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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not understand the negativity about schools in England

90 replies

Desperatefornachos · 29/08/2024 21:16

I’m British but live abroad.
My Dd is in a school where we are (she’s 6)
I’m not impressed with any of the schools, I remember schools in England being nice when I was younger and watching a series on CBeebies (time for school) the facilities and way of teaching seems so fantastic in the Early years. I would love that for my Dd and it’s the one thing that’s making me question possibly returning home.

However, all I ever hear/read is how rubbish the schools/education system is in England..why??

OP posts:
violetsparkle · 29/08/2024 21:18

All the teachers on here seem to hate their jobs. Also there was something about concrete that can fall and injure your kids.

Theleaveswillbefalling · 29/08/2024 21:18

How long ago was it you went to school?

Caffeineneedednow · 29/08/2024 21:18

A massive drop in funding has had a detrimental impact on many many schools.

Schoolquestionnnn · 29/08/2024 21:18

Caffeineneedednow · 29/08/2024 21:18

A massive drop in funding has had a detrimental impact on many many schools.

This really

CitronellaDeVille · 29/08/2024 21:28

Don’t know.

My Dc went to S London state schools and had a really good experience across 3 different schools. Primary and 2 comprehensives.

Excellent and committed teachers who appeared to like children and young people, schools that valued music and offered opportunities at a high level. Schools that did well by students of all abilities, and produced good results amongst a very mixed demography (leafy we are not).

Schools that handled bad behaviour and outbreaks of bullying well.

Schools that accommodated kids who were ace at maths and less so at essay based work…. and vice versa, and dealt with it by streaming and setting so everyone got the learning speed they needed.

How on earth they did this given the paperwork and curriculum constraints and Ofsted pressure and crushed budgets, I don’t know.

Starlightstarbright3 · 29/08/2024 21:30

I think you probably have rose tinted glasses but school is far more challenging - teachers chasing sats results, dealing with ofsted’s latest trend / the requirements for teachers to mop up the wholes in all the social care/ camhs ..

why aren’t you impressed with your children’s school ?

Seashor · 29/08/2024 21:31

It’s Ofsted, under funding and ridiculous paperwork that is the biggest problem. Parental entitlement is also a problem.

Criteria16 · 29/08/2024 21:34

I believe it varies a lot. My DS' school is amazing: nurturing, collaborative, great emphasis on bringing up the best in every child. It's very small, in a very small community so I don't know if this makes any difference at all.

Longma · 29/08/2024 21:36

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. at the request of it's author.

Hmmmmamilucky · 29/08/2024 21:40

My DD school is great so far and all the teachers appear to be happy (I darent ask them if they are or not!). However I guess I’m quite easily pleased, my DD doesn’t have SEN so this probably makes a difference. I’m also very prepared to muck in and ensure her reading and spelling etc are practised at home and am poised to get tutors if I feel I need to…maybe this says a lot…that parents just assume they need to pick up some slack? I think it should be a joint effort though between home and school

fortunatelynot · 29/08/2024 21:41

I am in education and have been for quite a few years; the education system has deteriorated due to:

  • reduction in funding which has particularly impacted schools regarding their ability to meet all SEND.
  • woeful lack of specialist SEND provision.
  • services such as speech and language and mental health support are on their knees meaning that schools are expected to fill the gap
  • society seeing schools as a fourth emergency service with schools being expected to provide parents with a significant level of support (alongside the children)
  • recruitment and retention issues (often due to the above)
  • massive increase in safeguarding to the point that schools have become, as mentioned above, like an emergency service
  • in some ways, due to the way that Ofsted operates (accountability is absolutely needed but Ofsted inspectors can operate in very different ways with devastating consequences). The framework has also changed in recent years which puts the onus on all teachers having significant subject leadership experience
  • some parental views of education - some schools are fighting off complaints left, right and centre - some will be justified but not all.

I could go on .....................

..

TickingAlongNicely · 29/08/2024 21:46

Because people come on Mumsnet to complain. Most children have a perfectly happy school experience

bergamotorange · 29/08/2024 21:48

I remember schools in England being nice when I was younger and watching a series on CBeebies (time for school) the facilities and way of teaching seems so fantastic in the Early years. This is not really much to base a view on!

Underfunding takes a toll.

Parents are not making up their concerns, neither are teachers.

