to think that "literacy" and "numeracy" as school subjects sounds utterly naff, ignorant and illiterate?

[GreensleevesSusan]

talk about "committee thinking". WHOSE stupid idea was it to change "English" and "Maths" to "literacy" and "numeracy"? They aren't subjects or lesson titles fgs. It sounds crap.

AIBUIYO?

No, it's bollocks. I don't like it, so it's bollocks

Oh god I so agree. They say 'we did literacy this morning' and I want to say, 'what do you mean? You DID literacy? You can't DO literacy. You sound illiterate.'

I prefer literacy and numeracy tbh - suggests an actual aim in view.

But the children will always say 'we did [whatever]' won't they? 'we done the normans miss, we dunnem last year'

literacy and numeracy are adult values though, they just sound WRONG coming from a 5yo.

"Mummy, guess what we did today in literacy"

I am with you Greeny. I hate it and hated it was first introduced in the '90s when I was teaching - but my last school was a private school and clung to "Maths" and "English" with grim determination.
They don't use it in Australia thank god ... they call 'English' all the subtitles like "Story Writing" and "Handwriting" and "Spelling" and "Reading" etc etc and Maths is good old fashioned "Maths" ...

Oh but you can say, we did maths today, which makes more sense than, 'we did numeracy' doesn't it? Maths is a subject, numeracy is erm, well, it's, being able to do maths I suppose.

Also, but quite separate, I find all this talk of Goals depressing. Early Learning Goals, Literacy Goals, Foundation Stage Goals. Goals for this and goals for that.

I think there should be a part of the curriculum called something like, Pointless but Enjoyable or With No Specific Purpose or An Entirely Undirected Exercise with No Goals. I'd like that, my dcs would be good at it I think.

well, I do, because it makes my flesh creep to hear children being told to talk bollocks

Agree, ahundredtimes. My particular pet hate is when a dc shows me a piece of work of which they are very proud and the teacher, rather than writing 'good' or 'well done' has written LOA (Learning Objective Achieved, methinks). Yuck! There is a particular Key Stage one teacher at our primary school who always does this.

that's hogwash hatrick, I think the world of ds1's teachers so far, they are fantastic and I owe them a huge debt. And I like the teacher he's having next year too, and am massively impressed with the school.

BUT this literacy an numeracy thing is gut-lurchingly inarticulate. It grates every time I hear it.

Literary - awful word.

Why can't we use plain English - spelling, writing, reading, grammar, story-writing etc?

these names aren't new - they were introduced in the 90s

give it a few more years, different gov't and the names will go back to English and Math

Yes, they are blardy awful and in my house we refer to them as 'maths', 'reading', 'spelling', 'writing' etc.

Stupid poncey words get on my nerves.

The world has gone stark raving mad imo.

Ours do something called Big writing too. What's all that about? Everytime dd tells me she's done big writing, I imagine a huge book with very big letters in it! Its handwriting practice I think or it could be story writing possibly!

Rhetoric and oratory anyone?

I think literacy and numeracy are fine, and a lot more expressive than 'English' and 'Maths'.

Calm down hatrick, I'm not attacking your whole philosophy/credibility/professional expertise, I'm just taking issue with THIS statement: "our education system and it's teachers are in the wrong whatever they do" - because it devalues the few criticisms I make as a parent, by lumping me in with all other parents as a general dissatisfied impossible whinger! Which I'm not - I think ds's teachers are great.

Nothingl ike a bit of passive aggression to take the place of reasoned discourse!