Have you seen this? - How they do it in Sweden

[funnylady]

Just wondering what your opinion was, I just love this. Would be really interested in your views please.

www.teachers.tv/videos/sweden-early-years

Yes saw this a while back - and thought it was a very good idea.

i can't watch it because i have no speakers. can someone tell me what they're doing please?

Makes me want to move to Sweden!

Brilliant, exactly what I do, without the paperwork, I hate the constant pushing of our little ones, if you let them grow naturally its much better.

This is what we do in Norway, too.
My kids are thriving after leaving London.

I think the Scandinavian and Nordic Models (and perhaps even other European models) of childcare are fantastic. They have got it right, its well rounded, level and very sensible.
Not sure its totally transplantable to here - we are too wrapped up in 'educating' our children and school prep rather than allowing them to play and valuing play.
We'd have some way to go before shedding those preconcieved notions of churning out mini-me's

I loved it too and think it's hugely important to allow children to be children for as long as possible. I see so many 4/5/6 year olds taking Suzuki violin lesons, swimming, karate, piano, bing tutored in Maths and English, even having Mandarin Chinese lessons. Every waking moment is filled with scheduled learning activities to help them "succeed". It's insane. Children need to play, to relax, to be allowed to get bored in order to learn how to amuse themselves, to explore and be curious free from academic pressure. I think Sweden has it exactly right. Invest in the early childhood years so children are brought up in a secure and happy and free environment. Don't focus on academia until the child is emotionally and physically ready for it. Don't pressure them to meet targets, instead allow them to simply be and grow. It's lovely.

The nice thing about Sweden imo is that you get much better Christmas presents from the products of those nurseries.

The kitchen roll holder produced by my eldest nephew has been holding our kitchen roll for many years now, the candlesticks produced by younger nephews are safe to stick candles in, the biscuits taste very nice and by the time they get to the end of secondary school they turn out furniture that you can actually sit on. And they know to cook. I have yet to receive anything that actually works from my own children.

But reading MN, I doubt if such a system could work here, as witness all those posts of "what can I do, my dd has an IQ of XXX and the school lets her do cardboard models?"

I had no idea before I started Mumsnet that intelligent children would be bored and disruptive if expected to use their hands and go beyond the three Rs. But if that's the way they make English children...

The Scandinavian systems are also properly funded which would never happen here as that would mean serious investment and remodelling.

My brother (lives in Sweden but british born & bred)says
"I would say that that is pretty accurate in most, if not all respects wrt how sweden's pre-schools function.

I am not so certain of their conclusions however! That sweden performs well in literacy at the age 10 mark is certainly indicative that the concept works with that measure - but what of other measures?

Does the child fall behind in other subjects at the expense of learning to read at 7? What of the exemplary math/physics student going to study at uni in Uk and cannot cope - is too far behind his peers.

The major teaching hospitals taking research candidates from abroad in preference to swedish graduates because they are too far behind.

I think that there must be a happy medium between the two systems. The English teacher seemed to hint at the problem of branding children as low-achievers - this is certainly a trait attributable to the old 11+ system, which was an abuse of Binet's IQ system.

I think examining this further to eliminate the concept of low-achievers, and seeing this as the failure of the educator not the pupil ( which was hinted at in the documentary) would bring about a better education system allround: whilst still allowing high-achievers to do so.

Don't forget that that pre-school costs 3 times as much as a UK pre-school!"

I am going to query the last statement......

KatyMac, are you saying the Swedish system does not prepare their children as well in subjects other than languages?

Polish system is very similar. Children don't start school until they are six or seven. As it happens math and physic are on higher level in Poland than in UK. It has noting to do with the late start, just the emphasis on sciences is much stronger.
I'm really at people labelling kids as slow if they haven't learned to read at four, and that it continues throughout the school - top sets, bottom sets, gifted, projected grades. It seems that the main purpose of education in UK is to show everyone where their place on social ladder is.

Thanks, cat64 I was seriously worried about my two year old. Luckily his date of birth allows me to defer school for a year. That will give him head start :)

no it won't Jacinda - he joins the same group just a year later than everyone else, he will start a year behind. I know it sounds mad but I beleive its true.

That's interesting, Kewcumber. Doesn't that mean that school isn't really expecting children to learn much in the first year, but still insists on discipline, homework, memorising and all those other things 4 year olds really schouldn't be worrying about?

DB says Sweden subsidise preschool 3 times the amount of the UK - well the UK spends £5.06 (in our area) for 15 hours so £75.90 which means Sweden pay £227.70 (ish) plus the parents pay £41 (ish) giving a total of £270(ish) which works out at £5.36 an hour we charge £4.....

