If you could re-imagine the secondary school system, what would it look like?

[EveSix]

If you could rip up the way secondary schools are structured, and start again, with a view to create truly inclusive learning communities in which all could thrive and fulfil their unique potential, what would it look like?

How large would schools be?
How might catchments work?
Where would resources be allocated and funding spent?
What about the curriculum?

You can plot changes commensurate with the level of taxation you feel comfortable with / the percentage allocated to schools; if you feel education is worth a greater bite of the cherry of taxation, you can suggest more comprehensive reform.

I'm not feeling brilliantly imaginative at the moment, but I'll kick off: as a parent of a DC with SEN who finds school an utter sensory overwhelm, I would like to see secondary schools shrink to the size of medium sized primary schools. I think young people often do well in smaller settings where they are known to all staff.

A 'stages not ages' approach to learning in some areas of the curriculum, such as Maths and English, especially in areas with a high level of language need, ensuring the needs of EAL learners are met.

I think each school should have a sufficiently staffed resource base where learners who require learning support are able to work in an environment which supports their learning needs.

I'd love to see a new take on qualifications to complement traditional GCSEs, with a much easier availability of academically suitable alternatives, preventing pupils from essentially being set up to fail.

Increased options for PE: so many young people properly hate PE, and never really recover any sense of joy or pleasure in exercise after secondary school. It's a massive missed opportunity for public health. I'd like to see competitive sports for those who are that way inclined, as well as gentler options for those who loathe coerced exercise or team sports: yoga, pilates, walking orienteering, gym, aerobics, zumba, archery or darts, pool, fitness theory, Nordic walking or just a regular walk in the neighbourhood.

Anyone else?

The main thing is to truly have a choice - outside of london and a few bigger cities you often dont because there's no way of getting children to school if you don't choose your catchment school. Different learning styles need different set ups - one of mine worked best in traditional style classrooms in rows, chalk and talk, the other benefited from collaborative learning in groups

Given today's horror story in Croydon, I want airport style security and army discipline so the little scrotes can't bring their knives to school and there are consequences for being out of line.

I'm sure I will calm down at some point.

😢

I would direct some kids to the functional skills test.
I would prioritise for parents distance from at least year 5.
I would offer single sex school. To prioritise girls to get them into maths and science.

Expect schools to offer 2languages.
Remove blazers and ties.

That's based on averages. It doesn't properly reflect the severe differences in outcomes between the best and worst of our comps. We have far too many failing "crap" comps, which are offset by the top comps which are truly excellent. We need to concentrate on understanding why some comps are so bad and deal with the reasons.

@mellongoose yes but the stabbing in Croydon happened on a bus not a school.

Yes, but checks in schools would stop children taking knives etc en-route wouldn't it? They'd have to leave them at home.

German style system where academic students can go to a Gymnasium & just get on with class work. Meanwhile the non-academic route is well planned and prepares students properly for a career. They don't feel like a failure because they can't memorise history facts or regurgitate facts about literature.

Students can move between the schools & it's based on recommendations of primary school rather than a one off exam for which parents can pay tutors to prep their child.

We really need to sort out education for vocational students in the UK. Currently those students are being failed.

I know, but where were they going at 8:30 on a Wednesday morning?

Don't want to derail. There have been some really great ideas on this thread 👍

I would do away with secondary schools all together and get them out learning in the community, working in libraries, kitchens, garden centres, farming, vets, army, what ever they are interested in for a few months at a time as well as studying from home.

I think I'd start by commissioning some experts to come up with a whole load of vignettes of fictional kids, with a wide range of characteristics reflecting the differences and needs kids might have.

Like:

Child A: average early development, average academic potential in all subjects, may go off the rails in the wrong environment, if given the opportunity will develop an interest in history, significant visual impairment, supportive family background.

Child B: average early development, mostly average academic potential but will have aptitude for sciences if given the opportunity, dyslexic and even with the best circumstances won't learn to read before age 9, supportive family background.

Child C: delayed social development, top 1% academic potential in all subjects, susceptible to mental illness in teens if subjected to prolonged stress, English as a second language, chaotic family background

Child D: average early development, well above average academic potential, will be prone to doing the bare minimum and coasting unless encouraged and given competition, will be involved in an accident and require months away then return with significant mobility needs, supportive but resource-poor family background.

