ABSTRACT
The system of banding that was in operation at Miltown High was abandoned shortly after the arrival of David Benyon as headteacher in 1984. Students with 'special needs' were taught alongside their peers in mainstream, mixed-ability classes, sometimes with the help of a Learning Support teacher. In Maths all students took a common examination and then at a departmental meeting the teachers would consider the students' 'suitability' for the different sets, special attention being given to the selection of a top set. The situation tended to be the reverse - low status groups were often much smaller and therefore enjoyed a more favourable teacher/student ratio, and they tended to be taught by more-experienced teachers. Again great emphasis was placed on the judgements of the class teacher who would make an assessment of the student's 'suitability' for the top set, but this was compared with the student's performance on the common exam.
