To think that a pupil premium should be paid for children who live in home where none of the parents have qualifications

[ReallyTired]

I think that the education of the parents has a more significant outcome on a child's attainment than income. (Especially as many working poor don't have much more money than those on benefits.)

I feel that children who live in households where no adult has five GCSEs or equivalent should get extra support at school. Often these families aren't entitled to benefits because the parents do work so currently don't get the pupil premium.

It is harder for uneducated parents to support their children with homework than someone with a degree. Better eduated mothers are better at getting their children's needs met as they are often more articulate. For example making sure that statemented child gets what they are legally entitled to. (Getting a child assesed by an ed pych so that the child's dyslexia is spotted.)

Unskilled people often do physically hard work for very long hours for very little money. I believe that a child with unskilled working parents is at a major disadvantage as their parents are time poor as well as cash poor.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

YABU - just because someone didn't attain 5 GCSE's or equivalent does not mean they are poorly educated. They may have just mucked exams up under stress, they may not have revised but were perfectly capable etc etc.......exam results are not the be all and end all.

One of my close friends, she is very very clever but she mucked about at school and I think maybe got one GCSE. She has always had really good paying jobs as now she has grown up she is far more focused than when she was a teen.

On the flip side, you could have someone who studied hard, stayed on at uni and got lots of fab results who now ends up flipping burgers for minimum wage. Exam results are really not the be all and end all.

[NigellasLeftNostril]

yes well I have a degree and never do homework with the children, because it is a waste of time that destroys family life, nor is my daughter statemented as she might have been with someone a bit sharper elbowed and demanding.
I did read a lot to them but i don't think you need a degree to do that.
Actually I do not like the tone of your post.

[Offler]

Neither of my parents has any qualifications, yet I have a degree, so YABU!

[NigellasLeftNostril]

also my brother has like a CSE in metalwork and is a millionaire who will be sending his children to the best schools possible.
so ner.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Plus how the hell would they police this ridiculous idea? I can't really remember what I got, think it was 4 o'levels and a couple of cse's but I can't be sure and I have no idea where any paperwork would be.

[NigellasLeftNostril]

ooooh yes can you imagine the SENCO demanding copies of parent's educational certs.
one of the more ridiculous threads ever.

[gamerchick]

Man I've read some tripe in my time..... not everybody wants a degree. I would rather grate my face off than do all that. But I'm fine with helping with homework and fighting for my kids oddly.

[SaucyJack]

It is harder for uneducated parents to support their children with homework than someone with a degree.

I don't have a degree.

My daughter's homework this week was for her to draw a picture of snowy scene.

Not seeing your point, sorry.

[UriGeller]

Jesus, like Betty I can't even remember my school quals. If I had to write a cv now I'd have to make them all up. Crazy.

[ToriaPumpkin]

My Mum has two GCSEs in English Lit and some form of Home Ec they no longer teach. She is also a fully qualified nurse and midwife and spent 34 years bringing children into the world. Pretty skilled work, no?

I have a degree and trained to be a teacher. I remember my dad (who is also barely educated but did an apprenticeship that got him a job as an electronic engineer) trying to teach me maths but other than that I was rarely helped with homework unless it was something that specifically required outside input.

So YABU. The educational status of the parents need not have any impact upon the abilities of the child, or indeed upon the parents to help said child.

[HettiePetal]

How patronising.

"It's harder for uneducated parents to help with homework"?

No qualifications doesn't actually mean "uneducated", for a start.

Secondly. I don't like the idea that children "need" educated parents to do homework. If they "need" an evening tutor (in effect) to get their homework done, then the homework is too hard. They should be able to complete it independently with encouragement & support rather than tutoring from qualified parents.

[SaucyJack]

Altho if I'd gone to uni, I might remember to put the "a"s in my sentences. Clearly.

[TheBigJessie]

Impossible to administer, but not sure why you're getting so much flaming. Especially the irrelevant responses about degrees when you said "households where no adult has 5 GCSEs or equivalent".

Parental education is a factor in children's performance.

Offler How "I'm alright Jack" of you...

[edwinbear]

YABU. I have 2 degrees and work as an investment banker, however I am struggling to support ds with his homework as I have no clue what phonics/blending/number statements means. I don't get to see ds teacher as my childminder does pick up/drop offs as I am at work. Just because a parent is well educated does not mean they are better equipped to support their child's learning, in the same way that someone without formal qualifications/education is any less equipped.

[puntasticusername]

This isn't your first thread on this issue, is it?

Would it be in breach of mn rules for me to suggest that you're writing some sort of academic paper on this topic and are looking for, er, inspiration from other mners?

Do you have any research, or other evidence to quote? All I see in your op is a lot of "I feel...I believe".

[MortifiedAnyFuckerAdams]

YABU. Both my parents left school before even taking O LEvels/GCSEs.

I have a degree.

[NigellasLeftNostril]

also an "educated" OP might have used 'neither' rather than 'none' as the indefinite pronoun here. Assuming that there are only two parents, that is.

[Orangeanddemons]

Something like this used to exist in my school. It was called Aimhigher, and the object of it was to get kids who were bright into university when their parents hadn't attended university. Whether or not they had a degree was recorded on the pupil contact form, and ths is where the data was taken from

[HettiePetal]

I buggered up my GCSEs by not doing them - boys and booze took priority at that point in my life.

In spite of this, I wasn't "uneducated" - I had the benefit of 11 years of full time education. I just didn't bother with the final tests.

A situation I came to regret & rectified, admittedly. But I might not have done, and it still wouldn't have made me "uneducated".

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

I don't know. Parents educational status may well be a better predictor of who needs help than income. I don't know how you would administer it though!

[NigellasLeftNostril]

"the irrelevant responses about degrees when you said "households where no adult has 5 GCSEs or equivalent"
actually Jessie what she said that people are picking up on was

"It is harder for uneducated parents to support their children with homework than someone with a degree'

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

I think Offler was just stating that the fact that her parents are "uneducated" (not my wording) but she has managed to do just fine academically.

I actually think it's pretty insulting to assume that because someone doesn't have a particular number of passed exams they are uneducated or ignorant.

[MistAllChuckingFrighty]

Is this a serious idea ?

[MumpiresRedCard]

The more advantages we can wheedle the better. I haveno qualifications but i dont feel ignorant or unintelligent. Also my children's father has qualifications but no social conscience no self-awareness, no empathy.... these things have dosadvantaged him in his life for sure.
Interesting question though , for anybody interested in making education a more egalitarian experience.