students.

"I feel that the plan produced by the county is the best possible model in the circumstances, because it envisages carefully planned change and keeps as many existing schools." *The case for middle schools The case in favour of middle schools argues that they offer nine to 13-year-olds more specialist teaching and facilities than primary schools.

Middle schools cushion pupils from the shock of transferring to a secondary school at the tender age of 11, and allow pupils to stay with children of a similar age, rather than sending them to the same school as 18-year-olds.

Since the introduction of the National Curriculum ten years ago, with its tests at ages seven, 11 and 14, questions have been asked about whether a break at the age of 13 affects pupils' performance in the exams. But those in favour of middle schools argue that the two-tier system does not necessarily produce better results.

Hilary Seal is a spokesman for the Middle School Heads and Chairs of Governors group. She rejects complaints that middle schools achieve poor results.

"Research by the University of York shows that if you transfer from a middle school at 13 you make some progress in English and better progress in maths and science than your two-tier colleagues.

"If the two-tier system was perfect, we would not have so much criticism of it in the media. " Mrs Seal criticises the argument that changing schools at 13 means pupils under-perform in National Curriculum tests at 14.

She says: "We are forgetting that education is a slow process that you build on slowly, year by year.

"There is not a startling change between the end of one key stage of the National Curriculum and the next. The structure of our schools does not need to reflect the key stages.

"Such change can be accommodated by good co-ordination and continuity." And she refutes the claim made by upper school heads recently that results in National Curriculum tests at the age of 14 were poor, compared with GCSE results.

She says: "If you take the mean average of results across the city, there is a tailing off between tests at 14 and GCSE, and that is worse in the rest of the county.

"No-one who is against change is saying that we should not be working to raise achievement. As results have been improving over the past three years, there is no reason to suppose that should not go on. "There has been a whole raft of initiatives to raise achievement in the past few years, such as the Literacy Hour. We should wait to see if they are working before we reorganise our schools. It will disrupt the education of every child in the city."

Martin Thomas, head of Temple Cowley Middle School, leads the Middle Schools' Action Group. He says: "The current system is better for pupils than a two-tier system. There is no way a primary school teacher can teach all the subjects to the level required.

"Middle school teachers are more specialised and middle schools are better resourced." *Proposals greeted with mixed feelings The county council's booklet outlining the proposals has met with a mixed reaction among heads of schools facing radical change.

Paul Reast, head of Wesley Green Middle School - which would become a primary - says: "I think the consultation document which is going out to parents tends to present a biased view.

"It doesn't present the case for and against, it just presents the case for the two-tier system. But then I am the head of a middle school, so maybe I am biased." Elizabeth Cracknell, head of SS Philip and James - which would become a primary school and move to a larger site - says: "The governors feel they would welcome the opportunity to move to a larger site with more space for teaching and play. We would like to have the opportunity to be a primary school from a National Curriculum point of view."

In one aspect of the proposals, parents are being asked whether Temple Cowley Middle School or nearby St Christopher's First School should be used as a primary school. Martin Thomas, head of Temple Cowley, disagrees with the way the booklet has been written. He says: "Page one of the consultation document is very insulting. It says it is difficult to recruit good quality middle school teachers. Thanks very much. "It says the debate is about educational standards, but standards are better in the three-tier system and there is no mention of the 20 to 30 per cent of children the state system loses to the independent sector.

"I think the best thing is if St Christopher's First School becomes an infants' school and we are the junior school. That would cause the minimal amount of disruption, but it is not going to be terribly attractive to those who are looking at a cash-raising exercise."

Kate Rule, head of Headington Quarry First School - which would either be closed or converted to an infants' school, says: "We would fight against closure, but I think the option to be an infants' school would fit nicely with the other options for Margaret Road. We could feed quite easily into any of these other schools. "I think we are a nice size to be an infants' school and we could provide a secure environment for the children to learn in."

Elisabeth Gilpin is head of the joint Anglican and Catholic St Augustine of Canterbury School, which the Catholic Church wants to replace with an all-Catholic school. She says: "The majority of the governors and staff here are in favour of maintaining the current status of the school. Given that there would be 140 places for Catholic pupils per year, there would be plenty of space if Catholics from outside the city boundary wanted to come here. It would be a shame to close a school that has Christians from different traditions working well together." Anne Peterson, head of the threatened Milham Ford Girls' School, says: "We feel very strongly that the single-sex option should be there for the young women of Oxfordshire. We feel very strongly that the city can support six secondary schools. Population is on the increase and we are economically viable.

"We are one of the most improved schools in the country. We offer one of the best educations for young women in the county. We do not need to make the closure of Milham Ford part of the formula. The reorganisation of the city does not depend on the closure of Milham Ford. We will not be able to get this valuable asset back." The city's MPs also share mixed views on the issue. Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris says: "I think it is a big issue for parents and teachers in the city but I have not been lobbied by either side significantly. I am generally more interested in the level of resources in schools."

But Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East, says: "I have got dozens of letters already. If the county council decides to proceed, it is very important that the voice of parents and the wider public is heard on what is a difficult strategic choice. The educational opportunities for young people ought to be the priority."

Story date: Friday 05 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.