To wonder when this government are going to stop destroying education?

[brizzledrizzle]

Dbro's children's school was on the news last night as the head was talking about the funding cuts.
Why are the government doing this? I can't see how this is going to mean kids leave school with the skills needed by the country.

I am a teacher in a core subject with over a decade’s experience and very strong exam results. My goal for 2019 is to get out of teaching forever. The education system is broken to bits and by the time my children get to secondary, I can see them being taught in classes of 50+ children by unqualified and unsupported teachers (who will be stressed and exhausted by being held to the same ridiculous targets no matter how much support is chipped away and how challenging the class in front of them). I know of schools where they have simply knocked classrooms together to accommodate 60 children in a GCSE English group with one teacher. How much learning can go on in those conditions? How much meaningful help of feedback could be provided to those students to help them improve?

I know of academy trusts who take over schools and systematically drive out every experienced (ie expensive) teacher in the place and staff them with NQTs who burn out rapidly due to the lack of help.

One by one, the teachers I trained with and have worked with over the years are leaving and the number of pupils is set to rise astronomically. Schools are already buckling badly; they will not cope with what’s coming.

I used to think that I could help; that teaching allowed me to make a difference. But the Tories have burned it all to the ground and none of my good intentions can do a thing to avert the impending catastrophe.

There is a petition running at the moment:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/232220
It seems to have lost momentum as it reached 10,000 signatures very quickly, but still has some way to go if it’s going to be debated in parliament.

and staff them with NQTs who burn out rapidly due to the lack of help.

And presumably who have to support student teachers and so the next generation of teachers aren't getting the support either? I wonder how many students quit before qualifying.

I'm a teacher and a parent of school-aged children and it's dire. The curriculum changes were bad enough but the funding cuts are decimating education.

To be fair, I think there was a good campaign run by School Cuts at the last election which some analysts think did contribute to the Conservatives losing their majority. I personally spent days delivering leaflets in my town and raised a question about school funding at the local hustings (which my Tory MP very rudely shouted down, claiming there were no cuts and we were making it up). I live somewhere where a donkey with a blue rosette would win, but I did at least feel that people were getting the message slightly.

Dyed-in-the-wool Tory voters such as my DM don't care or refuse to listen. She's heard me tell her what it's like in education. She won't believe me. She thought the grammar school expansion was a good idea, even when I reminded her that when I was young she told me she felt she was written off when she didn't pass the 11-plus. She's a good person, but she won't hear criticism of the Tories.

Also, everything is overshadowed by Brexit, which will mean even less money for education if it goes ahead. I'm sure Labour have some much better education policies, but I couldn't tell you what they are. What's the point when Labour won't win an election with JC? Why aren't the Labour Party in opposition making a much bigger noise about the education crisis?

I'm worried we're in for worse over the next few years, probably until my own children have finished school.

Sorry for the long post. I just feel so pissed off about it all.

Dimsum123 totally agree.

People need to stop just blithely swallowing what the msm are feeding them.

Reflectent - don't fall for the divide & conquer

"write to your MP. Haha. My MP is Nadine Dorries." I'd argue that makes it even more important! She still needs votes! If they start to see certain policies will cost votes they soon change their tune. With my MP he's a good egg, I'm preaching to the choir.

BUT you have to be wary of clearly insincere vote seeking like Amber Rudd's u turn on applying the 2 child limit retrospectively.

The tories always aim to line their and their cronies pockets that's their only interest in being in politics. They don't need the jobs!

It was the school I work in on the news last night. It is dire. The buildings are verging on dangerous in their decrepitude. I teach more children in bigger classes with fewer non contact periods than ever before in my 20+ year career. And it is your kids that are suffering.

My MP is Tory die hard Soames.

I still write to him regularly because I know he will feel obliged to make noises.

They like power. It makes a difference if you keep up the pressure

@fortunesfave

If you know the school with washing machines installed feeding mums and children do tell the press. A school that was asking for loo roll got into the press earlier last year so that would definalty cause a stir.

My school is doing very well (my dc school) they are academy and are always improving, building new classroom, updating classrooms.. The pta gets other stuff in etc. They seem to have everything they need.

keiratwiceknightly exactly. It’s a grim truth and it’s the case everywhere now.

