Worries about UK education system

[lovelymama]

I have 2 kids in a ‘very good’ UK state school. My son is in year 5 and has done well in the system and is happy at school. My daughter is the youngest in year 3 and has some mild SEN and finds the curriculum tricky and I have chosen to flexi-school her by taking her out of school for 2 hours a week to see a private tutor. This is because the school didn’t seem able to support her to get from below average to help her understand what’s going on.

I’m feeling really sad about the UK school system - my confident, happy son will move to year 6 next year and I’m dreading seeing him prepare for his SATS. I know loads of kids in the current year 6 and it seems like an awful year of learning to take tests rather than being inspired and learning. I work in a school (I’m not a teacher) and the year 6 teachers are exhausted and so sad about what the kids are going through. I don’t know anyone who thinks year 6 is a good and beneficial year.

So what I’m trying to say is I would love an alternative for my kids. I’ve researched free schools and alternative schools but I can’t quite seem to find what I’m looking for.....I just want a place where my kids can learn what they want to learn and be inspired to look at concepts they didn’t even know existed. Is that lots to ask?!

We are in south-east London and I would be happy to pay but I don’t think we could afford the standard £12,000 fees that lots of traditional private schools charge. Also, I know many kids in some of our local private schools and they don’t seem any better than my kids’ current school.

Thanks for any insight anyone is able to offer

New forest small school?

This probably doesn't help you much OP but I'd just like to say for the record that my DS is loving Y6! He's enjoying being one of the "school leaders" and doesn't find the daily testing practice a strain, if anything, just a bit of a fun contest between him and his mates . . . . And he's looking forward to the residential week away, the class drama production, the end of year party (mucking about generally the last few weeks??) various graduation evenings and so on.
He didn't even mind last autumn's aptitude tests/school visits circus (I was the stressed-out one); and now has a great secondary school place (which he is also, quietly, looking forward to) - so it's all good.
Just wanted to put a contrasting Y6 experience out there.
The other end of his primary school career was a far bigger strain, to be honest - being an August born, under pressure, albeit gentle, to read and write fluently before his 5th birthday; it was just wrong.

He came into his own in KS2 and is still milking it!

Mary tuda what a great response....it’s so good to hear. Maybe I’m panicking unnecessarily? I am a natural worrier but DS does always fall apart in tests and when don’t want him to fall apart for a whole year!

Interesting about maturing in KS2 as well....perhaps there’s hope for my little girl. She’s so good at things that aren’t on the curriculum and I wish our system allowed for praise in subjects other than maths, reading and writing

There's no reason to stress over SATS really - the results are for the school's records more than for the individual kids, and have no bearing on secondary school allocations. Secondary school application is by far the biggest stress factor in Y6; and it happens early in the school year (in the build-up to Oct 31st) and is borne entirely by the family (not the school.)
Maturing into KS2 was mainly about DS being the youngest in the class, which made a bigger difference in KS1. He doesn't have any SEN and is generally able but was somewhat away with the fairies in the early years! Also barely spoke in class back then (never volunteered information); but is one of the class alphas now, so to speak . .

I have 2 DSs and I'd agree with what mary has said re Y6; it wasn't all test, test, test by any means; but what I would really have loved to be able to do was to pluck them out of that school after the last SATS and to have had a great 'enrichment' summer.

A local primary to us did just that: lots of trips, experiences, have-a-go days, inspirational lectures etc etc in that period between end-of-SATS and end-of-term. I was jealous!

My kids are doing very well (in terms of achievement / exam passing) in the state school system.

But...they recognise it's constraints. The are conscious of the effects of the pressures of testing and league tables. They feel the national Curriculum is hidebound, prescriptive and does not encourage exploration. They are cynical about both GCSEs and A Levels and know that they are not extending their ability to learn, per se.

If I were a more committed parent, and had more flexibility wrt my own need to earn income, and more confidence in the idea, (in terms of my ability to deliver) I would have started a group of homeschoolers, providing peer support and challenge and set up a learning methodology that encouraged student research, challenging ideas, total participation.

However, as a PP said, many children relish he challenges as they progress through our system. Provide as many opportunities you can outside school, exposing hem to debate, controversial ideas, confronting concepts (art exhibitions / science talks, everything), and wherever you can afford it, travel. Encourage activities that build resilience ands elf sufficiency (scouts etc, camping, map reading, planning your travel, cooking, DIY...whatever comes conveniently), and I believe all will be well.

I think that the system is dumbed down and focuses too much on exams and not enough on creating rounded individuals. I've chosen private for this and other reasons and will be sending them into a school that offers IB because A levels waste too much time Imo. I would strongly recommend having your son sit CE exam in the hopes of being awarded some scholarships (many schools are quite generous with topping up scholarships with bursaries if you meet finacial assistance criteria).

Tho' whether private schools do actually support the development of more rounded individuals is a moot point.

And some are exam factories extraordinaire, with young people developing mental health issues eating disorders and self harm. It is practically an epidemic in the private girls schools round us .

I went to a very selective private girls school and it was nothing like it was then. It isn't just the schools - it is the demands of the Universities.