To think that the curriculum should cover essential life knowledge?

[Alittlepotofrosie]

I have been reflecting on the fact that so many people dont know how voting works. It's a long time since i was at school so maybe they now do teach this stuff. But AIBU to think that the school curriculum should cover for example, how voting works, how taxes work, how to budget efficiently, employment rights, how the government works/is formed, how the court system works as some examples off the top of my head?

I know its possible to learn about all that stuff yourself and lots of parents probably do teach their children this but surely all children should be taught this kind of thing at school?

Badbadbunny
Funny that you would pick on Circle Theorems - they're an amazing part of the maths syllabus. No, they're unlikely to be used in 'real life' but they are a look at proper geometry and are a good intro to students constructing geometric proofs.

A lot of countries do teach a course called something like 'civics', which covers the constitution and how the government functions. Also sometimes alternative political systems. I do find it bizarre that it's not taught here.

Possibly the Brexit vote might have had a different outcome if the EU's functioning had been taught in schools over the last 40 years: at the very least, people might have understood better that it would be very complicated to leave.

The trouble is, you probably couldn't really teach it seriously much earlier than GCSE age, and that area of the curriculum is already so overloaded, plus it wouldn't fill two years. It would work better in a baccalaureate type system.

Citizenship is statutory in schools.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-citizenship-programmes-of-study

I agree, but then on the other hand, which lessons shall they drop to fit it in? Or shall we send them to school for longer hours to fit it in?
It has to fit in somewhere, but they're not in school for that long each day. It would be very beneficial though, especially as some families don't know these things for generations so it would be great to break the cycle. It's well known for example that many in poorer areas just don't turn out to vote, if they were taught about it in schools the cycle could be broken and we'd see much higher numbers voting.

Teachers could focus more on these things if parents, government and society stopped their obsession with league tables. You can't have it all ways.

How to vote is on the Citizenship curriculum. Who to vote for isn't.

As other teachers have said above - all these things are already taught in schools.

Whether the students paid attention or remember any of it is probably more the point - pshe is often considered a "doss" subject and quickly forgotten.

Personally I have taught: budgeting, mortgages, tax and NI, relationships, online safety and the legalities of "sexting", healthy eating and eating disorders, safe sex, the court system (and visited them), job applications and CV writing (work experience visits etc), bullying, how to read bus and train timetables, fire safety (with extinguisher demos by the local firefighters), and social media guidelines.
I'm sure there was more but that's all I can remember.

Budgeting is on the curriculum now. It was added a few years back. I remember because they did it via capuk.org/get-involved/your-church/cap-money-course/kids this course that was run by a local church. My DD did it in year 5 and it was a really good course. The info she brought home was useful and she seemed to understand it. If it sticks in her head remains to be seen....

Oh and the school is a polling station and they use that as a springboard to talk about voting, giving them more details as they move up the school.

I didn't do all the things on the list at school, but they are on the PSHE coverage now and have been at the last few schools I worked at.

Sorry if i sounded pissed off earlier. I don't think anyone is teacher bashing, more I just get really frustrated with the answer to everything being (in some people's eyes) put it into school and get teachers to do it.

It sometimes feels like people can be quick to say 'school/teachers should...' when really these sorts of things should be primarily covered at home. Parents should (in my opinion) do most of the life skills stuff. School supplements it

Why dont we have some new free schools that specialise in these life skills that some parents seem to want. We can also have comprehensives for others and grammars for those that are more academic. Lets bring back choice and we will solve all these issues.

walking
Because having got all the life skills spoon fed to them you can just see the complaints of "it's not fair. I didn't get a good range of gcses/I did all these vocational courses but can't go to uni"

I think schooling should focus on the core subjects more and dispose of the ancillary areas. Constitutional structure, financial planning and the like is a basic parenting role, if you don't know lean such that you can teach your children. I remember a lesson called PFL (PREP FOR LIFE) it was a total waste of resources! How could a teacher who has left school, attended college, graduated university and gone back to school advise 99% of the population on preparation for the outside world anyway?

