Whats the most important thing you want to see in Schools.?

[maltesers]

More Discipline IMHO !!!

[stoatsrevenge]

Secularism

[Adair]

care and understanding
respect
kindness

[mrz]

All children learning

[IndigoBell]

Definately agree with MRZ. I'd most love to see all children making good progress.

[Mytholmroyd]

A class that behaves well enough so the teacher can teach rather than just keep order.

[mumtoone]

Children who are inspired and motivated to learn.
Care, understanding and no bullying

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

Respect and pride
Support and encouragement when needed
Clear, enforced codes of conduct
Good results
A happy, cohesive unit

We have all this and more with our (state ) schools - very pleased with them.

[Lynli]

No bullying.

[Saracen]

Choice. I reckon school would be a dynamic and positive place if children had the option of whether to go on any given day.

Things improved dramatically at the chess club I ran when I changed the venue to a building with a park adjacent. I no longer had to work hard to keep bouncy kids focused and reasonably calm. Sometimes they just aren't in the mood, you know? At the new venue I could simply give them the choice of playing chess calmly or going out to run around.

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

Um, OK. Interesting viewpoint.

[stoatsrevenge]

saracen - would teachers be allowed time out if they 'weren't in the mood' as well? Nice idea, but I'm not sure how you'd monitor what the children were learning.

[Saracen]

"saracen - would teachers be allowed time out if they 'weren't in the mood' as well? Nice idea, but I'm not sure how you'd monitor what the children were learning."

No, I don't think it would be practical to let teachers opt out with no notice. I don't have to use the services of my hairdresser or cafe on days when I don't want them, but staff make a commitment to come in to work in case I do want them. Being a service provider is different to being the user of a service. Getting paid is compensation for the fact that professionals always have to turn up and their clients don't!

I wouldn't monitor what the children learned. If they aren't learning, they'll vote with their feet. People don't tend to hang around where nothing interesting is happening.

[Litchick]

High expectations of behaviour coupled with the power for the staff to enforce them.

High expectations of academic standards.

Daily sport,both competitive and non competitive, preferably outside.

Excellent staff who are trusted sufficiently to devise their own curriculum.

The ability to remove underperforming teachers.

[Litchick]

Saracen unfortunately a large proportion of the population use school as their main provider of childcare, so children opting out is not an option.

[Saracen]

Yes, I know. It is unfortunate though, because it does affect children's experience of education. Being forced to do something, even something you might enjoy, makes it less attractive. If it's a question of childcare, we could at least open the doors to the playground and let the children choose whether to come in for lessons or go out to run around.

I remember when I was about ten I was offered the chance to participate in a summer school to learn Latin. We'd all chosen to be there. The teacher and activities were inspiring. I loved it. On the back of this pilot project, two years later Latin was introduced to my school. It was the same teacher and the same activities. I hated it. My classmates didn't want to be there and that soured the whole experience. The teacher gave it up as a bad idea after one year.

It's only since what, 1870? that there has been any compulsory element to education. Before that children went to school because they wanted to or because they felt there would be some benefit to them. As I understand it, the law changed not for educational reasons but to spare children from the factories. That isn't so relevant now because we have other methods of safeguarding children, and also the welfare state means the poorest families are no longer tempted/forced to send children to work just in order to put food on the table.

I'm not convinced that it is a good idea any more to insist that all children enrolled at a school must attend all the time.

[IndigoBell]

Summerhill runs their school exactly like this. Class is optional.

I think it is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately it' a boarding school and I don't want to send my kids away....

But it can and does work.

[BaggedandTagged]

Before 1870 well off and middle class children almost all went to school, because their parents made them (i.e. not that different from today). Children who did not go to school didn't because their parents needed them to work or they couldnt afford to pay for them to go to school (it wasnt free).

The move to compulsary education was nothing to do with sparing children the factories, but rather a middle class, protestant concern for the moral wellbeing of the working classes (fear of the "great unwashed". Compulsary education was introduced as a way of imparting religious teachings to the masses

In conclusion, unfortunately, your analagy is a poor one.

[Litchick]

Agree.

Working class children didn't attend school, not because they found it dull and didn't want to, but because the option was not available to them for the most part.

Children of the rich were either 'sent away' to school or had governesses at home.

[maltesers]

Although i am not well off at all and on a very low income my Ds is lucky enough to go to a very good private Prep School which his father pays for.
Since being there his behaviour has improved immensely. The staff are motivated and caring, supportive and encourage pride.
As Litchick said high expectations of behaviour are expected and all children are encouraged to work hard. Plus they have an hour of sport 4 x a week and one day without.
There is no bullying and the children all seem so happy, especially the boarders who are always smiling. !!
When i say disciplin on my post i also meant high expectations of good behaviour.. . .as Litchick said.

[Litchick]

I suspect there is bullying, most schools suffer from it.
The difference is how it is dealt with!!!

Recently DD was being called a geek by another girl. She wasn't too worried so I was going to leave it.
DH, however disagreed and emailed the school. He got a response wihtin minutes and was assured that there was zero tolerence of such name calling.

Girl in question was dealt with that morning.

Job done.

[giveitago]

Not the version of multiculturalism that's been demonontrated in some schools.