So they aren't that much more expensive than here....

Still investigating some of the other bits

Jacinda, I think people are saying that it is a bad idea to defer your child's place because they will go straight into Yr 1 with children who already have a year of school behind them. IME, school do expect children to learn a lot in the first year, phonics, starting to read, numeracy etc. and it can be difficult for a child who hasn't had that year in school to be suddenly thrown into a classroom of children who have had that teaching. It's also difficult for the teacher because she has to try to carve out time to bring your child up to speed.

"Doesn't that mean that school isn't really expecting children to learn much in the first year" wel IMVHO it means that school authorities wants to discourage people not starting their child at the appointed age! At one time you could defer a year fairly easily with the schools agreement at any time if it was considered appropriate eg when coming form overseas at a different stage in schooling, very young child etc and also put childrne up a year occasionally (less common) if necessary but it became much tougher to do any of that in the last 10 years (don't know when).

Our reception is pretty relaxed although they are doing letter sounds at school, mostly DS is just "playing" as it should be and doesn;t get homework. In fact there is little difference between school and nursery at the moment (again as it should be) a little more structure and some more challenging "playing". So I don;t get too exercised about starting school so young as he was ready to be a bit more challenged. And he is not at all a child who wants to read or write and I fully expect him to be one of the last in his class to grasp it.

I think my 5 year old who is still in Nursery/preschool here in Norway has learnt a lot more than my other son (now 8) who started reception in London aged 4, when he was 5 and in year 1.

This is despite my other son enjoying benefits such as Karate, Mandarin Chinese, After school drama and Games workshop (read chess and noughts and crosses), along with Violin and Tennis.

I think we are so eager for our children to learn, we push them so hard, keen for them to know everything in a short space of time. The result is often total overload, and very little actually sinks in, I think.

Of course children are different, but my youngest (who will start school here next August) has learnt so much about nature for weekly excursions, trips to the farm every spring and automn to see what happens with animals and crops, learnt about the seasons, changes, how we get our food, they have been foraging for berries and made jam, they have used the blueberries to paint pictures in "hues of blue", they celebrate UN day ever year, where they learn about children in other countries. Last year it was Nepal, this year it is India. They see films and learn about what the children eat, their schooling, etc.

My 8 year old London educated son had very little knowledge of the world and of science, at the age of 5. He could spell what he was required to, and not much more. And this is no slight on him, as he is well ahead of his yeargroup here, and on next years maths curriculum, and with a reading speed of 120 words per minute, in both english and norwegian.

We moved to Norway when my oldest was 6, and started year 1 here and it was like a fresh start for him. We struggled so in London, and he was so frustrated. For him, coping with mathematical concepts and reading at 4, was too young. I am blissfully happy with his schooling here. I am blissfully happy that my other son has such fantastic preschool education. When I tell nursery workers here that in London they dont go out if it rains, and if the rain stops, nursery workers run out with towels to wipe off the play equipment, they are speachless and think I am pulling their leg.

The downside is, we spend a lot of money on raingear, and on a really mucky day, you hose your kids down when you come to pick them up. It is great fun. Mums in high healed shoes cluthing their bags between their legs while manhandling a hose to clean off a thoroughly muddy child. Thereafter, the go inside, and put the raingear into the heating cabinet (it looks like a huge fridge, but blows hot air from all directions) and get the kids change into normal clothing before leaving.

A full time place with 2 meals per day (you bring breakfast in a lunchbox) from 7.30 am til 4.30 pm cost just £250 per month.

That sounds lovely Queeheehee...

Our school teaches mathematical concepts in a wya that the childrne are barely aware of it... sequencing and numeracy taught by making sandwiches last week. He loved it - surely no-one thinks this is pressuurising children?! I "teach" him exactly the same way at home and haven't ever been accused of being a particularly pushy mother! I am aware however that both our school (I now see why it has a grade 1 ofsted report) and our reception teahcer are particualry good - we are very lucky.

"When I tell nursery workers here that in London they dont go out if it rains" also not true in our school unless it is really tipping it down though monkey bars are out of use as they are particularly slippery.

They also celebrate international day and every class adoptes a country and other classes come to visit the country with even the older kids managing to learn something from the reception class apparently.

Science well taught and each year the (many and varied) parens come in to read a piece in a language otehr than English - Russian is taken by a native speaker in our class so I wall need to resport to Welsh (yikes).

No giant hot air dryer though.