To think the British educational system is all wrong?

This tbh. Which is why it is so ill-equiped to deal with children with additional needs and cater to the diversity in our society these days. The model is very outdated from a time where this aim was a bit more transparent. It's quite a task to overhaul it and with our economy I don't think the government wants to due to the financial impact. Also now we need dual income households and more workers not sure how they will get around it, but it is become glaringinly obvious it's not working currently.

Teacher of 25 years. The education system exists to push kids through an exam to form a statistic. The exams and curriculum were designed by people who were either at private school or in top sets. They have no clue how children learn and how bloody ridiculous it is.

I have a bottom set year 10 who are lively but I like them! Is Shakespeare, learning 15 poems or writing a comparative essay ever going to be of use to them? No. So many better things to do with their time that would improve their literacy skills.

Unpopular opinion incoming:

Reset the economy by restricting mortgage lending to three times a single salary, so that it becomes economically viable for most families not to need two incomes. Free nursery places means tested, only for those families where both parents do need to work. Make it normal for parents to do their own childcare pre-school and wraparound care for school aged kids. Move school age up to five or even six, and encourage schools to be flexible about part-time school in the first couple of years.

At the moment we have a system driven by maximising tax revenue: paying staff to look after other people’s children means two taxable incomes. Not paying parents to look after their own children generates no tax, but results in worse outcomes for children who are in long hours of inflexible childcare and school from very early ages. It’s bonkers.

Agix
Our school system isn't to educate kids to teach them useful things or become well rounded, happy adults. It's to condition them to be workers. That, perhaps along with being childcare so their parents can be workers, is the only aim.

This as a Head Teacher of many years. This 100% our education system is all about compliance and a curriculum that is not fit for purpose.

Couldn't agree more. Kids know it, parents know it teachers know it, head teachers know it. All powerless to change it.

God I’d have been bored rigid if I couldn’t read as a young child.

I understand Finland’s education results consistently outperform other countries’ systems. Finland don’t start formal education until the year they turn 7. I don’t have any detailed knowledge on the curriculum as such, but there would appear to be no disadvantage on starting later.

@Zoflorabore definitely. My 10 year old has autism, is extremely academically able in maths, about average in all other subjects, defeats writing and is socially and emotionally like a toddler. The special needs schools in my area are for either severe/profound learning disabilities or severe mental health or behaviour issues. None of which my ds has.

Great post @CookiePlough
Work in schools and absolutely agree. Most of my year 6 kids cannot dress themselves, tie shoelaces or look after their stuff.

@Agix is right. If you wanted to truly educate your kids then you’d home educate rather than send your kids to school but people need to work and it’s time consuming and costly to devise an actual well rounded curriculum as even the most educated parents can’t teach every subject and need to buy in some help.

4/5 year olds in reception very much learn through play and don’t tend to do formal learning until year 1. I think American children start quite late at 6 to be honest.

my current issue with the educational system is that it doesn’t really cater for children who have autism but who are extremely able. My 13 year old has been home from school for over a year now as she couldn’t cope with the changes going to a huge high school, severe anxiety etc but top set. The SEN school’s available in our borough don’t even offer GCSE’s. It’s hard trying to do what’s best for her because she’s missing so much academically but she’s much happier and settled at home.

This as a Head Teacher of many years. This 100% our education system is all about compliance and a curriculum that is not fit for purpose.

You are not wrong

While it might seem that starting school early takes away from childhood, there are reasons behind it. Early education focuses on building foundational skills like reading and math, which help children succeed later. Many schools also use play-based methods to teach, blending learning with fun. I do agree that unstructured play is vital for creativity and emotional growth. A long school day can make it harder to fit in play, family time, and other activities. The key might be finding a balance ensuring kids get both the learning they need and the freedom to just be kids.

Our school system isn't to educate kids to teach them useful things or become well rounded, happy adults. It's to condition them to be workers. That, perhaps along with being childcare so their parents can be workers, is the only aim.