I do however feel that the education system needs reforming with more life skills subjects and social skills subjects and more financial and money management subjects as they are things kids will need in life, senior school should be about preparing kids for the world of work as opposed to filling their heads with a load of crap that will no longer matter when they leave school like Shakespeare and algebra

 

I absolutely agree with this - if there's one failing of the school system, it's that it doesn't do a lot to prepare for the reality of life. I don't think subjects such as algebra should be ignored, but I think there is an imbalance.

The closest we came to a "life skills" class at school was P.S.H.E for 40 minutes once a week for one term per year (admittedly this is going back almost a decade now!) - and that was it. It's all very well being able to quote various Shakespeare texts, but it's only really going to ever be relevant to a select few.

Think that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read on any forum. You can't send a 20 year-old WOMAN back to school. :rolleyes:

 

Oh YES you can... especially if she's bleeding the state dry by breeding... what has she got to offer BACK to the state she's take take taking from if she has zero skills and qualifications????? We have far too many thick-as-a-brick teenage mothers in this country quite happy to do sod all except lie on their backs and conceive...the only time they dress and leave the house seems to be to sign for their benefits.

Oh YES you can... especially if she's bleeding the state dry by breeding... what has she got to offer BACK to the state she's take take taking from if she has zero skills and qualifications?????

 

 

Her kids may go to Uni and get top jobs and pay lots of tax!!

Edited January 14, 201015 yr by Victor Meldrew

I absolutely agree with this - if there's one failing of the school system, it's that it doesn't do a lot to prepare for the reality of life. I don't think subjects such as algebra should be ignored, but I think there is an imbalance.

The closest we came to a "life skills" class at school was P.S.H.E for 40 minutes once a week for one term per year (admittedly this is going back almost a decade now!) - and that was it. It's all very well being able to quote various Shakespeare texts, but it's only really going to ever be relevant to a select few.

 

 

It's the same exactly now. My daughter has P.S.H.E. for one period a week for just one term.

Her kids may go to Uni and get top jobs and pay lots of tax!!

 

and? What about the shortfall in the system's coffers after bringing them up, feeding them, paying every single penny for their education? Huh?

I think it should be mandatory until that age of 16. Rational decisions cannot be made at the age of 13... pft really not even at 16.

Her kids may go to Uni and get top jobs and pay lots of tax!!

Yes, they may. But it's getting ever and ever more unlikely as social mobility has been going to $h!t in this country ever since Thatcher (and before anybody accuses me of bias, social mobility and inequality increasing under Labour is my primary criticism of them).

Should be compulsory for up to the age of 16. But I think it would be better to have a school for people who want to learn, and a school for the others that can't be bothered, but are forced anyway. This might stop the "can't be bothered" kids getting in the way of the "want to learn" kids education. Or something like that, anyway.

 

But you don't drop subjects until Year 10, and I think this should change. Do all subjects in year 7 to try them out, and then drop for year 8. I really don't like 3 years of being forced to do art. Also, I think Maths should be the only compulsory subject for GCSE. You need maths for pretty much everything, but I don't think you need science or english for everything. I mean, we like in the UK, we can already speak English, so I don't see as much point in the subject.

 

Personally I think English is pretty vital, even if everyone can speak english it's important for employers to see a qualification in it to prove that they can read/write to a decent level.

 

I think Maths, English, Core Science, RE/PSHE (or something to that effect), ICT (which everyone at my school has to take in year 10 :drama:) and a Modern Foreign Language at GCSE should be compulsory.

Edited January 15, 201015 yr by nickthenoodle

I think it should be mandatory until that age of 16. Rational decisions cannot be made at the age of 13... pft really not even at 16.

 

 

Not true in every case. I knew at 13 that I wanted to leave school as soon as possible and did as soon as I could at 16!

Edited January 15, 201015 yr by Victor Meldrew

Not true in every case. I knew at 13 that I wanted to leave school as soon as possible and did as soon as I could at 16!

And look where you are now. Very rational decision clearly.

The thought that English should not be mandatory is laughable. Maybe not English Literature but English Language certainly, it's important that children know how to spell and write correctly, one of the main reasons that a lot of Europeans and other immigrants have got jobs over British people recently is that they use better English in their job applications and interviews!

 

 

Mucked up quoting but in reply to the previous post, I don't regret leaving school at 16 and would do the same again. :)

Edited January 15, 201015 yr by Victor Meldrew

Not true in every case. I knew at 13 that I wanted to leave school as soon as possible and did as soon as I could at 16!

