Are our schools failing our children?

[Fish]

For the first time, the UK does not make the top 20 in any subject, in international tests taken by 15 year old's in Maths, Reading and Science!

I remember my tests with a column down the side where I had to show how I'd worked my answers out, I don't think this is a requirement now if calculators can be used!

I've employed many young (under 20) people and its frightening the basic maths they cannot do. At a till with a sale price of £6.35 a customer hands over £10 and £1.35 in change, these kids look scared and confused and don't understand how to work that out, and yet they have amazing grades!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25187997#TWEET973410

 

[LIG]

For the first time, the UK does not make the top 20 in any subject, in international tests taken by 15 year old's in Maths, Reading and Science!

I remember my tests with a column down the side where I had to show how I'd worked my answers out, I don't think this is a requirement now if calculators can be used!

I've employed many young (under 20) people and its frightening the basic maths they cannot do. At a till with a sale price of £6.35 a customer hands over £10 and £1.35 in change, these kids look scared and confused and don't understand how to work that out, and yet they have amazing grades!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25187997#TWEET973410

Do NOT get me started about the teaching methodology now spouted by all the new young brainwashed teachers nowadays!
:angry:

 

[cleanstrike]

Over time, I've also noticed an apparent decline in the ability to write in decipherable English as well; especially notable where people make comment on news stories in the online versions of the press. Sometimes I genuinely cannot understand what people are trying to say because their use of spelling and grammar is so poor (and I'm not referring to foreigners for whom English is not a primary language).

 

[woody69]

Do NOT get me started about the teaching methodology now spouted by all the new young brainwashed teachers nowadays!
:angry:

Why not? Sounds like it could be fun!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Schools failing - possibly - though I read of children going into reception class (so aged 4-5) having to be shown how to hold a pencil

 

[bluewolf]

Do NOT get me started about the teaching methodology now spouted by all the new young brainwashed teachers nowadays!
:angry:

Not really the teachers fault then eh? They are educated to do things in a specific way. It may not be the correct way, but blame the people who set the targets and the agenda.

I heard today that Gove is refusing to take any blame for the current problems in schools and is instead stating that his proposals should only be judged in 10 years.. Brilliant.. If only the bankers had the same philosophy..

Anyway, if the schools are failing to instill a good enough education, then the parents need to step into the gap. Or is it easier to just start playing the blame game?

 

[CMAC]

its the curriculum. Get back to basics. My sons school have re-adopted memorising the 'times' tables............it works. Why they moved away is anyones guess. Phonics is a four letter word.

Remember you can do a lot at home with your own kids as well, let them pay for sweets or tell you what change you will get when you buy a 65p bar of chocolate and pay with a fiver- get it right to get the sweet

 

[Fish]

Anyway, if the schools are failing to instill a good enough education, then the parents need to step into the gap. Or is it easier to just start playing the blame game?

That's all well and good if the parents are educated enough themselves! Some of these children that need help the parents could do with sitting in the same classroom!

 

[bluewolf]

its the curriculum. Get back to basics. My sons school have re-adopted memorising the 'times' tables............it works. Why they moved away is anyones guess. Phonics is a four letter word.

Remember you can do a lot at home with your own kids as well, let them pay for sweets or tell you what change you will get when you buy a 65p bar of chocolate and pay with a fiver- get it right to get the sweet

That's the exact route we've taken. Concentrating on maths and spelling. You want the X Box? Recite the 13 times table. Gymnastics class? Spell "Cupboard"...

 

[jp5]

The bureaucracy in teaching puts many of the best educators off, no wonder that kids come out with a worse education as a result.

 

[bluewolf]

That's all well and good if the parents are educated enough themselves! Some of these children that need help the parents could do with sitting in the same classroom!

You can't help people that aren't willing to help themselves!
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" - Recognise that matey?

 

[Birchy]

When I was at primary school my mum and dad used to always give me side tests in maths & English. The school used to have a spelling test every week and unless I aced it all I didn't get spends, worked a treat as I think I only ever failed once.

Another thing they used to do at school was you got drawn a times table out at beginning of the week then in assembly on the Friday morning you had to stand on a box in front of everybody and nail the lot. My mum used to ring up to check if I had messed up

Imagine that nowadays, kids would be off with stress! Back then sports day was competitive too. None of this everybody is a winner for taking part rubbish. Kids need to realise that when you get out into the big bad world nobody will pat you on the back just for joining in.

Funnily enough just on English language note mentioned above I have a little story. Im back at college doing a course and 2 weeks ago we were due to give in our first assignment and one of the younger fellas in the class showed me his work that he was going to give in. I kid you not the whole thing was in text speak I told him this and he looked at me like I had 3 heads, he didn't feel like there was anything wrong with it.

 

[MegaSteve]

That's all well and good if the parents are educated enough themselves! Some of these children that need help the parents could do with sitting in the same classroom!