My MP is Tory die hard Soames

I have lived in his constituency. He's fairly centrist for a Tory and quite active on a local level so I would definitely write to him.

I have lived in his constituency. He's fairly centrist for a Tory and quite active on a local level so I would definitely write to him

Yes I do.
He’s not actually that active in my part of West Sussex - not sure he even visited during the last election. But I still write anyway and he’s very respectful even when disagreeing.

Anyone who thinks it’s not worth writing to their MP - you can write to remind them that a) their job is to represent you all, not just their party and b) that you’re not the only one who feels this way.

I’m currently writing up a letter (well email) about the state of education and NHS.

My school is doing very well (my dc school) they are academy and are always improving, building new classroom, updating classrooms

My dcs school is also an academy.

The building is falling apart, they can’t afford new equipment but due to the massive efforts of the PTA, they have been able to get new tech in. Something that this government cannot claim any credit for at all.

In fact all of the schools in our area are doing really well. We have had loads of expansions, added rooms, new schools in fact.
I wonder why are area has more money though. We are down south.

Our area was also hit by the immigration surge though so maybe it got more funding?

That's nice @Willbeatjanuaryblues

But what is your actual point in the context of this thread 🤦‍♀️

My school is also an academy. We are beyond poor. Semi-rural,in a county that was always underfunded.we should have had ne buildings in 2010, we aren't going to get them. V few schools have benefitted from funding in the last few years.

Our area was also hit by the immigration surge though so maybe it got more funding

🙄🙄🙄

Schools do expand if there’s an expected population increase. But the core funding for running remains tight.

Graphista, love those cartoons, very clever

Just had a debate with DS about right wing press bias, so must show him these.

About education, I think it is fascinating and depressing that private schools don't (have to) do the new, harder, GCSEs. They keep doing iGCSEs whilst my DS is a guinea pig this year for the new ones (and as everything has changed, past papers are not much help). Meanwhile, kids at private school can bypass the uncertainty of the new exams....

How very 'I'm alright Jack' of you WillbeatJanuaryblues
I wonder if those working in the schools in your area would agree with you

That some schools are doing OK? All the schools in my area seem to have moved forward ( a couple were dire, to the point where some parents refused to send their dc into them) so why are some doing OK but not others?

Or did some posters only want to read about the most dire situations?

Local junior school in a very nice area cant afford pencils and paper or heat

Ill mention the last bit as i think its fairly fucking important

They cant afford to put the heating on

Not all right Jack at all actually. Mine are well into their primary education now and back at the start it wasn't a pretty picture at all.
But nearly every school including the aforementioned school where some parents actually had a stand off with the council and refused to send their dc back are now all doing OK and heading in the right direction.

That pleases me because that means those schools are now performing better and not failing those dc being sent there.

It's a positive story where I am.

Anyway, some posters clearly do not want to hear positive stories on here so I'll leave you to it. I don't doubt, I know many areas have failing schools. I just wanted to put in our experience.

As you were echo chamber

About education, I think it is fascinating and depressing that private schools don't (have to) do the new, harder, GCSEs

I’m not pro-private school and didn’t send my children to one, but I don’t agree that the private schools are acting in bad faith here.

They initially switched to IGCSEs because they were more rigorous and included harder content than the easier old GCSEs. IGCSEs were said to be closer to O-levels.

In fact Michael gove for several years encouraged state schools to join private schools in switching to IGCSE for this very reason.

When Michael Gove then does a u-turn and wants every school to do his new vanity project, his new GCSE, can you really blame private schools for not switching their pupils to a new and untested qualification when they don’t have to?

There’s not even any definitive proof that the new GCSE is harder - that’s just what the department for education is saying to try to force schools to switch to it.

In other words, private schools will want their students to be doing the most rigorous exam and specification available as the best prep for A-level, so if in a few years’ time the consensus among education experts has become that the new GCSEs are harder, I have no doubt that private schools will switch to them too.

Having taught all the recent versions of English GCSE - the pre-reformed standard spec, the iGCSE and the new standard GCSE, the new GCSE is by far the hardest. The others include 40% coursework, for a start. State schools have to do the new GCSE in order for the result to be included in league tables so have no choice. It's another way - of the myriad of ways - the recent choices made by the government is maki g education of state school children more difficult and less enjoyable. Oh and there was no additional money. Of course.