 

 

And look where you are now. Very rational decision clearly.

 

:rofl:

I think they should be allowed to leave at 14 provided they go into an apprenticeship or go to college and learn a trade like carpentry, mechanics or whatever and if they drop out of the apprenticeship or college then they are banned from the welfare state for 3 years, I don't want chavs roaming the streets causing mayhem because they left school at 14 so that should not be an option, if they want to go to college and learn a trade then it is worth considering

 

While I am a self confessed Maggie Thatcher fan I do regret the decline of the apprenticeship scheme in her reign as that was a good thing for the UK having people learn a trade

 

I do however feel that the education system needs reforming with more life skills subjects and social skills subjects and more financial and money management subjects as they are things kids will need in life, senior school should be about preparing kids for the world of work as opposed to filling their heads with a load of crap that will no longer matter when they leave school like Shakespeare and algebra

 

That is my position succinctly put, thank you. I think the educational system veered off with the introduction of mixed ability classes right across the board in first and second years of secondary education. The teachers howled out in protest for years and were ignored - you have to (1) aim at the middle and hope that the top level can motivate themselves to deal with the extra more challenging work you've prepared, that the middle can do it in the hour or so you've got and mentor/manage the struggling ones to get the gist of the lesson , or in some schools, to just sit in their seats long enough and calmly enough to let the rest of the class learn. (2) The other main method is to teach in groups and speed teach - this only really works satisfactorily where staffing levels can support two teachers or teacher/classroom assistant in the room. However it takes a huge amount of time to prepare for. A teacher's time is finite even for those who work many extra hours at home and something has to give.....................ime that could be given to older pupils preparing for external exams.

 

I would let all pupils choose practical or academic at the end of second year. If I had money to throw at the system, I'd abandon any ridiculous notion that 50% of kids are fit for Further Education and get the Universities back to establishments of educational excellence. I'd scrap the mickey mouse "degree" courses and take their money to re-establish great colleges of practical skills. What was wrong with The College of Building for example? Why did it have to become a catch all Polytechnic and a dumping ground for long term disillusioned unemployed who've forgotten any dreams they ever had and don't want to be there.

 

 

And look where you are now. Very rational decision clearly.

POTY

I also agree with many of the points already raised about the appalling education system we've had in the UK. My own experiences of high school are not particularly great.

 

I think what school kids need, particularly in secondary schools, is a more practical approach to their lessons. All I got was a textbook and the class told to write out pages 9 to 16 in an hour and if we didn't we'd be put on detention for not doing our work. This is honestly what happened when I was in Year 11!!! :blink:

 

In complete and utter contrast, I took GCSE Art & Design which was fantastic. Our teacher in Year 11 allowed us to listen to music in the classroom plus eat and drink provided we cleared any mess before the end of the lesson (which basically meant putting empty crisp packets in the bin) but that was the only lesson where it was allowed. Because of this, it made us 15/16 years old more enthusaistic about having Art lessons. We knew it wasn't going to be yet another crap lesson and ultimately I got my best GCSE result in Art in the process.

 

Had I had interesting English and Maths lessons I might've learnt more and performed better in my exams. As it was (no word of a lie) in Year 11 English, my class were learning the differences between "their", "there" and "they're". :wacko: Surely this is what they teach kids at primary school? My English teacher was also one of the wosrt ever for being patronising and talking down to us as if we were a classroom of 8 year olds rather than 16 years old. -_-

What is the leaving age in England/Wales??

 

It's 16 up here and i thought it was the same down south, but my "know it all" little sister says it's 18. This comes from the know it all who couldn't even name 5 EU countries

I don't regret leaving school at 16 and would do the same again. :)

 

many people leave school because they can't wait to get out into the working world and start earning a living.

 

So what was your excuse? <_<

What is the leaving age in England/Wales??

 

It's 16 up here and i thought it was the same down south, but my "know it all" little sister says it's 18. This comes from the know it all who couldn't even name 5 EU countries

 

 

16. That's when they do GCSE's and those that stay on do A-Levels then at 18.

Edited January 16, 201015 yr by Victor Meldrew

The current students in year 8 and below now have to stay until 17 (so AS levels are compulsory for most)

 

Personally, I think everyone should do at least A Levels/The International Baccalauret or a vocational course to that effect. In this day and age level 3 qualifications are pretty important for getting a decent job.