Sort of agree... I left school in '69 with 5 'O' levels which wasn't bad in them days for a secondary modern schoolboy... Could've more or less got me any type of job or apprenticeship I wanted...

Was away at the weekend with one of my grandsons [aged 8] part of the deal of having him is supervising homework... All good 'til the arithmetic ... Anybody care to explain what J10 & splits are all about ...

 

[G.U.R]

My Wife is a TA at the local Primary School, all my kids went there. The Eldest is in a gap year before going to Uni and I have twins now at Secondary School doing well. The Primary School sits on a Council Estate which has been criticized a an area of depravation, this in affluent West Berkshire. The major problems seem to be a) Uneducated Parents unable to teach/help their kids and b) This incessant PC culture where kids get diagnosed with ADHD and that seems to allow them to trash the classroom whenever things get tough. My Wife spends more time out of class following these delinquents, yes following they are now longer allowed to restrain a child unless the child is physically attacking another child, around the school until they decide they may as well go back to class. Now I know we will never go back to the day's of the cane or wooden ruler across the knuckles, but there has to be some deterrent to help teachers out....Rant over.

 

[cleanstrike]

My son came home a while back with some sums to do for homework and part of it involved division. I was trying to explain to him how to do long and short division when he said he had never seen long division before. A few weeks later myself and the wife went to an evening progress meeting with his teacher and I brought up the topic of long division with her.

No word of a lie, she looked me straight in the eye and said in all seriousness ... what's that. Well, I just shook my head in disbelief and walked out the door.

 

[Fish]

My son came home a while back with some sums to do for homework and part of it involved division. I was trying to explain to him how to do long and short division when he said he had never seen long division before. A few weeks later myself and the wife went to an evening progress meeting with his teacher and I brought up the topic of long division with her.

No word of a lie, she looked me straight in the eye and said in all seriousness ... what's that. Well, I just shook my head in disbelief and walked out the door.

You should have asked her to do a DMS loop, that would have been hilarious

 

[Fish]

Seems the kids in Wales are the slackers

In Wales, there were lower results on average in the three subjects than in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Scotland leads the way in the UK for reading, while England is ahead in science.

So Scotland can talk a good game, no change their then :smirk:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25196974#TWEET973413

 

[Snelly]

Consecutive governments are failing our children. The state education has a fair bit wrong with it at present.

I am in a tricky position at the minute where my son is at a private school and my daughter is not.

This is due to my son being labelled at the (very highly regarded) state primary school in our village as having ADHD, dyslexia and possibly dyspraxia. They also wanted to refer him to a child psychologist. This was essentially because he was a non-conformist and didn't do ANY work because he didn't have to as he was in a totally consequence free environment there. When he scribbled in his books instead of doing any work, we were told that they felt he was "expressing himself in the only way he can."

Fortunately for us, my younger sister actually IS a child psychologist and said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. He is exceptionally bright in fact and my sister (who is a Guardian reading lefty tree hugger) said through gritted teeth that a private school might be the answer as their are stricter boundaries and no room for slacking or taking the easy option. We transferred him to a local private school a year ago and he is now a totally different child. His books are full of beautiful work, he has passed every exam (exams every term for 12 subjects) taken, his end of term reports are generally excellent, his teachers all think he is fantastic and his speech, manners and respect for others are now some of his best attributes.

Yet the state system said he had a series of conditions that meant in their view, he was borderline un-teachable?


The difference between the two schools could not be more stark. One prepares you for life wonderfully and the other is passively pushing out the latest fad in leftist educational theory. It is probably the number one source of misery in my life that I cannot afford at the moment to send my daughter there too. Fortunately, she is one of the star pupils at our village school and is succeeding, despite the curriculum and some of the teachers there. She would do well anywhere but we feel we are letting her down at the moment by not giving her the best that we can.

If my business picks up this year as it looks like it will, we will be moving her at the earliest opportunity. She is starting to say she really wants to change too as even a seven year old can see the difference and she does when she sometimes comes to events at his school.

I never thought I would put my kids through private school as I have always thought that the state system was good enough for me so it should be good enough for my offspring. I was wrong though. The schools and teaching have changed markedly and in my view, based on our bitter experience, not for the better.

 

[CMAC]

Seems the kids in Wales are the slackers

In Wales, there were lower results on average in the three subjects than in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Scotland leads the way in the UK for reading, while England is ahead in science.

So Scotland can talk a good game, no change their then :smirk:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25196974#TWEET973413

you don't need to talk when you read, especially while reading this at work

...and it's there not their :ears:

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I kid you not the whole thing was in text speak I told him this and he looked at me like I had 3 heads, he didn't feel like there was anything wrong with it.

Did he think - whilst knowing the spelling was txt spk - that what he'd written was acceptable English spelling - or did he just not realise that what he'd written wasn't acceptable spelling?