What matters most to you about schools? Views needed for a conference on Saturday Nov 27th.

[carriemumsnet]

We've been invited to take part in a TUC conference aimed at everyone involved in schools ? parents, teachers, headteachers, governors, unions and local authorities. We're there to give the parents' perspective on what matters most to parents about schools.

It would be great to represent as many views/parents as possible so do please add your thoughts here before Saturday and we'll try to pass on as many of them as possible.

Thanks

MNHQ

I have more basic ideas than some of the great ideas above,

but for me, being able to walk to school is vital (so good schools within catchment)
encouraging a belief that the school listens to the needs and worries of the parents and that the parents properly listens to the concerns of the school and not believe that their perfect child isn't a naughty monkey at school.

at primary, I want my children to really enjoy school. I want them to be given a broad knowledge of the world around them and I want this to be taught in a creative way that grabs their interest. So far, ( yrs2 and 3)I'm really impressed at the way that this has been achieved. I'm also impressed at the way teachers help them as they start to learn to get along with each other.
I'd like to see homework dropped for primary level, and I'd like year 6 to have the freedom to teech a wide curriculum rather than having to spend all their time preparing for SATS.

At secondary, I'd love my children to go to a school where there is no bullying, and where there are clubs to encourage a wide range of interests. I hated secondary school, as I was quite interested in the lessons, but had to pretend not to be, as showing any interest in lessons (or any other aspect of school life) is not cool among British teenagers. I'd love my children to go to a school where they felt it was OK to take an interest, but I realise I'm unlikely to find a school like this.

I'd like them to have the opportunity to go to a good university without having to worry about the fees

Free, compulsary school dinners. They must be properly balanced, kids must get to help make some element of it (ideally also grow some of it), and two choices, one veggie/vegan. The only way a child would get something special made for them would be with a note off a doctor or religious leader.

And, as part of my education system, I would get rid of the frnakly bizarre idea that children should only mix with other children of around the same age. Children are part of society and should be treated as such.

Wider choices than just University. And all to have the choice of free education after 18. If that isn't possible then a better choice than paying for HE or working as a YT. I am fully in support of Modern Apprenticeships, but our focus as educators is education and qualification. colleges wants sales and the is wrong.

When you introduced this thread you said the conference will involve everyone involved with schools, but you didn't mention Teaching Assistants or Mid-day Supervisors.
I'm a T.A, and most schools now have just as many T.A's as teachers.
Having been a parent governor, and a teacher as well, I know that T.A's contribute just as much !

Now, as a parent, what would I like from a school ?

I'd like my children to grow up with a love of learning.

I'd like schools that valued learning through play in the early years.

I'd like my children to experience lots of the great children's literature out there, and not so many reading scheme books.

As others have said, I'd like a friendly school community, that values and promotes PSED ( personal, social and emotional skills ), and more emphasis on practical skills in Learning for Life.

I'm thinking particularly about primary schools because that's where my dds are.

I want a school to be a fun, inspiring, safe and loving place to be.

I want them to inspire my children to read good books, to be curious about everything in the world, to learn how to find out the answers and how to question them too. I want a school to provide tasters of things my children wouldn't normally come across in our every day lives - in every subject. I want these to be fun and play related wherever possible.

I want them to encourage my children socially, to develop friendships and to learn to get on with those who they don't consider friends. To have social rules but to learn that it's ok to break rules sometimes if they're not good for us.

I want my children to feel special and valued for their contributions and achievements by their teachers.

I do not want schools to provide my children with any religious practice, although learning about history and culture and practice of religions is fantastic.

I do not want schools to use book reading schemes for longer than they have to.

I do not want schools to spend so much time badly educating my children about diet and health as the information is not balanced or appropriate. The emphasis is too strong for so many children who eat a balanced diet and will likely never have a health/fitness problem. I have serious concerns that attracting children's attention to their body shapes at such a young age will encourage lifelong isshoos.

I want a school to encourage my children to do their best and strive to achieve. But not at the expense of my children feeling any pressure to achieve.

I would like to see more excellent teachers in school. This does not mean people who were excellent at passing university exams. This means people with personalities which enthuse everybody in the classroom and make children keen to learn. I am not sure how you would test this with an exam but if you ask the children they will tell you who the really good teachers are.

I would like schools to do the teaching and leave the parents to do the parenting.

Of course I understand why some schools need to take on a more parental role.

