To think the primary school curriculum in the UK is too advance

[Kerry987]

I think the primary school curriculum in the UK is too advance for the majority of children. I think it it is OK for kids who are very academic and self learners, bright, but I think at least half of the kids struggle to keep up with it and need lots of support at school and home.

What do other parents and teachers think?

I had a meeting with the special needs person at my daughter's school a couple of years ago and she told me that I would be surprised to find out how many kids need help and support. This got me to think there is something wrong with the curriculum if so many kids need extra support.

Why are we overloading with so much information? We have been home schooling and there are things that my husband and I didn't see until secondary school

[Fimofriend]

No. I find it to be behind the curriculum in the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Germany. Honestly: One lesson of foreign language a week? They will forget everything from one week to the next. I think part of the issue is that many parents don't believe the children ought to have homework until secondary school, so they don't help their kids when they do have homework. Fact of the matter is that if you only read the things you need for homework, then after ten years of schooling, you'll read like the average 8 years old. This will make everything difficult. When I worked part-time, I spent an hour a day helping my kids with homework and making them do extra. When I worked full-time it was still around five hours a week. Now they are in secondary and sixth form and are in the habit of doing homework so I hardly need to help at all.

[ThePricklySheep]

I don’t think being dyslexic, for example, would be helpful by a less advanced curriculum.

[ThePricklySheep]

*helped

Would be helped

[SnuggyBuggy]

I don't get all the fronted adverbial stuff to be honest. Most adults wouldn't know what one of those was.

[Candyfloss99]

I am a teacher. No I do not agree with you. It is too advanced for half the children and not advanced enough for the rest. It is a happy medium.

[titchy]

Given that the majority of children reach the expected level of attainment in KS2 SATS, clearly it isn't too advanced for the majority.

I do think the UK suffers hugely from a lack of expectation of our kids though - education (and educators) just isn't valued. I think we do a disservice to a lot of kids.

I'm sorry your child is struggling though.

[LickEmbysmiling]

what is education, why does an 8 year old need to learn about prepositions and frontal adverbials?

Describing words, enriching language - yes.

[Frost1nMay]

It is a shame that your post either has typos or actual errors! Oh the irony!

I find it just right most of the time. My only gripe would be that the volume is greater than some could manage but the levels are about right.

[AccidentallyOnPurpose]

It's not too advanced for an average child. The issue is an average child doesn't always have an average exposure or experience of the things in the curriculum, so the only interaction they have with them are at school, maybe one hour a week with vocabulary or concepts that they haven't encountered before and /or don't have the opportunity to practice.

[FelicityPike]

Depends which part of the UK you mean.
Isn’t the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence different to the English/Welsh/Northern Irish ones?
Or did you actually mean England?

[Kljnmw3459]

I know my y3 DC is learning things I didn't learn until I was in y5 or y6. But it seems to work for majority of the children. Perhaps it's best to introduce a child to a concept at an earlier age and then expand the knowledge in later years.

[Whathappenedtothelego]

I think there is an important difference between (to take the example above), knowing the terminology "fronted adverbial" - probably not necessary - and actually being able to use a fronted adverbial correctly.

I've noticed lots of examples in newspapers/online news sites of incorrect use, and I do think people like journalists, who write for a living ought to be able to write correctly, and that it's better to get into good habits when you are young.

[ThePricklySheep]

@Frost1nMay

It is a shame that your post either has typos or actual errors! Oh the irony!

I find it just right most of the time. My only gripe would be that the volume is greater than some could manage but the levels are about right.

I was presuming English not first language?

[hansgrueber]

No. I find it to be behind the curriculum in the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and Germany

Not sure about Germany, when we were working in Germany the UK Primary schools there, military schools, were often visited by local teachers. When Kenneth Baker made favourable comments about German High Schools in comparison with UK schools apparently the German teachers laughed like drains and pinned his photo to their dart board.
Friends in the US military, more recently, whose children attend UK schools rather than their on-base schools say that in general their Primary aged children are about 1 year ahead when they return to the US.
We do have a habit in this country of thinking that the grass is always greener. Many of the comparisons do not compare like with like, the UK Maths curriculum for example is far wider that that of many countries.

[StopTheTrainWantToGetOff]

23% of boys age 9 have SEN


So something isnt right

[NavyFlask]

Where is that figure taken from please @StopTheTrainWantToGetOff ?

[cherrypie111]

No, if anything it lags behind the level of teaching in many more developed countries.

[Thatwentbadly]

I used to teach secondary aged students and I’m currently home schooling my 4 year old. I’m shocked at the low expectations of the maths curriculum. I disagree that expectations are too high. I really don’t think it would be helpful to teach only towards the bottom band of the class. All children should be receiving support with their education at home from their parents. Children spend about 20% of their time in school and teachers shouldn’t be responsible for everything. It’s such a shame that many parents are unable to support their child but I’m always amazed by the parents who can but who don’t support their children.

I agree that children shouldn’t just be filled with random facts but I don’t think most schools do this. It is the skills behinds the activities which are important.

[Ohalrightthen]

I clearly remember being bored to tears for the majority of primary school. I knew how to read, I knew how to add, I grasped things first time (unless it was science, which is still a mystery to me) and I spent LOADS of each day with my hand up, waiting for a teacher to get to me so I could ask what I was supposed to do once I was finished.

I am by no means unusually intelligent. The rest of my academic career was distinctly average. But in primary school, the level of teaching was pitched way below my level (and the level of like, 60% of my peers) because teaching at our level would have meant that the lower ability kids really struggled.

This was 20+ years ago, and based on my conversations with friends with primary-aged kids, things are the same.

Primary schools need smaller classes, more teachers, and to be setted by subject, based on ability. Unfortunately that's a pipedream.

[StopTheTrainWantToGetOff]

@NavyFlask

Where is that figure taken from please *@StopTheTrainWantToGetOff* ?

The DfE statistical return

explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england

[QuantumQuality]

I think there is a period around 4/6 where the expectations of kids in the U.K. are unreasonable. They’re too young to be forced to try and write, sit down etc. My oldest was at school in another country at that age and they start formal learning at 6 and basically cover in a year what British schools cover in 3, because it’s so much easier to learn to read and write at 6. In upper primary the U.K. curriculum is in no way too challenging.

[OhioOhioOhio]

There is too much in the curriculum, that is for sure.

[StopTheTrainWantToGetOff]

@NavyFlask

Where is that figure taken from please *@StopTheTrainWantToGetOff* ?

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2019

more user friendly here

[Thatwentbadly]

Having SEN does not mean that a child is struggling, it’s possible to have SEN and be working at or above the expectations for that age group.

[KatherineOfGaunt]

In 2014 the curriculum was changed and done of the content was moved into the year group below, so it was less "advanced" before.

I agree that a large part of it is that while the government want our children to achieve more in line with pupils in other countries, they're not willing to put the money in and you do get many parents who don't value education that much so teachers are struggling to engage children before they can even attempt to teach them anything meaningful.

I am an SEN teacher and just wish there was more money to help those who struggle with the current curriculum. But then anyone working in any area of public service would say they need more money! It's so hard.