Do you think the next generation will take education more seriously and view it as a privilege?

[Cortina]

I think there are very hard times coming which will see less of an emphasis on play-based learning in school? I think there will be a sea change in education in the next 20 years and we will take it far more seriously in the future. Serious work ethic and academic rigour will be what parents begin to look for in schools as the world becomes increasingly competitive.

Yes but just musing really. More play-based learning is being pushed at our school. I know children apparently learn more and absorb more when they have fun but I feel that things will shortly dramatically shift.

Are you suggesting that play-based learning be replaced by rote memorization and drill by nursery and reception children then? Great way to start them off with a "positive" experience with education (!)

Seriously?

Perhaps the older students could benefit from some higher standards and a more rigorous curriculum, but I do not think you need to rewrite the entire educational system from nursery on up because Uni is more expensive.

Our children already start school quite young so I wouldn't necessarily expect reception and the next year or so to change but I think you are right that there will be a move to more swotting in future for older children.

"less of an emphasis on play-based learning in school"

This is the ethos of the EYFS which covers the nursery and reception years (more or less the time a child can join a school, but before the statutory age).

Are you really advocating academic rigour for 4 year olds?

why are people accusing OP of advocating this when actually she is just predicting it?

No I'm not Halbanoo although I do think that there's a place for some rote learning. Our grandparents will often have had to learn classic poems in literacy in the junior school for example, I am all for that (in moderation) for lots of reasons. I also think encouraging general knowledge and rote learning of some basic facts and dates isn't a bad thing.

My thinking goes far beyond Uni being more expensive. I fear things may get so bad that people are going to be hungrier for knowledge, for academic rigour, for educational opportunities etc. I think people will begin to realise we are lucky to have such wonderful educational opportunities compared to many in the world and to take them more seriously. This may lead to changes in the system.

"more swotting in future for older children."

As in more than they do now? My DC work far more intensively for much higher stakes than I ever had to and I pushed myself hard, went to a good university etc.

They worked harder and to a more rigorous curriculum at primary school too (state education all the way).

Is your child out of KS1 yet OP?

"I know children apparently learn more and absorb more when they have fun" - if this is known to be true, why would "taking education seriously" translate to less play-based learning?

I agree there is an increasing need to get qualifications, and secondary schools are pushing more and more to get the right stats. But I don't think the early primary years will suddenly see a push for "serious work ethic and academic rigour" so long as studies keep showing that play-based learning actually works.

I thought you meant children in secondary school taking education more seriously not little children!!
I have 2 that are in first years of school system and are thriving with the play based learning, YES its fun but they are learning at the same time so everyone wins

I think education has been far more results-focused in the last 10-15 years than it ever was in the past and I think children are well advised to have a career plan and not rely so much on chance. As an undergraduate in the 80's I saw plenty of students working hard, aiming high to take advantage of the job market... but also saw many others swinging the lead, enjoying a fully-paid three-year doss to catch up on a bit of sleeping and drinking. The advent of tuition fees and student loans will have put paid to the latter attitude, hopefully. Yes, it's sad in a way that the noble art of education for education's sake might have to take second place to education as a means to an end.... but I think pure academia has always been a luxury for the well-off.

ElderberrySyrup: it wasn't meant to be an accusation! And the OP is certainly predicting this as a scenario which parents will want.

As play-based is part of the early years only, I am interested Cortina's thoughts on what changes this would mean for 3-4 year olds.

Cogito perhaps it's already happening then? Edith Weston I really don't know but I wonder if we're not going to see the pendulum swinging back quite a bit. As more graduates come onto the market and fail to find meaningful work (and I fear there will be lots who can't find the employment the want) it might be things are radically re-thought and play-based learning a luxury we can no longer afford.

Don't mean to sound terribly bleak but I wonder if very bad economic times will force us to become more pragmatic. I have many friends within the Indian community. Their parents (typically in their late 60s-early 70s) came to the UK as the chosen few within a much larger family. They came to study to become doctors and lawyers etc - professions that well well regarded and relatively highly paid. They were chosen as they were considered most likely to graduate and do well. Wasting this opportunity was unthinkable, the deal was they then had to financially support the wider family going forward. To fail was to let the wider family and community down. They appreciate they were fortunate and their children went on to have a much better work ethic than many others. Serious study started when they were very young and play-based learning obviously wasn't on the agenda. Desperation and poverty forced their hand initially and set a chain of events in motion.

But I still don't get why you would think it is "more pragmatic" not to have play-based learning, when you agree that it is shown to work? Do you mean that parents will choose more "old-fashioned" methods of schooling, even though the evidence says it doesn't work as well?

I fear that the economic situation will mean that this is seen as a ridiculous luxury (even if it's been proved to be effective) - not much play-based learning in economically deprived countries where education has a much higher status than the UK.

If this was about the parts of the curriculum for children over the statutory age for starting school, then it would be quite a different matter.

But for 3-4 year olds, who do not need to be in school at all?

Agree re: 3-4 year olds Edith, just wondering i) how bad things are going to get in next 5,10,20 years? and ii) whether this changes our mindset re: education?

I hope education is never viewed as a privilege. It's a basic human right. Everyone of us should be as educated as we want to be. There is not a single aspect of a civilised society that would not benefit from an education system that is completely classless. Education should be completely free for every single person, teachers should be among the highest paid professionals and every single school and classroom should everything needed for that teacher to do their job to the highest standard.

It is a basic human right.

Yes - in KS2. Play-based learning is fine before that. At the school dd1 is now and ds was at last year KS2 is definitely not academic enough. And I'm sure there are plenty of other schools just like it.

Is anyone proposing extending the play-based approach beyond the Early Years? (Sorry, I must have missed that).

My DCs straddled the roll out of the EYFS, and so my experience is that for my DCs there wasn't a lot of difference to outcome. And I believe there is a body of research over the wider population that shows it is a better introduction to school for the wider population in terms of readiness for the more formal approach of KS1 (and therefore onwards).

I think some currently don't treat it with enough respect Sharney, they waste their opportunities and education generally has low status. This will inevitably change if times get much tougher I think. The danger is in taking it to be a 'human right' many take it for granted. I watched 'China School' recently - pupils don't tend to be very grateful for the opportunities they are given and are prepared to work incredibly hard.

They are still going on about how 'Learning is fun' etc up untill y6.

Hi there. We've moved this thread to 'Education', as we think that's the best place for it.

I think there is a good chance that in the medium to long term:

• jobs will be scarcer and there will be more competition for them
• benefits will be more restricted
• therefore getting a job will be both harder and more important
• jobs will continue to go to those with the best qualifications
• therefore, hopefully, more teenagers and pre-teens will decide to work hard at school and/or get vocational qualifications

I don't think this has much to do with play based learning for the young uns though...

I think many parents are already puting into place what you say, OP.

Selective schools, both state and private, have never been so over subscribed.

Parents can see that the world is going to be very different and that our DC will need to make themselves very employable and the first step is to procure the most rigorous education one can.

Next step is skills, skills, skills. Our DC are ging to need far more than 10 A*s to make the grade.