However, I feel that it is the school's role to teach reading, maths etc, and the parents' role to teach their children about healthy eating and so on.

I feel frequently frustrated at seeing pages and pages in my children's books on what they should and shouldn't eat and how dangerous smoking is - all stuff we discuss at home, then having to spend significant time helping them with large maths homework tasks which they don't understand how to tackle.

PLEASE - YOU teach the maths. I'LL teach the life skills. I thought that was the way it was supposed to be.

agree with everything madrush wrote.

I particularly think primary school is the age to inspire and excite them - I want creative teachers who are allowed to do that. I also think that children need to learn core skills - good writing with a solid understanding of grammar, including our beloved apostrophe, and, as they get older, a grasp of composition, formulating arguments, decent essay writing. Numeracy needs to be taught in a way that demystifies it. Ditto science. Schools should play a role in moving us away from the current culture that makes it ok to declare that you "can't" do maths or that understanding science is the domain of nerds on the periphery.

I don't think religion should play a role in state schools

As said already many times - the end of state funded faith schools. Especially as that rules my DC out of the 3 primary schools closest to us. When the 'state' is essentially secular. Or so it should be.

Teachers who can speak properly and know that here in the UK, the word next does not have a silent T

Teachers that know how to spell in general and punctuate.

Teachers that aren't afraid to hug an upset child (appropriately), because sometimes children need a hug...

carriemumsnet Do we get any feedback?

Instil in children a sense of the value of knowledge and learning for its own sake, not for the sake of passing an exam to get a job.

End the state funding of religious indoctrination of whatever variety. If I want my child taught religion, I will do it at home. I don't want my child's educational choices limited by the capacity of state-funded schools to select on grounds of my compliance with religious activity.

pastoral care, bullying policies, size of the school (primary), access to green areas, grass/woodland/vegetable gardens, strong emphasis on encouraging confidence, positive socialisation and communication, enjoying learning, and rewarding developmental markers such as confidence, team building skills, independent thought, creativity, responsibility rather than reading, writing, maths. not placing strong emphasis on sats, but more on wanting to learn and providing the opportunity to achieve and grow in all aspects as a person, not to meet targets. reading, writing, maths, science is important, but does not have to be as strong as the rest, as we can boost that, and should boot those areas ourselves as parents, it is not just the school's responsibility solely to education our children, but to provide one forum for this. However, only the school can be responsible for the wellbeing and socialisation of my child when I am not there, so that must be strong.

To not have someone elses religious beliefs forced on my family because a vicar donated a small amount of money to build a school building more than 100 years ago and i'm not prepared to spend more than 2 hours doing school runs every day. Get rid of state funded faith schools.

I don't envy anyone who's going to try to summarise all this for the TUC conference!

I'm just glad to discover that my children's schools seem to do so many of the things that everyone wants. How very lucky my children are.

I would suggest that the TUC take a very good look at independent schools to see what they are doing so well. On the whole, parents vote with their feet: if they're not happy, they won't stay and pay.

How very lucky my children are too !

A roof over their heads, never gone hungry, two parents who love them, clean water delivered straight to their home ... oh, and a good, free education.

... Unlike many children of the world.

Jugglingjo, I'm sure many of the posters on here, like you (and like me, for one) are hugely appreciative of what we have in the West. But firstly, the purpose of this thread is to ask what would make education even better; and secondly, appreciating what we have should not be synonymous with resting on our laurels.

Nicely put, SG.

I want to feel like the school community cares about my child, (and all the other children of course!).

I want a creative approach, interesting/special things to happen, break up the usual routine, different ages to work together sometimes. Fun, humour, connection.

I want to be able to get a secular education for my child without having to travel miles. I am surrounded by lovely village schools, but they are all CofE :(.

No SATs.

I would like my child to be able to go a secondary school that has a sixth form, but isn't absolutely huge. Seems to be an impossible combination round here. I don't think a head teacher for e.g. can know every child once it gets over about 900.

I would like all secondary education in this country to be either comprehensive or paid for. I really resent having landed through various circumstances (love!) in an area with grammar schools, and subsequently the comps in the area aren't great.

Gee, thanks Polly.

Oops, that's not meant to sound sarky!

Shorter summer holidays

DownyEmerald has summarized my views perfectly!

Speedy Gonzalez (nice name!)

• See my earlier post on thread for my own ideas for making schools even better.

Was just responding to P.P saying "How very lucky my children are"

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she feels that way.

It's just we're all lucky in this country !