What do you think is the ideal education setup, and why?

[Beetlebeetle123]

In an ideal world, if you could have any combination of reception to 18 education for your younger self, or for your child, what would you go for, and why?

For me, I think my ideal under our current system is private prep for primary, and grammar for secondary.

Having attended both an outstanding state primary, and a prep school, the expectations were very different. At the outstanding primary, there didn't seem to be any goals or expectations in place beyond bums on seats, pass your SATs. The struggling kids got some support, but there was nothing to stretch the able kids, so it was easy to coast and get lazy.

At prep, it's like they wanted to optimise your performance. With every success came an adjustment of the goals and expectations. I suppose because a prep school lives or dies on the leavers destinations of its kids, I was taught to strive to do my best as a matter of principle, it felt like it was expected that I would do well and be successful in life, and I got used to working hard (not mental breakdown hard, but comfortable level of challenge).

I think grammar for secondary (if you can get in) because again, teachers expect you to succeed, and that's really motivating. You're surrounded by well-behaved kids who do well academically, so trying your best feels like the norm, rather than the exception. My friends who didn't sit the 11+ and went to the local comp were bullied for trying hard academically, and my friends at independent secondary had wilder parties and drug and more alcohol exposure than the rest of us. What's your ideal, and why?

Yes I'd agree. In a perfect world, private prep followed by grammar

Mine are at an independent nonselective junior school, and the emphasis is very much on broadening their experience rather than pushing accelerated performance. In ks1 I think they moved at a slower pace than state, and that was a positive for me - I think the uk starts too early and moves too quickly in early years. They have a very rich curriculum that includes mfl from reception, music, PE and art by specialist instructors, forest school, science labs, in add to the standard reading, writing, math.

i will probably keep them in private for secondary as we don’t have grammars.

Small classrooms for all children so the teacher has a chance to actually teach instead of having to concentrate on riot control.

Children with SEN to get the support and environment that works best for them, so they feel safe and able to learn.

More vocational choices to study. Not every child is academically focused and making them feel worthless because their skills lie elsewhere helps no one.

Tutoring to pass the 11+ should be banned. The whole point of grammar school was to give all children an equal opportunity to access an academically focused school. Now it's just kids who have parents that can afford to pay for tutors that take all the places.

Basically we need a fairer system that gives every child the best chance to excel in what they're good at.

Oh... and Teachers should be paid more and parents should be punished for aggressive or rude behaviour towards teaching staff. A stint of community service could possibly help with that.

Sadly none of this happens.

The grammar I went to wasn't amazing

Yes more aspirational education and achievement wise and less disruption than the comp, but ultimately still large class sizes, and easy to coast along / fall under the radar.