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!

Senora & Carrie - I thought the point of this thread was to talk about hypotheticals - thinking about how we could do things differently to how they are done today. This means that the science NC would be completely up for modification!

I still stand by the opinion that many elements of the science curriculum are vitally important to all our youngsters, so that they can be equipped with important life skills. Teaching science is not (just) about finding future scientists!

Maddiemo, and your child should have the right to teachers who understand his needs and can meet them. Not 10 different teachers who have all been told the lie that 'Every teacher is a SN teacher'. I don't know what to do for some of the kids I teach. I follow the IEPs but is in nowhere like enough. To be honest soemtimes it is downright insulting.

Ignoring my posts again, what fine debating. make an unfounded comment. have it challenged and then ignore it. You are a star

Hula,

I do realise that SEN texts are appealing to teenagers, even if they are written at KS1 level. But I wonder if the powers that be were to implement a KS3 SEN curriculum for L&N only, whether the subject matter of these texts would satisfy and stimulate over a 5-hour teaching day. Surely they would need to branch out into topics not concerning everyday relationships (ie humanities and science topics).

Do tell me what you want me to comment on, HMB, and I'll do my best to oblige.

And still she ignores me. What a wonderful debate style. Insult and then ignore

This is getting tiresome...

My posts when I list all of the resons why I feel teaching science as we do is counter productive to the child. You made the nsulting comment that it was for my benefit. Others picked you up on the rudeness too

Sorry, HMB, I must be such a dolt that I don't see where I am being rude to you. If there is something specific, you are going to have to tell me. I am trying really hard to comment on opinions and behaviour and not on the person.

hmb My LEA claim that every teacher can teach SN. Yet our Director of Education admits he knows little about SN as it is only one part of his job and as such he can't know everything.

However he can earn a DofEducation wage, while you the teacher earn a teachers wage and have to know it all.

you said

'From what you have written, HMB, I conclude that your reasons for not teaching science to difficult kids is because it is too hard on the teacher. I don't think you like when I summarise it like this - but I don't know what else to think. '

Where have I said anything that supports this highly condemnatory comment?

And you can't see why I am upset? Since you said 'I don't think you like it' You obviously realise thatyou are being insulting.

I work for a literacy charity that trains volunteers to go into primary school to work with children on a one to one basis. I see children every day who in Yr6 primary cannot read 'The Cat in the Hat' for instance. They have no books at home, have never been read to, have never had the pleasure of even pop-up books or lift the flap books. It makes me & .

How can these children cope with the National Curriculum once they get to secondary school? One size doesn't fit all.

Yes, but Ameriscot, '8 & a teaching assistant' doesn't come as standard. I've got both bottom set Year 11s at the moment, having taken on a colleague's whilst she's on Maternity Leave.

Each group started life in Year 10 as 23. What with permanent exclusions, persistent truants & remandings in custody, I'm now down to 17 or so most lessons...& occasional help from an ETA.

I'm doing my best, I've got pretty much all their coursework in (for what it's worth) & we're actually quite enjoying a bit of Arthur Miller at the moment. However - in each group there's 4 or 5 whose literacy is so poor that they are NEVER going to be able to achieve a grade worth having on the Literature paper.

I would simply question whether it is productive for these students to spend so much of their time following a 'bog standard' curriculum. I'd gladly teach a reduced Literature component to them - I could sketch out a scheme of work for it in a few hours. The National Curriculum says I can't do that - all I can do is disapply them from English Literature GCSE.

& if I do that - they have to be removed from their timetabled group. Which effectively, budgetary constraints being what they are, means 'dumped in the library, to wander the corridors & smoke outside my colleagues' teaching rooms'.

It's not exactly ideal.

Sorry, HMB, but all I have to go on is what you, yourself, have written. I'm not going to review exactly what you have said as I can't be bothered, frankly, at this stage. But I do STR that you were bothered about worksheets that were too hard and out-of-control practicals. These issues seem to smack of teacher problems just as much as pupil problems - sorry, that's my opinion.

No one said that teaching is an easy job.

I'm not advocating the current, "bog-standard" curriculum, Carrie. All I am saying is that all pupils should have some amount of science education.

Oh Ameriscot, I hope you still feel the way you do now five years down the line! You probably will - if you get a job in a private school where they are all motivated!

See my post of 9.34.

Any yet more insults. Now their behaviour is all my fault. The fact that they are the same in all lessons is not your probelms is it?

You are a very offensive person. Lets drop some more crap onthe teacher, shall we? You've read my last PM observation with that class have you?

She isn't teaching full time at the moment

Maybe if you 'can't be bothered' to read what hmb actually wrote, you shouldn't comment on it...?

Just a thought...

Naw, she knows better than I do. I just teach 'em. And I'm too lazy and a crap teacher. So it is all my fault. You can't expect her to read what I have written fgs!

Yeah, I'm offensive because I don't agree with your opinion. Whatever HMB.... I've tried to be respectful and am disappointed that you could not find it in you to reciprocate I guess there is no sisterhood amongst teachers.

Carrie, I've put rather a lot of effort attempting to understand HMB's pov. Having gone round the block multiple times now, my enthusiasm for trying to unravel this mystery is waning rapidly,. I blame the Chardonnay, personally

I have now decided that this is an utter waste of time. You have no interst in reading what I have written. You are very offensive and know nothing about the children or the circumstances that I have been outlining. So I'm going to go to bed.

I stand by everything I have written except one. Arseholes are essential.

HMB, you have to understand that I cut my teeth in corporate America. This means that you have to "spell it out" to me in your writings. I am trained not to hunt for things.