To thing school need to radically rethink their offer

[BlooDeBloop]

In lockdown everyone understood that schooling was optional. Everyone understood that missing a day or week didn't matter in the grand scheme of things

During lockdown students learned that rules could be arbitrary and not make sense

Lockdown taught parents that school was critical as childcare to enable them to work

Since then, kids are back in school. They are challenging the rules on an unprecedented scale. Parents are laughing at the SLT. Kids are cheering when they clowns are removed from class. The kids know there is no real punishment, no real consequence for deliberately, chronically disruptive behaviour.

Teachers are breaking down and leaving in droves, more than ever before. Leaving young, inexperienced colleagues in the trenches.

After having to educate their own children parents understand that Shakespeare, French, geography and more have no modern relevance in the UK. The curricula are unimaginative and disconnected from the future world of work. There is no longer home support for the suck it up attitude with which kids were once sent to school.

Once upon a time there was an understanding that the kids would go to school, get an education, leave to pursue training or higher education. Today, that understanding has broken down. Under the scrutiny and transparency that SM provides, we collectively understand this is not true. Schools are failing, not through lack of care or competency but a lack of relevance. Further, the social mores that governed acceptable behaviour have softened to such a degree a good 10% of every state secondary class will seek to destroy the locus of power in the room (teacher, SLT, whoever). To compound the issue, students are all seeing for themselves on SM how to disrupt and then go about emulating their heros.

This is a cluster fuck of gigantic proportions.

AIBU in thinking that there needs to be a big scale conversation (revolution!) around what schools offer in this new world? For starters, moving with the times to offer skills that are actually needed and valued in the workforce and in further ed (e.g. IT at all levels, from typing to programming, and not shoved into one hour a week). Real alternative curricula for non academic kids (let's not pretend these kids need Chaucer in their lives).

And when students are persistently disruptive over a long period of time, borderline encouraged by their parents, they should be sent home. Permanently. To be educated (or not) by their parents. That would sort out 90% of poor behaviour overnight.

Ahhhh. That feels better 😁. Thank you for reading if you got this far.

"French, geography and more have no modern relevance in the UK." I was going to ask you to justify this statement but I think perhaps you might not have the brainpower to defend it.

I agree however with the permanent exclusion of the permanently disruptive.

Ah, so many things to disagree with!

Many families did not see education as optional during lockdown. I made my kids do their work, like the vast majority of families did, I think.

Most parents are supportive of the SLT of schools. The teacher crisis is a real problem, but I'm inclined to think it is linked to poor pay and unreasonable workload more than anything else.

Every dc, regardless of academic ability, benefits from a well rounded education. School is not workplace training. Any division between which dc are "worth teaching Chaucer to" and which aren't will just cause a more divided and unfair society.

Geography will be more relevant than ever as the impact of climate change hits!
I stopped reading at that point

@BoohooWoohoo

We need the system to create musicians

School doesn't do that though, does it, at least not in "normal" lessons? To get music tuition, you have to pay extra for private/after school lessons. They're hardly going to teach the class how to play a piano or guitar in normal lessons are they?

Did you mean this to read like a daily mail article?

@Stompythedinosaur

Any division between which dc are "worth teaching Chaucer to" and which aren't will just cause a more divided and unfair society.

What is the point in trying to teacher Chaucer to a pupil who can't read or write to any decent/competent level? You're just going to alienate such pupils even more. Far better to spend the time giving extra lessons on literacy so they can actually function when they're adults.

I absolutely agree that the non-academically minded or skilled pupils should be properly catered for and truly valued rather than just being made to feel failures - maybe that might result in less disruption and alienation.

The OP is evidence, should any more be required, that it's the parents who are the problem in the main.

I definitely think that poor behaviour from parents should be sufficient to have a child excluded.

I agree that not all children are academic. There should be more options at an earlier age - 14 or thereabouts, for children to choose training in subjects such as plumbing, becoming an electrician, hairdresser, beauty technician etc.

Colleges offer these courses but students still need a GCSE in English and maths to get on a course. Realistically, why do they need them? Basic skills in reading, writing and basic maths should be enough.

If students were actively engaged in subjects that interested them, maybe disruptive behaviour would diminish.

This ^

My kids had a year of guitar lessons in year 5 and I remember recorder lessons when growing up. These were free of charge.

I spent a lot of time at school singing in assembles, church services and plays and my kids definitely learned how to use music software for editing in y7/8.

My kids didn't have music lessons but their school exposure was enough for them to practice and learn in their own time with internet support. They can read music because they learned from the internet

Many families did not see education as optional during lockdown. I made my kids do their work, like the vast majority of families did, I think
Families with two parents working full time found educating their children almost impossible.

To thing school need to radically rethink their offer

Government. Department for Education, not school.

Schools do as they are told, through government legislation.

@Badbadbunny - like @BoohooWoohoo - my dcs have had free music lessons at school. Last year was a year of violin (year 5), this year it’s the ukulele. Once the year of class lessons are over, there’s discounted lessons available after school (free for those entitled to PP funding).

plus learning to read music has been shown to improve maths ability in primary aged children. (I do not know how this works or why, just that it does).

As it happens being able to read Shakespeare was pretty damn good training for learning Danish.

I am in a family with two full-time working parents, I was nursing throughout covid. Outside work, I got my kids to do their schoolwork.

I know every family is different and some families will have found it harder or not possible, but I don't think the standard experience for most families was that schoolwork was optional.

Only a minority of people work in jobs where programming is required, surely? Basic computer literacy is fine for most jobs. The basics of maths, English and science are required for most decent jobs. Being able to communicate well and have good social skills is increasingly required, most jobs now are in service industries. 1 in 11 people employed by the NHS for example.

😂 thank god you're not in charge! Where do I begin? Just saying that entire subjects are irrelevant 😂 This person's world is incredibly dull if this is anything to go by!

People don't seem to understand the link from academic subjects to work skills.

Its not just about the content of chaucer. Its about learning to analyse difficult/unfamiliar language, through context, style etc.

I have a well paid senior finance job.

I use the skills i acquired in history a-level, to write well evidenced reports.

I use the skills acquired in English to analyse,interpret, and communicate.

Sometimes more "employment focussed" courses linked to specific industries are too content heavy and actually weaker at developing the broader transferable skills like organised analysis, strong language skills, high quality writing skills.

Good quality IT skills are valuable no doubt but many many jobs aren't focussed on that and require a far broader range of skills.

I wonder if you understand the hidden cognitive benefits of much of education, or the analytical skills promoted.

Computers do not need to be used for everything in order to understand how they work: quite the opposite, I find they get in the way. Not to mention the vast power requirement involved.

I would like to see more vocational skills offered, but curricula are packed. I also agree about the problems of a society which does not value or pay for extra work any more.

I'm not saying we shouldn't give catch up literacy lessons. I'm actually not saying I see any particular value in Chaucer, I found him full to study.

I just think a world where we write dc off as "not academic enough" to study certain parts of the curriculum is likely really mean people write off dc with additional needs, or with a trauma background or other difficulties.

And, yes, obviously everyone needs to learn to read, but education in the arts is really value too.

Rarely do I see such a long post where I disagree with pretty much every single thing said 😀 I don’t recognise the schools you’re talking about. Your description read like a blurb for a novel not reality.

As for the comments about Shakespeare, French and Geography…….! Gobsmacked!

@BlooDeBloop Id like to bet that your speech is informed by Shakespeare every day.
https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/language/words-phrases-shakespeare-invented/