Paris Protests - Should UK follow suit?

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I am following the coverage of the Paris education protests with interest. A lot of the triggers are failures the UK education system are making too (or at least GB, Im not so sure on N.Ire).

AIBU to think if the Paris Protests are successful, the UK should follow suit?

Our children deserve so much better!

Absolutely not. The obstacles to learning in this country are different - poor behaviour from pupils in schools that disrupts lessons is a key one.

Violence and disorder are never justified and it is to our country’s credit that this rarely occurs.

Careful OP, 85 Police Officers will be kicking your door down for inciting violence.

i must live in a different world because my 14 is really enjoying state school in the West Midlands in a new town. Decent results, lots to do, decent discipline. I think that the only thing that they might protest about would be that the new head teacher has decided everyone has to line up before lessons and it’s a bit of a waste of time. The French love a protest and a riot, they’ve been trying to change things with riots since 1789, maybe this will be the one that does it.

I think the general view is that if property has been damaged a protest has become a riot.

Many have claimed that political groups are organising. The students have taken second place to them.

I recognise that people should and can protest about things but it seems to have become a hobby or amusement for some people. I sometimes even wonder if people have the deep knowledge on the subjects about which they protest.

I believe that discussion, debate and compromise work better in the long run.

France is broke
It needs to spend more on defence due to the Ukraine and Russia
Protecting its citizens from drone and bombs / complete internet wipe out is more essential than any other thing
cuts not increased investment will have to occur in other areas
Marching around incurring huge . huge costs et police on overtime etc helps nothing.

i am also absolutely fed up with the constant marches in the UK - as in what are we marching about now? It’s all expensive and pointless. I think that people should have more pressing things to focus on rather than having a day trip to protest.

However should we get drone attacks from Russian and an internet wipe out - that will give everyone something to worry about.

Have you seen what they are protesting about?

•teacher shortages and teachers not being replaced when absent
•overcrowded classrooms, sometimes 35–37 pupils
•run-down school buildings
•inadequate desks, chairs and other resources
•long school days and heavy workloads
•concerns about Parcoursup, the university admissions system
•wider inequalities in education

The only one that doesn't apply to the UK is Parcoursup. Long days/workloads is debatable for pupils but s massive issue for staff. We also have many, many additional points to add for the UK.

No burying my head in the sand here. I've been a school governor for years and I've seen the challenges in recent years. It has been incredibly worrying.

The funding has improved this year, though, with above-inflation increases in funding per pupil, so I don't think it's entirely fair to say that the government isn't listening. They have listened. But they also have no money to spend and they can't make up for years of underfunding overnight, so the situation continues to be tight.

I still can't see how protests are going to help?

Some schools do manage to fake it - because they run entirely on the goodwill of their staff to do so. The staff will have a very different version of events.

I live in an area where we get some of the lowest funding but teaching costs are the same as standard salaries but I still wouldn’t advocate rioting

Some of the local school buildings are decrepit and some even condemned but I still wouldn’t set fire to them

Children belong in school, not out on the streets.

The last thing that we (or they) need are large groups of teenagers running around setting fire to stuff and getting hurt or ending up with criminal convictions.

If you've really worked in Education, you'll know that it would be a horrendous safety issue for not just teenagers intent upon criminal activity but also those who genuinely only wanted to peacefully protest - not just from one another, but from adult opportunists and from attempts to restore order.

It's hard enough to keep them all safe at lesson changeovers, never mind when they're in random public areas with no oversight, being kettled or shop windows are being put through.

To have somebody who has apparently spent the best part of two decades responsible for the safety of children (as we all are) wishing to encourage kids to put themselves in danger doesn't really add up. Maybe it's just attention seeking online, maybe it's yet another angle in political machinations, but you're not looking for the best outcome for kids, you're wanting to see them put at risk.

Great idea. That woman who got an improvised flame thrower in the face the other day was a particular highlight.

Grow up and stop trying to cause trouble.

Yeah brilliant (!)

They complain that they have no schools - so they burn the schools. They complain they have no teachers so they beat the teachers.

I am almost speechless with admiration.

Oh, and most of them aren't students - or French.

I take it none of you have read the French MN thread then?

As with anything, you get a few idiots that spoil thing. But the vast majority are protesting. Its not just students. Teachers have joined them.

I know there's always going to be idiots that take advantage of a situation to riot, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't protest for what is right.

Funding education should be the top priority for every government. A well educated population reduces health costs, benefit spending, prison spending...most areas of government save money by having a well educated population.

And with every protest comes the idiots that turn it into a riot.

Even a peaceful protest would have to be policed. That in itself costs money. It doesn’t matter if it is one person causing trouble or all of them. Who pays for this, and the damage they are causing?

And do you really expect the government to magically find money because they are being forced to by stupid idiots who think it’s a logical thing to do?

Of course then there will be riots if the taxes are increased as well.

i do think it's a right to protest and i don't think the concept of civic involvement is wrong.
i do hope things improve for the students but i'm equally budget conscious.

If they thought their schools were crap before they’ve utterly destroyed a lot of them now. What sort of victory is that? The scenes are disgraceful, anyone suggesting there’s merit in them has a screw loose.

Protests unfortunately get hi jacked by bams.
Look at the immigrant protests iirc some idiots set fire to their own local library now how in fuck do you legislate for crass ignorance such as that.

If there were protests like that here how long till the ebike balaclava dunder heids showed up.
Costing money the country can't afford.
Dumb as fuck no we don't want that for UK there are no plus points.

Your advocating rioting?

"Dumb as fuck no we don't want that for UK there are no plus points."

That depends if its successful or not. If protests mean education is funded properly, every class has a teacher and building are suitable, I'd consider that a massive plus point.

If it leads to a load of empty promises and half-arsed quick fixes, I'd agree with you.

Hence, why im really interested in what happens in Paris and am following with interest because our Education system desperately needs an overhaul too.

Same. My son goes to a secondary school that was rebuilt in the last 15 years. He’s perfectly happy.
None of secondary schools where I live are decaying and crumbling like the ones in France. Many have been rebuilt relatively recently and have good facilities.

i agree with OP on the pressures of SEND demands on schools but pressure on the govt. would be better achieved through teaching unions/strikes etc than destroying our buildings. We’re only going to end up with less money!

Nah, most teens in UK won't do PE let alone riot.
It isn't helping anything just causing more expense, although obviously now the world knows more about the French education system than it did last month. Ours isn't quite as bad, I feel.

And the NHS is already on its knees. People are struggling to get to appointments. Let's not make things worse.

You forget we have already had over a decade of austerity cutting everything to the bone, so we don't have huge expectations other than to be able to send SEND kids to a normal school rather than having to pay privately. If your kid is not ND, is MC and in a relatively nice area then schools are doing just fine.