Maybe it's having being an engineer but I find myself agreeing with engineer's thumb.

I think the single most important thing that should be taught and retaught to children throughout their school life, is basic first aid including CPR. It is one thing that parents do not have the resources to teach and is IMO , a far more important life skill than how an election works. That is important but not quite a life saver.

Also I don't think more practical life skills should be just for the less academic.

I went to a grammar school in the 70's and whilst the less able might take sewing and "domestic science" most of us missed out on anything even remotely practical
as preparation for later life.

Ncis - oh yes I knew I'd forgotten something! My last school had cpr training with rescuscitAnnies in and basic first aid for all Year 8s.

We had CPR training too - we used to have these days once a term where all this stuff was fitted in and often we got outside experts in. The thing is - I was there at that CPR and I can't remember a lot of it (you have to update it every 3 years don't you?)

The timetable is so stretched, sometimes it feels like everyone wants a piece of you - and then you still have to show the results in the end for the subject you were originally trained and employed to teach. :(

Yes we often had outside experts in. Although they were occasionally a bit
Getting the local MP and assistants in to talk to the year 12s was always good though - the questions the students asked!

But yes, you're right, I can't remember a lot....

How could a teacher who has left school, attended college, graduated university and gone back to school advise 99% of the population on preparation for the outside world anyway?

A typical 'teachers know nothing about the "real world"' view.
You know what, you're right. I haven't a clue how to manage life. I can't work out how to pay bills, haven't a clue how to vote, can't do first aid, have zero life skills, I try to cook a meal and can't turn the oven on. As for dealing with landlords and mortgages, nope. Stumped completely. I know nothing about racism or sexist or employment rules. I can't even write a CV.

In fact, I'm so bloody incompetent that I couldn't possibly talk about life.

What a stupid and inaccurate comment.

I career changed into teaching and whilst there's a lot I bring to teaching being a career changer, your assertion about my colleagues who may have taken the route you describe is simply inaccurate.

Maisy,
Whilst you do bring invaluable experience into the education system the fact remains that many teaching staff have no experience outside of their teaching bubble. I don't think that teaching staff should be used as a patch for poor parenting. I would much rather teachers taught in the core subjects that they were educated in. I met many teachers divorced from the world I lived in, it's crass to say my comments are inaccurate. I would like to see more teachers being drawn from other professions though it's easy to see the challenges that presents.

engineer
I'll gladly accept that lots of teaching staff have limited experience of other sectors and careers. No issue there. I think I'm a better teacher because of my previous experience (not so much in terms of teaching but in terms of work management etc)

I get frustrated at comments about how we wouldn't mange in the real world though. I hope I didn't sound pissy at you personally, it's just that idea that teachers know nothing about general adult life gets on my nerves. Like, we vote, pay bills, do mortgages, can cook etc. We are part of this 'real world' that people like to talk about.

I think we are probably on the same page. Teachers should teach their specialisms and do a bit of PSHE. It's good to have a decent PSHE provision but its not instead of parents prepating their children flr life.

I had a 'proper' job before becoming a teacher. Bloody hell I've learned more about the real world in teaching than I did in my cushy graduate cubicle in the private sector.

But yes, imagining that teachers can't handle the real world stuff that teenagers need teaching about is just insulting. We are good at learning new stuff if necessary.

Teachers could focus more on these things if parents, government and society stopped their obsession with league tables. You can't have it all ways.

This, with bells on.

I'd love to be able to devote lessons to learning to lear AND concrete life skills, but the reality is there's barely enough time to get through the curriculum in core subjects.
In an ideal world I'd also make children spend half a day a week doing forest school/scouts/outdoor pursuits right up to, and including, KS5.
My Y11s say they're glad I'm not in charge of curriculum planning, but secretly I think they'd love it.

Giraffe,
I'm afraid there are some things that you can't learn without experiencing them, and you are unlikely to experience them in a school or a "cushy grad cubicle". Teachers time should be focused on core education, with a good education young people can explore for themselves.