to be horrified at the behaviour in bohunt school

[SEsofty]

Just watched the programme about Chinese teachers in uk. Whilst I appreciate that it is reality tv and thus exaggeration for effect I was still horrified with the apparent number of children who were talking in class.

I'm not that accident and went to a very normal school but talking whilst teacher did simply didn't happen. I don't agree with the Chinese methods but talking whilst someone is trying to teach you is simply rude.

I had been considering Bohunt for my children, but I have changed my mind. Not just because of the behaviour of the children- which was shocking and no excuse that they were playing up to the camera. The headteacher comes across as shockingly bad and all of the teachers they have shown seem to be very young and this rings alarm bells with me. Also that I have read other things about Bohunt that makes me think it's not such a good school, just one that gets good exam results.

It is a selective school- with a carefully drawn catchment area to take in middle class villages and exclude the rougher areas. This isn't unique to Bohunt- all "outstanding" secondary schools seem to take is approach. Selection by parents wealth. Definately not all the classes mixing in together.

The school I attended in the 90s was full of low level disruption. The programme on Bohunt reminds me of what lessons were like- children piercing their ears, or setting fire to aerosols, chewing gum, back chatting the teachers etc. I wanted to learn, but had to constantly fight against these distractions. I do not want my children to have to try and achieve despite the school. I want my children to be helped to achieve more by the school.

Children in reception need lessons to be engaging and fun. Children in year 9 should no longer need this- they should be able to concentrate and focus in serious lessons. And I found out in my education, once we got to A Levels and Degree level and the children who didn't want to learn were no longer there, lessons did become 'serious' like the Chinese style as they no longer has to pander to little Jonny who didn't want to be there and constantly needed to be 'engaged'.

I didn't leave school that long ago (I'm 27, seemed more like yesterday!) and we used to talk over teachers and I wasn't even a 'naughty' group. To think how some teachers were treated really breaks my heart now.

Exactly why we should pay teachers more than tube drivers! But then that's another story :)

Bohunt catchment area: cheapest three bedroom property: £315k for a terrace house.

Most expensive 3 bed - £750k bungalow.

Having painted a bleak picture I will say that I enjoy teaching in my school, the kids are usually lovely, and the attitude doesn't come out that often. They are mostly polite and well behaved, so any visitors would be impressed. But if the teacher is weak, they would definitely take advantage.

I'm a bit confused by the 'very good' results people are quoting.
In my mind a C is a fairly basic mark at GCSE - ie, stuff you should know by age 15 if you are studying this subject.
PPs are saying that Bohunt is very MC, low SEN, low FSM. So why are 15% of the children not achieving at least a C at GCSE?
Or, is a Grade C more than basic knowledge?
If a school has a truly mixed intake what is the % of A-C that should be expected?

I think that you can safely say that not a single child at Bohunt was taking part in summer riots!
I love the way that people can predict exactly how their child will behave when they are not there with them.
Especially with teenagers.

Yes, my experience is the same. My first school was in rural Surrey. Very white, middle class and huge sense of entitlement. Exactly that attitude of 'I can always work for Mum or Dad's company'. Extremely arrogant kids, who would make fun of any accent other than their own.

Interestingly, when I moved to an inner London school (in SM), the feeling was very different. 75% ethnic minority - many children of asylum seekers, Asian, African, Eastern European, etc. Not all, but most were so grateful to be at school. They worked their socks off and were immensely grateful to their teachers. They saw education as their ticket to a better life. I never had so many lovely heartfelt thank you cards in my ten years in Surrey.

I'm now at faith school and there's a big mix of attitudes but probably leaning more to acceptance, tolerance and thankfulness.

C is average. Most children are average( even middle class children and MN children)!
15% of below average seems pretty good to me.

Nationally in 2014, 53.4% of children got 5 GCSEs grade A*-C including English and maths.
Bohunt got 85%.

Ok, so a C is average not a basic grade. That makes more sense.

"love the way that people can predict exactly how their child will behave when they are not there with them.
Especially with teenagers."

Yep. As I said, I am pretty sure mine might have been amongst the second tier trouble makers after 5 hours of those lessons at 13!

I will be interested to see what happens when the new GCSE courses are introduced. Can't speak for other subjects but Science is losing the coursework element. Considering this often boosts results, I wonder if grades will fall nationwide.

I am starting to loathe the words "engaged" and "engaging" with reference to education. They are dog-whistle terms for dumbed-down lessons full of goofy gimmicks and with plenty of time spent on non-work-related chatter/timewasting and academically unchallenging "craft" type activities.

When I hear of teachers suffering appalling behavior from groups of rude teenagers and then being exhorted by senior management to change their lessons to keep the class "engaged" in order to stop them kicking off, I am reminded of the behavior you see about people who are stuck with verbally abusive partners--trying to keep the spouse "jollied along" with effusive compliments and praise and pandering to their every whim, desperate to keep them happy at all times to delay the inevitable moment when the partner decides to turn nasty.

"love the way that people can predict exactly how their child will behave when they are not there with them.
Especially with teenagers."

but the teachers are and any feedback of a constructive nature would be relayed via parents' evening and in school reports?

There is, presumably, a happy medium between spoon feeding information sprinkled with pink glitter and forcing it in through the ears with a pile driver?

I can say with pretty accurate very certainty that my DC would not have behaved that way.

How? They are 16 and have been placed in many difficult, sometimes dull scenarios, without ever feeling the need to be bad mannered or disrespectful.

They are not wunderkinder possessed of earth shattering manners or patience, they are simply every day average kids who know how to behave appropriately.

Yes Bertrand, but it doesn't produce as good results.

"How? They are 16 and have been placed in many difficult, sometimes dull scenarios, without ever feeling the need to be bad mannered or disrespectful."

Yep- I'd be pretty sure of mine at 16 too. 13? Not so much.

Yes it does noble.

Many private schools in the UK ( the ones which attract the Chinese ) offer a very good compromise between the two styles and their results are fab.

Private schools are selective, Narrative

Nope sorry bertrand but at 13/14 these kids are well aware of expected behaviours.

At DCs school you simply wouldn't get away with it! So the DC behave accordingly. If you don't, you're chucked out!

At Bohunt the DC behaved as they did in accordance with expectations. They didn't disappoint.

Not all noble.

Bohunt has less low achievers than some private schools.

"Nope sorry bertrand but at 13/14 these kids are well aware of expected behaviours"

Of course they are. But for 12 hours?