To think the primary school curriculum in the UK is too advance

[Kerry987]

I think the primary school curriculum in the UK is too advance for the majority of children. I think it it is OK for kids who are very academic and self learners, bright, but I think at least half of the kids struggle to keep up with it and need lots of support at school and home.

What do other parents and teachers think?

I had a meeting with the special needs person at my daughter's school a couple of years ago and she told me that I would be surprised to find out how many kids need help and support. This got me to think there is something wrong with the curriculum if so many kids need extra support.

Why are we overloading with so much information? We have been home schooling and there are things that my husband and I didn't see until secondary school

Not in the slightest. I was schooled in Mexico and the level of education over there is way higher. My DD is in year 5 and still stuck with times tables. I had "graduated" in year 4.

I wouldn't agree that its too advanced but I do think that it ramps up too quickly, Some of the asks of 4 year old Reception kids are mad (imo). I'd like to see reception be more relaxed and then would ramp it up more in the higher classes getting to the same end result.

As a primary teacher...I don't think the curriculum is too advanced (although a lot of the grammar stuff is unnecessary in my opinion!) but I do think it's too dense. There's just too much, particularly in KS1.

It's not differentiated enough! There's always going to be advanced pupils and ones struggling but not enough for extra help .

Magic a mum said similar in dd school. Infact she mentioned to me how many accolades one of my dc used to get, silly stuff... And then jeotgarak saying her was average and was '' jazz hands pushy child who would be noticed ''

She's got ✌️ degrees herself!! Anyway that child knows where they belong.

I think it's very narrow, with no opportunity to go more indepth.
The Arts and Sports are under represented and they teach to SATS test, not really a good environment for proper learning, but fine for the masses and good childcare, usually.

I thought the opposite.

I dunno really. I'd say there's alot of "naming" stuff. Many of us have no idea what it is as it never had a name or the name was never talked about before so when there's a question we read it and have no idea what it's on.about making it harder to support them because we then have to go teaching ourselves first. I'd say writing akd reading etc although there seems to be so much emphasis on it, it doesn't come as easily or feel as natural as it used to if the makes any sense.

I also think much of the maths is overly complicated. There are 5 stages when there could be 2 and given you still have to add it all up at the end anyway , its just more places to go wrong. More steps to remember.

I dont think it's necessarily too complicated when you strip it down to what is being taught . But I do think it is kinda me more unnecessarily complicated and over thought in its execution.

I'm.just a parent though so can only comment on what I've seen and happy to have things explained

Yes I agree...what the effing hell is a fronted adverbial!? I actually thought I was seriously thick and questioned my ability until I seen a tweet by a woman with a phd and 12 books behind her with no idea what one was either until she was told her child wasn't using enough of them 🤦🏽‍♀️

Don't get me started on phonics, we didn't learn this way and my generation is fine, I have many friends who are nurses, solicitors etc. I do think there's very little regard for parents trying to teach this with the expectation they just "know"

@Fimofriend all the evidence shows with the exception of reading there is no benefit to homework at primary age, and may even be detrimental.

With the current resources and funding, I think primary schools have a very hard job fitting in what they're meant to. I think there is an argument to be had for how well certain topics can be taught when they're dropped down the curriculum and whether we need some subjects as early as they appear.

There seems to be a thing of wanting to do certain topics as early as possible because of career ideals (thinking tech and science ones particularly) when it could possible be done better in less time at an older age with more time spent on foundations. Like yeah, we can teach coding with Scratch in primary, but I'm not sure it's a great idea.

On the other hand, largely because so much is being squeezed in, there isn't as much 'advanced' depth as I think there could be.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer that's a good point and very true. I saw this a lot when mine were in primary. But would this not encourage such parents to give their children more support themselves as this is what has been proven to make more of a difference to a child's school progression.
I don't know, maybe such parents would be too enraged that they are expected to have more of a personal involvement.

My Mum was a teacher and hence was very involved in our early education at home. My 3 siblings and I all achieved well at school and University and now we have 8 children between us who are in the state secondary system and all self driven high achievers plus 2 toddlers already showing signs of being quick learners. We have all followed our Mums example of introducing educational activities at home from a very young age and I believe this is of vital importance and much more of a driver of later educational achievement than wether or not a child experiences the private or state sector.

I genuinely do not understand the point of some the modern maths methods. It over-complicates everything, and on some of the work given to my kid, the method could only be worked out IF you knew the answer! You could not use it for another calculation

It makes no sense to me at all.

I agree OP. Me and my kids must be really bad academically, we all find the work really really hard. It's quite demoralising.

