English education is like training monkeys

[Hennightpanic]

Always working backwards from the exam requirements. So for example, in German A level, endless practice of the specific type of questions that will come up in the exam, no matter that they have nothing to do with broadening their understanding of German language or culture. Similarly in year 6 Sats preparation.
Or talking about Of Mice and Men to death without other works getting a look in.

It's nothing like this in Germany, what are other countries like?

The Finnish system is notorious for getting everybody up to a certain level and being utterly dire at dealing with top end outliers

Finland is also a much smaller less diverse society than Britain so is not very comparable with much of the country

Yes, I was a bit surprised not to find anything (yet) online about the outlier problem. Maybe the people affected just shrug and accept it as the price to be paid for a more equitable society. They do divide at age 15 into separate academic and vocational schools, though.

As regards the cultural differences, I wasn't particularly suggesting we should adopt their system, just offering it up as an interesting model for discussion.

Talkinpeace, you inspired me to google "Finland schools boredom" and I've found a whole doctoral thesis from Oxford that I'd not seen before! Haven't read it yet, but it has interviews with teachers talking about their worries that higher ability students aren't challenged.

The process of trying to find authentic information about the Finnish school system, as opposed to the hype, is rather like a scavenger hunt, you never know what you will find. (Amusingly, I keep coming across posts by indignant Finns complaining about the "no homework" myth that regularly pops up in hype-based articles here and in the U.S.....)

Kesstrel
If you come at it through the discussions of the PISA results you'll find more reasoned, academic debate on the issue.

I think compared with many other countries (for example, South Korea and Japan) the English system gives scope for far LESS rote learning and MORE creativity.

So why do so many people from other countries send their kids to England for school if its so bad ? Just curious as I've never personally experienced another system so can't comment. Not every teacher teaches to the test .

mumneeds
most of the overseas buyers are going for big ticket fee paying schools rather than the state sector

but the teachers flow between the two

Comments like these really make me laugh as someone who has taught in the UK for many many years.
You make it sound like kids do nothing but exams ... But pupils have continual assessment as well as exams. Of course exam skills are taught, but they do more than 'of mice and men' in all their years at school. For what it's worth most English teachers I know are sad that it has been removed from the curriculum as all pupils can access it from top grades to bottom. In My Year ten group the highest target grade is an E but they have loved the book and done some amazing work from it. My top set have been looking at the theory that links the text to the Garden of Eden.
They have also studied Cormier's Heroes, 'ATaste of Honey', Shakespeare and a wealth of poetry.
At Key stage 3 they can study any text .... I teach Golding, Zafon, Morpurgo, Nix, Pullman, Dickens .... As well as reading and writing skills.
The new curriculum in English does not look at differentiation at all.

kesstrel if you are interested in the Finnish system Google Maarit Korhonen.

I think compared with many other countries (for example, South Korea and Japan) the English system gives scope for far LESS rote learning and MORE creativity.

And compared also with France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. In some of these countries, teachers are slaves to the textbooks, page after page. Very little scope for improvisation.