Newrumpus · 29/08/2024 22:05

OP does have a point though. There are problems with education systems in many countries and UK is still envied, despite its current issues, for several aspects including SEN. There is dissatisfaction because things could be so much better.

noblegiraffe · 29/08/2024 22:08

You watched a lovely friendly programme on CBeebies aimed at infants and thought that was an accurate reflection of state schools?

CitronellaDeVille · 29/08/2024 22:09

TickingAlongNicely · 29/08/2024 21:46

Because people come on Mumsnet to complain. Most children have a perfectly happy school experience

Plus MN has a vocal high % of private school parents and grammar school parents who feel the need to justify their own position as necessary in the face of state / comprehensive ed.

mondaytosunday · 29/08/2024 22:09

Depends on the school. We have three good to excellent primaries within walking distance which are at capacity. The parents I know are very happy with the education the kids are getting. Do your research.

bellocchild · 29/08/2024 22:12

"some parental views of education - some schools are fighting off complaints left, right and centre - some will be justified but not all."
There does seem to be a level of parental expectation that their offspring are so very special that allowances must be made at all times. These students don't accept that requests for good behaviour in class apply to them, too. It makes classroom management difficult.

Blueybanditbingochilli · 29/08/2024 22:15

The issue is the kids tbh.

inthemid · 29/08/2024 22:18

Ahhh, my kids used to love Time for School!! They did endless roleplays of 'the little girl whose beans were too hot'

Mine enjoyed primary and both crashed at secondary. Homeschooled oldest (16) for years 10 and 11 and she's just passed GCSEs and going to 6th form college.

Youngest (14) missed most of the last term of school because she couldn't cope with it anymore, so she'll be home schooled for years 10 and 11, too.

Not by choice, there is no choice.

My DC are both neurodivergent and academic, school doesn't meet their needs at the ages that they are.

deepstarfish · 29/08/2024 22:26

Schools are now much bigger with less money and less staff. Too much crowd control and not enough time for teachers to get to know individuals, with virtually no SEN provision. No support staff - playgrounds are brutal with no supervision.

I was a teacher 15 years ago before kids and wouldn't go back now.

Arrivapercy · 29/08/2024 22:27

My childrens school is lovely but there seems to be an epic rise in

  • kids with behavioural problems
  • kids in reception not properly toilet trained
  • there's no room for acceptance that some kids struggle academically, so teachers have to plough a massive amount of time and energy into the lower quartile of the class to try at the expense of all the others
  • staff shortages

When i was a child teaching was a career where women trained, then did about 5 or 6 teaching, then stopped to have their own family. They then did a bit of supply here and there until their own kids were older, then resumed teaching. It wasn't actually a job with a workload that fitted easily with having a baby or toddler at home!! Now most families have to have two working parents to survive financially, and the workload is worse, the pay is also much worse relative to costs of housing etc. Teachers are ground down, defeated, told they mustn't expect obedience from Timmy because he's got PDA, Millie's parents have a private doctor telling them she needs all sorts of adjustments (all of which have resulted in things getting worse, not better). Repeat offenders get sent to the head for hot chocolate and chats. Parents insist their parenting is absolutely in no way a factor in anything and school are getting everything wrong - they can't possibly know what they are doing with a child like theirs (i mean they've only taught 2000 children in the last decade, they couldn't possibly know).

violetsparkle · 29/08/2024 22:28

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. at the request of it's author.

That is part of the job. I didn't say they hated the actual in front of the kids part

IdaPrentice · 29/08/2024 22:29

From my experience, the primary school my kids went to was excellent. Secondary schools however, although have some good points, and some good teachers, are like zoos. Much too big and over-crowded, and have constant disruption in class and low-level misbehaviour (not blaming the teachers for this, btw).

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 29/08/2024 22:31

Teacher workload is insane. Kids' behaviour is getting worse. Schools are very, very under-funded.

And this: Teachers are ground down, defeated, told they mustn't expect obedience from Timmy because he's got PDA, Millie's parents have a private doctor telling them she needs all sorts of adjustments (all of which have resulted in things getting worse, not better). Repeat offenders get sent to the head for hot chocolate and chats. Parents insist their parenting is absolutely in no way a factor in anything and school are getting everything wrong - they can't possibly know what they are doing with a child like theirs (i mean they've only taught 2000 children in the last decade, they couldn't possibly know).