Once the food is sorted let's.....

[happymerryberries]

.....keep the pressure on the government to sort out schools.

Let's have an end to kids who's behaviour is out of control, wrecking their chance of education and that of everyone in the classroom along with them.

Let's have an end to the pretence that inclusion can work for every child and stop the closure of special schools.

Let's have an end to education for SN on a shoe string budget, a policy that leave the most vulnerable out in the cold and adds to their problems.

Let's have a return to the realisation that rights come with responsibilites.

Let's have real funding for schools so that they can afford little luxuries like books.

Let's have specialist teachers in every school that can work with kids with EBD so that we can help them, and in doing so help all the other kids that suffer their behaviour.

Let's stop pretending that all kids will get 5 A* to C grades and get them literate and numerate and able to interact with other people in a reasonable way....then teach them French and Science.

Once Jamie has sorted out the food, lets sort out the rest!

Absolutely not, Hulababy .

But not teaching them as if they were on track for an A* in GCSE doesn't mean that you should not teach them at all.

I would just like to see alternative curriculums and qualifications. Not all kids are cut out for the academic life (through ability or choice). and GCSE/ALevels. Vocational qualifications make a start I guess, but don't go anywhere far enough.

Then you will understand the farcical nature of the NC. I have just had to teach my bottom set y9 kids moments. Now just remember tese kids cannot multiply 12 by 10, and I have to teach them moments. And forget doing it as a practical, they would just throw the masses at each other.

If you want to teach them an abridged curriculum, fine. Lets teach them how to feed themselves and not get pregnant unless they want to, lets teach them approriate, relevant stuff that they can access. I am now having to teach them displacement reactions and the electrochemical series and there is no way that most of the class can even begin to grasp it. NMost of them cannot tell me what a metal is. But thanks to the lunacy of the NC I have to press on. I can't stop and teach them the basics.

It has taken me two terms to get to the point where this class can learn anything. Two terms of grinding hard work on my part. Initially they were utterly out of control. There were fights in lessons. One girl threatened to throw acid over another. They are now generaly a pleasure to teach. They are products of the poor parents we have discussed on an other thread.

I would love to have the time to teach these kids practical stuff, like why they have to wash, or why Sunny D isn't good for their florid gum disease, or the habits of the head louse so that they can get rid of them, even if their parents can't be arsed. All vital stuff. But insead they get to calculate Moments in NM. That is sensible, isn't it?

And I am not talking about writing kids off if they don't get an A* , don't be so insulting. I'm talking about kids who will not get a G, because they can't read the fucking paper, let alone answer the questions on it.

I so agree hmb. Having worked at two entirely different types of schools (one top of league, one bottom) it is so blindingly obvious that each set of kids should not be doing the same curriculum. And within he special measures school the kids need much more practical information (as you suggest) to get them to a point where they can function in the real world. Many of these kids can't.

I also now teach in a prison for adult and YO offenders. The prison education system HAS to go back to basics (pre-renty level in many cases) to get the men to a functional level. They have a great philopshy I think - they aim to get all the men able to read and write, and then to Level 1 literacy and numeracy..and then they move onto other subjects.

They realise that people can't succeed on courses that require a student to be able to access written and visual material. Before they can do that they have to be able to read, write and understand.

{shock]

Why are you shocked or are you just taking the piss?

Your language, HMB. I hope you don't talk to your beloved Y9s like that

Oh go away. And don't insult me.

I'm with you, hmb - excellent post and eminently sensible, as usual.

Arsehole

my last wan;t to you marthamoo!

PMSL I guessed that.

I so agree (with hmb and Hula) - these kids need teaching, but they need teaching targetted at meeting their needs.
One of our local comps has GCSE results of 14% (I think that's % of kids with 5 A-C grades). Anyway, that sounds horrific, but it really is not a bad school (though I wouldn't want my kids to go there!). But the backgrounds these kids are coming from is horrific - terrifyingly high levels of poverty and deprivation. I presume they have to spend time teaching the NC - science, MFL etc. It is quite clear that is not what these children need.

This from todays BBC

'Government figures suggest 15 million adults lack basic skills in numeracy and five million in literacy. '

So there are 5 million illiterate and inumerate people in the UK. What is the population of Wales, about 4 million!

Damn straight I swear. I'm pissed of with people putting sticking plaster on the collosal fuck up that is the current education system.

There is no point in someone undertanding photosyntheses if they can't read and right!

And I'm as evangelical a scientist as you can get. I love my subject, I think it is the dogs balls. But sometimes kids have to get some more fundimental concepts sorted first.

Write!

Interesting reaction

Will you be nice to me if I agree with you?

Well, you started being offensive and casting doubt on my professional capabilities, never having met me or seen me teach.

TBH i have no interst in what you think, either way. It is up to you I suppose.

But having endured offensive behaviour for the last hour of my working day I am not in the slightest bit interested in taking it on MN and then smiling.

Facinated to see that you, like me, have elected to send out children to private school.

Totally agree hmb.
It is so much more important for children to learn life skills. Especially when their chance of academic achievement is limited or these skills are not forthcoming in the home environment.

My autistic son is "average" at number work so therefore he is included in mainstream for this lesson. However, he can not use a sentence to reply to a question yet. He needs language and life skills so much more than the NC provide for but my LEA are all out for mainstreaming children like him.

I get very angry about the closure of special schools. We have a few in our county and they do great work. One of my ex work mates teaches in one. One to 4 ratio. One to 1 for some kids. Thusdays in Asdas day and they factor all the stuff round a shoping theme. So science, maths, personal care and english are taught but in a practical way. Fabulous and just what his students need. Not learning to fail in a mainstream.

AMeriscot - when was you last in teaching? Anmd what type of school? I am only asking as you appear to be somewhat out of touch of what real secondary school teaching is like. I know that when I moved from my top of the league job to hthis shool, which has since gone into SM, I was completely shocked and astounded at the behaviour, lack of ability and lack of inclination many pupils have. And as for parental involvement - what is that? Oh, you mean when the parents phone to tell you there kid isn't doing detention cos they don't agree with it, or you mean the 3 parents that did deign to turn up to parent's evening when I went on my day off?

"learning to fail in mainstream" is a very apt phrase. Would you mind if I use that with my LEA.

I don't believe I did question your professional abilities. I simply disagreed with your opinion that one should not teach science to pupils who do not have a minimum literacy and numeracy standard. I'm struggling to understand how I managed to upset you so much

Why the fascination over my school choice for my own kids. We all have choices...

Hulababy,

What makes you think I am out of touch with the real situation in schools? All I have said is that I believe that all pupils should receive some form of science education - why is that out of touch?

I taught in a very average comprehensive, btw, and had my fair share of difficult pupils. And I last taught a lesson exactly one week ago...Not sure why that's important.

You infered that I am only interested in teaching A* kids, you also said

'You can't just drop a subject from the curriculum because it's hard to teach. There are a variety of methods you can use with SN kids, especially with help from the SEN dept. '

So in other words I don't want to do it because it is hard for me, not that it is detrimental for my kids.

And the snide comment about 'my beloved' y9 class. You just have no idea.

You, like me choose to send your kids to a school where they can have small class sizes, you see that as an advantage, as I do. And then go on to lecture about how easy it is to teach disafected illiterate classes if only I knew how. Never mind that they are in classes of 14, with no support.

Whan did you last teach and in what sort of school?