Does your school head teacher refer to the children as “learners”?

[Bbgy]

I tend to think it more normal to call them either children, pupils or maybe students? But she keeps referring to them as learners. Is this the preferred term now? Or is it just our school?

Yep, ours says "learners"

It’s a newish term do you think? Or is it just me not noticing it before?

Some do. I used to work in a school where the head teacher was called the ‘lead learner’ instead.

lead learner - find that really amusing for some reason

Lots did 😂

It was meant well & was trying to capture the school ethos but did end up sounding a bit gimmicky.

Off to name change as this probably makes me really identifiable. In my (fairly long) teaching career I’ve only come across one.

Yuck. Anything other than “children” is off putting to me. I chose my children’s school because the talked about the children as whole human beings.

Yes my preference would be children over pupils or students. It sounds kinder for some reason

Our school uses ‘learners’. I think it’s horrible. They use lots of other wanky terms, they seem to like dehumanising children.

We call them children. Thank goodness!

Does children really apply if the school goes up to 18 though?

I agree learners sounds a bit wanky.

Boys and Girls is what our says

We use the term 'scholars'

In primary they were pupils, in secondary "young people"

Our school is primary - age 5-12

i think using young people at secondary age is quite nice

In adult ed it is the usual term. I've accustomed to it now so it only sounds weird if I think about it!!

In primary I like children. In secondary students or young people. Learners just makes me feel like they're part of the processing factory line.... rather than a school community with children.

Scholars is ridiculous!

They’re Children at ours (but it’s 2-11 year olds, so really tiny ones)

Well, it’s what they come to school to do.
If this is your only concern with their education I’d keep it to myself tbh.

It's at a secondary school.

I actually love it.

Out school has been using it since 2005. And the learners all wear 'thinking caps' and other such wanky language.

I work in SEN age 2 - 19 provision. They are all young people in our school.

Definitely not learners at our school! They’re called children.

I think young people sounds like you care about the children as a person. It’s not something I feel enraged about or anything. Just wondered if I was the only person thinking it sounded strange.

Children or pupils by our Head and teachers (c of e primary not an academy)

I did my teacher training for secondary in 2000-2001 and there was a fair bit using ‘learners’ then because it linked to the concept of ‘teaching and learning’. It also linked to learning being a lifelong thing and not something that stops the day of your last GCSE.

Never said outright but I also thought it was because it was a word shouty teachers wouldn’t use to address a class. There are always some who shout ‘students!’ Or ‘children!’ in an aggressive tone to get attention and I never saw anyone shout ‘learners!’ so if they were trained to use that word then they were less likely to do the shouty thing.

but then again that could just be me overthinking it because for the first few years my classroom was next door to a Serious Shouter and it was draining!

Children, young people, pupils or students in my school (3-16 year olds). It really depends on who is speaking and to whom they are speaking. Learners is awful though!