@Frost1nMay

Do you feel better now that you have so unkindly put down the OP?

@QuantumQuality I found that interesting, I home schooled for Keystage 1. I use the term loosely as there wasn't much (if any) formal schooling. When DS started school he was behind in most things, by the end of the year he was top table. His teacher, who was brilliant, said we had made her realise her career had been a waste of time. Apparently she had always taught KS1 and it was her first year in KS2 and she had decided that she had been wasting her time trying to get children to do things when they were too young and if they had started in year 3 it would have been so much easier. I felt bad as I thought she was such a good teacher and didn't want to make her feel bad.

Not sure how true it is, he is a bright lad and has a 1st and post grad qualifications so maybe he'd have done well whenever he started school and it might not have been so easy if 30 of them had been starting virtually from scratch but I thought it was an interesting comment.

My 2 who missed KS1 have done far better through school and uni than the 2 who started at 4. Obviously a very small sample.

Oops ignore my second paragraph as that was meant for a different thread. That's what cone of posting on too many threads at the same time. 😳

Definitely iknow

I kind always rounded up/down in my head to start so had a rough idea whT the answer would be so I could already work out if my answer "made sense"

I dont understand all this partitioning and grids etc we just used to put one number iver the top of the other and add it

I am not sure the curriculum overall is too as enacted, but a lot of the grammar seems completely pointless, and I think far too much effort is put into learning fancy terminology around it, and not just getting on with writing. I do think it sucks some of the joy out of it.

I think it also varies a lot by school, just how fast the children are expected to move. We started Ds1 at a primary school near us, where they insisted all children should be reading by Christmas, and doing joined up writing by the Christmas of Year one. DS really struggled with handwriting, and his writing was pretty illegible by the Christmas of year one, and still in year two. Following a whole a variety of issues at the school we moved him and he was instantly asked to go back to printing with lead in and outs, so he could practice his formation. When I said he had been told not to because he needed to be joining by his KS1 SATs, the teacher pointed out that it would be better to have legible print than illegible joins. He was given additional help and has made progress. This school is much better at differentiating work, and he works above age group in some area and slightly below in handwriting. I think this is what more schools need to focus on.

My 10 year old son struggles, he always has done. He needs extra help but now I’m home schooling it’s awful. I feel the stuff the teacher gives him is to hard for him. I need to help him and basically tell him what to do, while others especially girls in his class are way ahead., I’m in Scotland. My daughter is 8 and well ahead in literally. After this is all over I’m going to get my son a tutor.

I don’t know about advanced but fuck me it’s dull!

@donewithitalltodayandxmas

Languages we are possibly behind not other things , but then we speak a language that is spoken by a lot of the world Germany / netherlands learn english as it is so widely used around the world , not too many places that speak german/ dutch.

Speaking a second language fluently, promotes intellectual capacity and social flexibility and opportunity. That's being seen all across Asia and Europe as they raise a generation of children who speak, read and understand at LEAST two languages.

That's the world that todays  British children will join as adults.  The  British children of immigrant parents, raise bilingual, will have that  advantage.  The children of head in the sand   monolingual parents who think the English language is "all they need"  are going to be  seriously disadvantaged.

No I don’t agree I am another one who has noticed her children doing things years before I did them at school. For example my year 6 was doing my gcse level maths.
They learn so many grammar terms and phrases now that we never learnt (google has certainly been my friend during lockdown!)

However, I do not like the emphasis on English and maths with other subjects paying the price. It doesn’t encourage a love of learning if they aren’t your “thing” it also doesn’t create well rounded individuals ready for jobs or further education in their chosen field.

English KS1 & KS2 curriculum is not fit for purpose.

The phonics test and teaching phonics in the way they do -is not fit for purpose.
The phonics test is NOT useful in the form it is in.

Biff,Chip and Kipper drives me insane and gives me the rage.

I have a Year 2 child -you should see what he is expected to write for his English (on his own) as a daily acitivity. It is more what a Year 6/7 students should be able to write.

You need to know a noun, verb and adjective. Basic grammar. Basic spelling.

They were supposed to write a paragraph of 6 sentences. Each sentence using multiple adjectives and describing a different sense etc. My child cried and he is bright.

@Imiss2019

I don’t know about advanced but fuck me it’s dull!

Particularly the reading schemes. Going back to the 50s and Janet and John, through Peter and Jane and Dick and Dora By the time I'd learned to read, gone through it with my 4 and then got roped in with GC I truly though that if there was one thing in the world that would turn me off reading it would be reading schemes. I feel so sorry for the kids who struggle with them and get stuck on them for years.