Will many 'alternative' schools survive?

[pippil0ngstocking]

I was thinking of Summerhill and how they'd deal with this pandemic, and I decided it was probably the fact that it's so well known that'll rescue it. Do you think other unusual schools are liable to shut, considering that they tend to have a small number of students?

Shoehorning children into academic or alternative or sport or musical or nurturing or SEN schools
merely confirms and reinforces the prejudices and resources of the parents.

Far better IMHO to let all children attend the same well resourced school

and let find their own path through it
moving between the academic and sporty and nurturing and supported parts of it as they grow and develop
into beings independent of their parents

Well resourced Comprehensive schools are a much under appreciated thing

Listening yes if actual 100% comprehensive schools existed that would be brilliant. But they don't. Even the ones that call themselves that aren't really because the final goal is always the same - get a pile of GCSEs.
Every child is so different - in how they learn, what they want to learn, what's important to them, what isn't etc. So you can't have exactly the same final goal for all when that goal is based only on academic success. Unless a child has some kind of SEN the only 'required' GCSEs should be English Language and Maths. They are the basics. But even within a 'comp' so many children don't even get that far unfortunately.

bookmum
Even the ones that call themselves that aren't really because the final goal is always the same - get a pile of GCSEs.
Sorry but that is just not true.
At true comps - of which there are many in the UK -
a good third of kids go on the college track which pays lip service to GCSEs

blame Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings for all kids having to pass exams, not the schools.

Comp schools will happily send kids off to day release college from year 10
so that they learn in the way that suits them

those same Comp schools put kids on track for excellence in all fields - sport, art, academic, music

We should support the extension and proper funding of schools
where kids can excel
rather than pigeon holing them at age 10

Oh I am not blaming the schools not in the slightest.
Some children though unfortunately don't even make it as far as Year 10 to become able to switch to taking some subjects in a college. Many have 'fallen' out of the system way before Year 10 - for many many reasons.
Maybe it would be better to have Key Stage 3 (Years 7 - 9) as a separate Lower Secondary school which would be fully comprehensive and everyone just goes to the local one and then at 14 split into different types of schools. Which in smaller towns where there are only a couple of schools could be 'schools within schools' - so shared campus but different styles of education depending on which 'school' you are in.
That's just an idea. I have no clue whether it would work. It's generally the system in the USA - Middle School then High School. Would it work here? Who knows. But what we have now doesn't work for so many sadly.

@Listeningquietly I completely disagree. Dd attended what you would describe as a comp, yes a third went to the local college from y9/10 but only if you weren't academically able or were a PITA and they wanted you out of school. Yes there was lots of sports and arts input for those who showed talent, interest or ability BUT if you were academically able then the only path available was ten to twelve GCSE's.
I definitely believe that there are horses for courses and some children particularly those with SEN would be far better served in special/specialist school with adapted curriculum and integrated services rather than a large comp with without the specialist knowledge or services they may need. Eg in our LA SALT stops at 11 if you stay in mainstream my dd at 17 gets weekly SALT input at specialist

hiredandsqueak
Dd attended what you would describe as a comp, yes a third went to the local college from y9/10 but only if you weren't academically able or were a PITA and they wanted you out of school.
to where ?
sorry but in Comp areas
its the school
and they train tractor drivers and doctors

I am sorry you had a bad time
and I totally support specialised SEN provision for those who will never be financially independent
but for 98% of pupils
well resourced comps work

NC as my post is potentially outing.

Worked for 20 years as a teacher, still working in education as a specialist.

As a teacher and my current role I have significant working experience of most 'alternative' education provision, including SN schools.

I have real concerns about the government funded education in this country. There is a very real sense that the subjects and manner in which they are taught mark a return to the learning-to-the-exam, teaching-by-rote of the 1950s.

In particular I have concerns about the 'cramming' for SATs I've seen taking place time and time again, especially in year 6. This is often taught without context, it's just a daily repetition of facts without understanding where they fit into the bigger picture.

An emphasis on a narrow, academic curriculum is absolutely ideal for some students. It can be an excellent preparation for some professions. The trouble is that not everyone becomes a Dr of medicine or a nuclear physicist, to give two examples. This represents a small number of school leavers every year.

Emphatically I believe in the opportunity for every child to learn a full, rounded curriculum.

