To think Gove does not know what happens in a primary school

[enimmead]

So we've had:

All KS2 children to learn a foreign language (announced in Rose report 2009, abandoned by coalition but happens anyway - sort of)

All children to learn tables to 12 x 12 by age 9 (which most schools try to do anyway despite the fact some children still struggle - but schools do try to do this)

I think Gove just makes these announcements because they sound good without actually checking to see what schools actually do.

Eggs are usually in 6s or 12s, or trays of multiples of 12. Boxes of 10 seem odd to me.

c is the noun, s is the verb.
practice, practise.
licence, license.
advice, advise.

This must be more confusing now than it was 20 years ago. Our language has more day to day influence from the US.

Yes, well, the Americans don't use 'practiSe.' They use 'practice' for the verb form as well.

Anyway, over here, it'd be, "As part of my piano practice, I practised my scales."

...Feenie... and the x is a cross so it goes across

I like the yoyo better

If you know your 6 x table, you know your 12s.

If you know your 10s and 2s, you know your 12s.

But I still know many teenagers who struggle because knowing them at 9 does not mean knowing them at 16.

"I have considered carefully the panel's suggestion that, in primary schools, all pupils should be expected to have grasped core content before the class moves on. The international evidence which you provided on this issue is both interesting & important."

What does this mean for brighter pupils?

He's still considering it. It's interesting and important.

DC's primary school streams for English and maths into 2 or 3 classes, plus one for the children that need extra support. It means they all get taught at around the right level plus classes are smaller.

If you know your 10s and 2s, you know your 12s.

That's a good point. Knowing how to work it out is important.

dd's school has a one class intake. unless they start moving children around for maths/english/science across the school what are they going to do? and what happens when bright children get to y5/y6? they have to tread water for a year or 2?

Yes they tread water Susan, dd1 is in year five and although Aug born is one of the brightest in her year, her classes are mixed and she along with two other pupils are now doing some lessons with year six which is all great until she actually moves into year six and then she will revisiting work she has already done.

She will then be stagnating whilst she waits for the rest of her class mates to catch up.

She shouldn't be - she should be taught at her level and should make good progress in y6 also. That is what happens in most schools.

In Gove's scenario, kids in all schools will be treading water all the time.

In my area a foreign language is already taught in every primary school - BUT not very well in some cases. If it is to be done well we need teachers who have a good level and good accent themselves and I don't think that we have enough.
Tables are generally taught.
I think that learning poetry is a good thing, done in many cases already, but he seems to have very little understanding of children. I found it easy as a child but I was far too shy to recite it in front of a class. All children are different - he seems to assume they are the same.
My dyslexic DS hadn't a hope with the spellings.

It seems to me to be setting DCs up for failure at a very young age.

I wish that the government would keep out od education and if they do get involved at least give more time before they change it. So many initiatives have come in, with very little research, and then when they don't work ( what a surprise!) it is all change for the next.
When I started teaching ideas came along and schools and teachers were free to use them or not use them, or more commonly, just take out the parts that suited them. Now you often end up having to teach in a way that is quite alien to you. One of the reasons that I have left.