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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think our kids have been set up to fail?

298 replies

theluckiest · 13/02/2016 14:49

There are heated conversations in Education about this but I really feel everyone should know what's happening - I have only been teaching primary for 5 years. However, for most of that I have taught Year Six. This week I came close to quitting a job I love and think I'm good at. This isn't about pay or conditions. This is about a system designed to make kids fail - the new 'expectations' for an 11 year old will ensure that most children this year will simply not reach them. They will be judged as 'working towards' ie. not good enough. AIBU to think this is going to be a national scandal this year?!! If your kids are in Y6, I am so so sorry. Sorry that they have been set up to fail, sorry that their lovely rich curriculum will be abandoned for a diet of SATS drilling and sorry that concerns for children's mental health have gone through the roof. This is happening right now people - in your kids' schools. AIBU to think something just has to give?!!!https://m.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tes.com%2Fnews%2Fschool-news%2Fbreaking-views%2Fdear-nicky-morgan-a-talented-and-demand-teacher-has-resigned-she&sid=0&appid=966242223397117&referrer=sociallplugin&rdr

OP posts:
HarveySchlumpfenburger · 13/02/2016 19:45

I would suggest raising the bar in early years initially...so the more able are stretched in Reception, while there is still play based learning (and have more play based learning in Y1) and follow it though so when those children reach Y6, they will have been taught what they need to know for Y6 .

The problem is you will hit an awful lot of resistance from the half of the population who think there is too much academic learning in Reception already and would like to see less with a later school starting age.

You're probably not wrong in thinking that we need a more bottom up rather than top down mentality. There's more than one way to get children to pass SATS, it doesn't have to involve spending year 6 drilling and completing endless practice papers.

None of this is going to help the current yr6 though. They have been royally shafted by the government, whether they are in school that cram and put pressure on them or not.

kesstrel · 13/02/2016 19:46

It's a crappy situation, but I would suggest parents and teachers just tell children that the SATs are quite a bit harder this year, and not to worry if they don't do as well as they think they should, because all the other children will be in the same boat, and secondary schools will know this. Most children of 10 should be able to understand this, I would have thought?

PennyPebbles · 13/02/2016 19:46

As a secondary teacher my performance is judged on how many of my class hit GCSE targets based on SATS. I don't teach a single child with a target of less than a C. I have set 6 of 6 in a deprived Northern town. Two of them have a reading age of 8.6. They are supposed to get a C in History.

Something has been rotten with year 6 results for a long time.

ChalkHearts · 13/02/2016 19:53

Penny - that is so sad. That 2 of your children can't really read.

That neither primary nor secondary was able to teach them.

HanYOLO · 13/02/2016 19:55

The predicted grade thing won't go away. Whatever replaces GCSEs will be tracked in the same way. It's total bullshit of course as pennypebbles post attests.

I'm sure all sensible parents will be saying much as you suggest kesstrel. Doesn't make it any fairer though.

witsender · 13/02/2016 20:01

We already start them too young, we are going in completely the wrong direction!

IceBeing · 13/02/2016 20:03

It is dreadful that the love of learning is beaten out of children by repeated testing these days.

One in a long line of reasons we are HE.

PennyPebbles · 13/02/2016 20:04

It is sad. But they got a level 4 in their SATS.

In my experience, if a child leaves primary without a good basic grounding in literacy, they aren't going to catch up in the hectic world of secondary. The EBACC bucket in progress 8 also ensures that they will be forced to take exams in subjects they can't ever hope to pass.

Feenie · 13/02/2016 20:05

Bollocks, wrong thread! Blush

IceBeing · 13/02/2016 20:06

penny would it not make more sense to let kids stay in primary till they did have the right grounding, rather than forcing them on into secondary and only catching up on basic literacy after 16 when they fail english and maths?

ifcatscouldtalk · 13/02/2016 20:08

My dd is yr 6, currently very stressed & not enjoying school, she use to love school. I've never been in the teaching profession but my gut feeling is the expectation is extremely high and some of the more sensitive children do feel the pressure. I'll personally be glad when the SATS are over.

Feenie · 13/02/2016 20:08

Let them stay???

How humiliating would that be?

UndramaticPause · 13/02/2016 20:08

The three tiered system in Germany and that we used to have here would serve our kids best imo. It would mean kids like those penny teaches get specialist, appropriate, targeted support and teaching. Chucking all kids in together and hoping they'll all turn out the same helps no-one.

PennyPebbles · 13/02/2016 20:10

We used to have a pathway that offered vocational qualifications alongside intensive literacy and numeracy. That is no longer allowed.

Primary school's are sending the children to us with levels that do not correspond with the child's ability.

PennyPebbles · 13/02/2016 20:11

Autocorrect added a rogue apostrophe there, apologies.

noblegiraffe · 13/02/2016 20:19

The German school system has been condemned by the UN for perpetuating social inequality. I'm not sure it should be used as a role model.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 13/02/2016 20:20

What gets me is that not all children are academic. Some are better hands on, and some just develop slower than others. I think it's abysmal that children are being labelled as failures and at such an impressionable age because they're not meeting targets. It's just going to breed a generation of adults absolutely terrified of failure.
I really wouldn't be surprised if this government reintroduced class places, as well

spanieleyes · 13/02/2016 20:23

They are introducing NATIONAL places, not just class ones. All year 6 children will be given a number ( we think!) that shows how they fare compared with the rest of year 6's in the country, 100 and higher and you've "passed" less that 100 and you are a failure.

Oldraver · 13/02/2016 20:24

I have a child in Y5 but in a mixed Y6/Y5 class so same teacher. She has told the expectations have been upped this year so everyone is having to work their ass off to reach the new target.

DS has another year to catch up,but I feel sorry for the Y6's

IceBeing · 13/02/2016 20:25

freenie less humiliating than trying to sit history GCSE when you can't read I would imagine...

ChalkHearts · 13/02/2016 20:26

Penny - DSs school still has 2 pathways. Either eBac or extra literacy / numeracy. Are you sure it's not allowed? Or is that your schools interpretation / way to play the league tables?

Aeroflotgirl · 13/02/2016 20:26

How sad spaniel, that a child us labelled as a failure.

IceBeing · 13/02/2016 20:27

The problem is that the kind of teaching you have to do to get kids to milestones they aren't ready for is the kind that puts them off learning for life.

Sure we could get all 3 yo perfect on phonics...but then our literacy rate drops because they are put off reading for life...because the only way you can do it is to drill them to within an inch of their lives.

ChalkHearts · 13/02/2016 20:29

Are they really labelling children as a failure? Or is that your interpretation?

I think this could be a storm in a tea cup. When the results are finally published the word failure won't be on anyone's letter.