So where is the education for the plumbers, philosophers, greetings card designers, gardeners, bakers etc, etc?

SN schools can be excellent, I have experienced them in a professional capacity but some are little improvement on the borstal system. Yes, really.

The introduction of EHCPs has made it increasingly difficult for students who have SN but are just scraping through to get the help they desperately need.

In my professional opinion many of these students could do well in a system that offers a broader curriculum.

Everyone wants truly academic students to achieve and thrive, the 'top' 10-20% of students. Unfortunately the current system is set up so that this usually happens at the expense of all of their less academically minded peers.

There has to be a change in thinking, a big change. Our current system of education does not give most young people the skills they need for life after school.

As for answers? I have many suggestions. My first would be to get rid of SATs completely. As we were taught at Uni all those years ago, it doesn't matter how often you weigh a pig, that doesn't make it fatter.

Uniforms or no uniforms? I've seen outstanding schools and failing schools, with and without uniforms. That should be the least of any parent's worries.

In y9/10 the non academic or challenging students were farmed out to local colleges to study subjects such as construction/ mechanics/ agriculture/ hair and beauty/childcare (sorry I don't know all the courses because dd is academically so it wasn't an option available to her) Many of the comps round here do the same with colleges offering more practical subjects.

hiredandsqueak
I object to the phrase farmed out
that is my kids friends you are talking about

They went to college one day a week in year 10 and 2 days in year 11
they did non academic subjects (sport, art, music) one day a week
and followed the NC the other days

and many of them now have great businesses and no University debt
hairdressers
beauty technicians
dental nurses
supermarket drivers
farmers
fruit pickers
plumbers
electricians
all the people we are finally realise REALLY keep the country going
rather than bankers and magic circle lawyers

Maybe the school you have experience of didn't but it was exactly farming out at dd's old school so the school could get on with pushing the academics at the students who were going to get the results. Nothing derogatory aimed at the dc (some of dd's friends went to college) my criticism sits firmly with the school.

And FWIW dd who was predicted top grades at GCSE now spends one day a week on a farm and many hours working with textiles with the academics being slotted round these pursuits instead. She is so much happier for it.

hired
my experience is based on my kids and professional visits to HUNDREDS of schools over the years

COMPS are the way to go
as they allow kids to develop at their own pace

@ListeningQuietly comps are not for everyone like academic schools are not for everyone. For one, I know children that needed to be pushed in their puberty to realise what they can achieve. Developing "at their own pace" would be a disaster for them as they would end up getting nowhere and even then they would get there too late! 🤣

So to your point, not everyone needs NOT to go to university......

I think it’s a very complex subject with no easy answers. Our dd is blissfully happy in her alternative school but we are about to buy a whole set of 11 plus books to go over the basics with her this summer.

We aren’t in an 11 plus area but I’m terrified we will have let her down if we don’t ensure she can do basic maths and grammar by age 11!

I was very unhappy for around four years at my bog standard (and enormous) comp, but I did get an excellent free education though and make wonderful friends by the end who are still close.

No clue what’s best!!

What I don’t understand is how do the majority of children and parents on the European continent, United States and Canada cope without school uniforms?

Do they have less successful academic results than the UK?

Do they have more bullying and more unhappy children?

Each country may have their own individual problems with child education and happiness but it is doubtful there are any collective issues which they all have due to the lack of school uniform.

Ironically I find children in British schools to be more obsessed with their ‘home clothing’ than home educated or international friends’ children who have never experienced uniform.

Perhaps because wearing your own clothing is such a novelty for British school children. For non uniform children it’s throw on practical comfy clothing like a hoody and jeans and just get on with it.

Germany hasn’t had a school uniform since kids were encouraged to wear the Hitler Youth uniform. Italy hasn’t had a school uniform since Mussolini (noticing a pattern here). Perhaps we need a fascist government to topple to realise how authoritarian and unnecessary uniforms really are.

As a home educating world schooler I can safely say none of my mainstream schooled American, Canadian, New Zealander (farm school), Swedish, German, Italian, Dutch and more international friends have ever had issues with not being instructed on what their children should wear and none of the home education groups, classes, activities my daughters have attended in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Americas have either.

When non uniform is normalised it’s a non issue.