To think schools should have a class to teach basic life skills

[beesandstrawberries]

We all learned so much in school that we haven’t used in day to day life - I mean when have we ever touched a Bunsen burner since school? But none of us was learned the basics of life and how to navigate it - things like:

• Showing how to do basic meals, cooking pasta safety, use of kitchen appliances correctly
• paying bills
• what a mortgage is, how to deal with contracts and paperwork
• how to meter readings
• change a lightbulb, basic tool use in the home
• how to check fire alarms
• credit card education
• managing money, spreadsheets to manage them
• insurances like life insurance and what ones you need
• education on abusive relationship signs
• things like peer pressure
• how to write formal letters/emails

I think we learn so many things that mean nothing when we leave school. If you teach kids basic life skills from a young age, it would make kids a lot more well rounded and less anxious in the ‘real world’ when it comes to managing money and not getting in debt. Even learning things like the warning signs of abusive relationships to young and impressionable teens as I think if I heard the signs then, I would have know what to look out for to prevent myself from getting in one as an adult.

I remember being in the real world and not knowing how to have good money management and I’m 28 and have no idea how to change a lightbulb. Even education for kids to learn about their bodies, that their outie bellybutton is normal and so are their stretch marks - so they don’t go into adulthood thinking their bodies are imperfect.

Children deserve more than Shakespeare or how to play football in pe. They deserve a kick start to life

All of that is parenting!

I've always thought this. It would be a core part of the curriculum adjusted for age etc and would cover everything from swimming and water safety right through, first aid, sewing on a button, applying for a job, child care, cooking, cleaning, budgeting, applying for a mortgage, what to think about when you vote (not the politics, but how to work out which politicians align best with your views, how to check their voting record, ) , gardening, the freedom programme, how to look after your mental and physical health,

They literally learn all this.

Maths, DT, English, IT and Values. It's all covered.

Whew, bet ya feel better now!

I can do all my budget and finance etc without a a spreadsheet.
Maybe if parents or care providers can’t help with your list. There should be parent classes. Also classes and support in local community for getting and being safe online.
But much prefer a screw in lightbulb than the twist in ones of old.

Yanbu it's all well and good saying parents should but a lot don't and some parents are terrible with things like money management, how to budget how to cook a meal from scratch. I'd also add first aid to that everyone in the country should know first aid.

Sure, if they’re looked after children in the foster system or their parents are otherwise incapacitated or unable to do these normal parenting teaching or role modelling tasks.

No thanks. However parents need to be reminded that screens are not parents and they shouldn’t be scared of their kids and should bring them with them shopping, doing diy, doing chores

I was at a senior catholic school in the 70,s.
We had two hour per week to learn extra things.
Basic cooking. Ironing, changing a plug, even hang wallpaper.
And plenty of other skills. Both boys and girls.
Money skills were taught in maths.
Last year we were taught how to change a tyre, put oil in.
And as it was a very very big play ground, drive the car.
I understand that some of these things should have been taught by parents
but not all parents are good or care about the child.

I may well be too old, and I remember some elements being covered in school, but not everything that I would want to see included. And frankly most of the recipes we made in cooking world be utterly useless in the real world. Lentil soup and scones were the honourable exceptions. "Trifle" which involved assembling a range of ready made sweet things jam, swiss roll, tinned fruit, tinned custard, squirty cream and 100s and 1000s and then adding more sugar is not going to help anyone on a tight budget to feed their family well.

My parents - both successful academics who were more or less decently competent at adulting - taught me nothing about basic life skills, and then seemed surprised / appalled that I didn’t magically know how to manage my finances / file my taxes / cook / change a fuse when I became an adult.

I think it’s insane that this stuff isn’t taught at schools - which isn’t at all a dig at schools, or teachers. It’s insane that schools are so poorly funded, teachers are so poorly paid and overstretched and unsupported, etc. We could be setting kids up so much better for life if only we made it a priority.

ETA: I didn’t grow up in the UK - so if life skills were taught here back in the 80s I missed out! We had ‘domestic science’ classes where we were taught embroidery.

I am 45 years old. Some of the aforementioned stuff I was taught in school, some my parents taught me and the rest I worked out for myself because I am a grown up ! Please take some responsibility for yourself OP.

High schools teach cooking. A lot of primary schools teach basic first aid (it’s through an outside provider in our school).

why not how to do laundry and taking the rubbish outside while you are at it.

This is not what schools are for, and no, I don't want my kids to waste their time being taught about "basic skills".

Schools should replace parents? Actually most schools do this in pshe

Honestly, if you can't figure out how to change a lightbulb I'm not sure how anyone could help you.

Schools teach loads of those things. Fire alarms and insurance (and the lightbulb changing) are the only ones I haven't personally taught or watched being taught, and I'm pretty sure that primary schools do cover fire alarms given that my DC came home and told me that we should check ours. English, Maths, DT and PSHE cover everything else on your list.

Sorry, and food tech.

That’s your job as a parent

That as maybe but many parents can't budget or cook a nutritious meal themselves. Some can't even toilet train their kids before school or give them breakfast.
There are zero tests required to be a patient and zero aptitude needed. I'd not rely on them to teach kids life skills.

Or maybe parents could, you know, parent.

If I had my way schools would focus on Maths, English, Science and Technology. Life skills is what decent parents should be teaching their children at home.

People really need to wean themselves off the state 🙄. So many claim benefits now so the state paying their upkeep now they want the state to bring up their kids too?! Dear me.

Some of these things are already taught in school, some are really down to parenting, though we shouldn't allow children with poor/incapable parents to get left behind, but some will surely be learnt as you go through life, with the help of Google and other resources. You can't expect to teach things once or twice when people are 14 and have them remember it perfectly 15 years later, and that;s without considering that the knowledge may then be out of date anyway, as may be the case with mortgages/credit cards etc.

I consider myself a pretty decent parent but I have no idea whether my dc are confident in changing light bulbs as the modern ones seem to last forever and I can't remember the last time I changed one. I'm sure they'll cope fine when the time comes though.

Learning first aid at primary school isn't enough it needs to be done regularly. The only thing I remember cooking at school was a sausage plait and a jam sponge.

Completely agree. I'd add things like how to cook a nutritious meal, set up a business, how to be self employed, how to find a job, decent careers guidance before the kids choose their subjects for further study etc.

To all those who say these things are the jobs of parents, many parents can't budget or cook a nutritious meal themselves. Some can't even toilet train their kids before school or give them breakfast.
There are zero tests required to be a patient and zero aptitude needed. I'd not rely on them to teach kids life skills.

That sounds incredibly boring and I suspect would lead to even more school refusal.

What about PE, Music, Art, Humantities, Languages etc?