Child E: average early development, lower than average academic potential, given the opportunity will develop an interest in business, supportive family background.

Plus lots more, including several fairly unexceptional imaginary kids (but with their own potential quirks and personalities), several with significant disabilities or SEN, different circumstances and personality types and so on, all of whom could have very different trajectories depending on what education they're offered.

Then I'd commission other groups of experts to design the ideal educational and developmental "journey" (ugh, sorry) for each of these fictional children, which would maximise their potential, be least likely to cause harm, and leave them as prepared as possible for the next step Like, maybe, child X would do best with a supportive, play-based environment until age 6, then a nurturing and noncompetitive school initially focussed on literacy and life skills with access to academically-demanding modules on specialist topics within a range of subjects, while child Y would do best with a highly structured environment with strict expectations from preschool on, with rigid rules and regulations. Or whatever. I don't know, that's why I'd be asking experts.

Then I'd get some more experts, show them the dossier of imaginary students and the ideal educational pathways that the other experts had designed for them, and tell them to create a school system that would near as dammit facilitate the right environment and trajectory for all the imaginary students, starting by working out how to identify these needs and flexibly adapt to them throughout.

This is a long-winded way of saying that I think the problem is that we design a school system and then try to fit the kids in it, when we need to look at the kids we have and fit the schools round that. Somehow. I don't know how, that's what I want the experts for

Oh, and no more bloody ties.

Science should have a lot more practicals, and less theory. It doesn't always have to be lab based, either. Build things for physics. Learn chemistry in a kitchen. Biology can be explored with greenhouses and animal husbandry. And for goodness sake, teach them to understand how a science report is written.

A basic understanding of some aspects of philosophy would also be useful;e.g., critical and creative reasoning skills, basic logic.

Yes exactly this. I do think different environments, ethos, styles of teaching etc work for different children. That’s why I dislike “go to your catchment school.” We don’t all need the same things to thrive and it’s not all about grades.

The exam thing isn't exactly true. There's no standardised exams until matriculation at around 18/19 (and only for the roughly half that go to academic high school) so nothing like SATs or GCSEs but there can be plenty of exams set by the teacher, depending on the school and even the teacher themselves.

And that article isn't entirely accurate, being held back isn't close to obsolete, I know there's at least 2 who have been held back in my DD's small school.

Good teachers and small class sizes and plenty of extra support (for any child that needs it, not just those with diagnoses) really helps though

Children being allowed to use the toilets without interrogation or a pass

Children being allowed to use the toilets without interrogation or a pass

They are at my school. The last 15 minutes of the last lesson of the day often feels like a constant procession of students in and out of the classroom. Some of them go because it's nearly the end of the day and they can't be arsed to do any work.

Yes exactly this. I do think different environments, ethos, styles of teaching etc work for different children. That’s why I dislike “go to your catchment school.” We don’t all need the same things to thrive and it’s not all about grades.

But surely that's not much help unless you ensure you have one of each flavour of school available in each area? Otherwise it's still a total lottery as to whether you will live near enough to a school whose ethos, learning styles etc suit your child, especially if you don't live in a city and therefore have a lower concentration of schools. That's why imo it's better to try to have an education and qualification system which is varied and flexible enough to allow the majority of secondary schools to cater to the full range of students (except those who need special provision in specialist schools).

Part one, a full restructure, to equip all students with being educated to every day life, admin, taxes, finance, cooking etc,

Part two, then also being prepared for space and what lifeforms could exist ect like the beginnings of a federation type education from star trek.

Part Three, classes in international espionage, military cybersecurity and warfare, computer programming, app building, basically looking at developing Gchq/Mi5/Mi6/military type candidates

That's got to be annoying, for teachers and for the children that are trying to learn. Here in Finland they do a 15 minute break after every lesson so there's plenty of time for everyone to go to the toilet outside of lesson time (and get a break from focussing, they certainly need it, even as adults at my school we get a break after every 45 minute lesson and it definitely helps me focus better)