What three things would you change about schools in general / your child's school?

[Racingsnake]

Everyone seems to like to moan about teachers / school / education, but no-one ever says how they would do it better. What 3 things would you change?

Here are mine:

1. Start formal education at 6 not 4
2. Halve class sizes. Whatever the gov't says about class sizes having no effect on chn, I am sure I would teach 16 better than 32
3. Reliable ICT that works, so that the teacher can use it to open up the world to the classroom, entertain and inspire

I agree with you Lemontart aout outside play. Ds came home yesterday with a filty boiler suit (we have to provide for outside play) as he and his mates had found a bit of mud but thought it wasn't muddy enough so went to the drinking fountain and carried water in their mouths, spat it in the mud patch and then spent 10 mins jumping up and down in it. He is 4.9 and a boy and was in totaly heaven!!! Made only possible by a relaxed approach to outdoors play and suitable clothing so as not to upset parents.

My children's independent secondary has many good features, but a fair number that need addressing:

1. I would pull the stick out of the behind of the entire management team
2. I would put the fear of god into certain of the older boys who think they are god's gift to the world and invincible
3. I would start a student newspaper

Off the top of my head as I think ds's infant school is fab
a) scrap the sat tests
b) make it policy to let parents just drop the kids at the classroom door instead of this start them off with the morning task bollocks ,which results in chaos and upset as I have no time to do this.
c)magically make the 200 yr old school building bigger with a mahoosive car park

I'll just dismantle ggirl's mahoosive car park if I may, as we live next to the local infants and both my children have asthma. The last thing they need is even more traffic fumes.

1. 25% increase in teachers pay providing the bottom 20% of teachers are kicked out and made to go and "do".
2. In league tables publish the proportion of children - state and private - who are privately tutored (50% and more in some schools)
3. Increase the school day by 30minutes

Why would you increase the school day? Not arguing, just wondering. Is it because as a teacher all the boring things you have to do squeeze out the creative, fun and inspiring things you would like to do?

1. more outdoor play/activity
2. More trips/outings
3. Smaller class sizes

Schools in general:

1. Start at 5/6 - not 4.

1. More male teachers

1. Smarter uniforms

My DC's school:

I would change nothing at all!

And I am very, very picky when it comes to education...

1. more flexible school start date

1. an end to the confusion between being "bright" and being "ready".

1. Possibly a later formal start for all kids.

Am the mother of a 6 year old who was a very late talker with receptive language delay but thrived as a result of his autumn birthday (didn't have to start until nearly five by which time he'd caught up).

My second child aged 3.5 is even later and born in August. I have secured deferment for a year (he will start reception at 5.0). I would like all mothers of summer-borns to have this choice

I agree with practically everything except smarter uniforms and a longer school day - would anyone care to tell me why these are a good idea?

I'm not sure about the longer day either. My son 4.9 already does 8.15 - 3 and goes to bed at 6pm as he is so tired after the school day.

Are those suggesting longer days really talking about primary school aged children?

1. Start at 7 but have full time nursery (play based education) from 5-7years.

1. Massively improve out door areas. Our school is just concrete, nothing to play on and nowhere to sit down.

1. One TA per class so the teacher has enough time for everyone.

Less uniform! I hate seeing four-year old in uniform. How sad is that? Even our children are not to be individuals.

I would say no uniform, but I know some people worry about designer labels/unsuitable clothes, so why not plain school colour sweat shirt over own clothes?

DH is French and went to school in a smock over his own clothes. Could we get 11-year old boys into smocks?

How do you get deferred entry?

1. Start at 7
2. Scrap all testing before secondary
3. Double the free-play time

Racingsnake.

In my LEA (Bradford) you just get a choice as of right if your child is born May or later. It is the same in Leeds. The year-deferred children start reception just after their fifth birthday.

But they are threatening to take this away for children in subsequent years and it makes me so sad and angry.

1. Start full time formal education at 3 (just kidding... sort of)
2. Improve parent-teaher communication through use of modern technology.
3. Upgrade the quality of school meals beyond the government minimum requirements which frankly are not up to snuff.
4. (I thought I might be allowed 4 since "1" was a joke) Smaller class sizes... maybe max of 20 in a class.

I'm sorry, I've thought of more and I just can't keep my mouth shut.

5. Smarter uniform, or at least the option for one. I hate the sweat cardigan. It is hideous. I want a real sweater. They should sell me a school patch and I would happily go source my own cardigan.

6. When I sign my 5 year old up for a lunchtime club the school should ensure she goes and not ask her if she wants to.

7. Stop telling girls that they are not as likely to succeed at math and science as the boys.

Okay, I'm finished (for now)

1. Better school - home communication.
2. I wouldn't necessarily delay school starting age but I would make it play based for longer (probably the whole of Key Stage 1).
3. More funding to improve buildings and play spaces to make them more inspiring places to learn.

Very angry and sad Dorset won't allow deferred entry. How dare they not allow mw to choose what is right for my child.

DD, born 8 weks premature, will have to start school at 4.1. And she is rather young for her age anyway.

Am angry for your Racingsnake. The whole system is a disgrace and if Jim Rose gets his way it will get worse not better

Loving this thread!

I am a state school primary teacher at a "good/outstanding" school but I still feel the need to send my DS to independant because the state systems needs:

1. Smaller class sizes - max 20.
2. A richer curriculum - outdoors running in the woods, learning first hand. Exploring, taking risks etc etc. 3)Formal education needs to be much later. 4)School should be about learning not behaviour management.
3. A loving family atmosphere.

I am sad to be the teacher in the staff room that people think let down the side, but I love my little boy and education is the most important thing you can provide your child.

My main bugbear is the fixation on age / peer groups. I would like to change to a flexible system like Scotland where being 'out of peer group' is normal.

I would scrap SATS and the Natioanl Curriculum and let (properly trained and supervised) teachers have some flexibilty in what to teach when.

For my dc's school I would not change a thing - they have been great at being flexible with the dc's in fact at everything ...

Marypoppins, can you really get all that in the independent sector? Especially 2) and 3)?

Carbonel, I didn't know that Scotland was so much more flexible about peer groups. I know that there is a policy that mixed age classes (like mine) should never exceed 24, imo the ideal number.

I have read some of these - and discovered that most of you should move to NZ. We start on 5th birthday, you have a right to go to your local school and they always have amazing outside areas that the children can play on at the weekend.

Mine would be:

1. Schools here finish mid December and start after our long holidays first week of Feb. Parents get the year planner thingie about a week before term 1 if they are lucky. I would change it so that parents get an update each term for the next 4 terms (ie, you always know roughly what's happening a year ahead).
2. I would get rid of long expensive woollen kilts that prevent girls from cycling to school and taking exercise at break times.
3. I would make sure that primary schools didn't get so large that they were bigger than the high schools the children go to next.