What would your ideal education system be like?

[MotherofInvention]

I grew up in Scandinavia in the 1970s, where most kids went to kindergarden or just knocked around at home with a SAHPs or grandparents until the age of 7. We all went to neighbourhood state school because there weren't any private ones. There was no pressure to move to get into the 'right' school, no hectic traffic-ridden school run as we all went to a local school which was walkable, no uniforms and no grades or exams until we were 13. I loved it, and would prefer my kids to experience something similar.

Every single parent I've met in the UK has concerns about their children's schooling, especially about starting them at 3 or 4. And it seems many teachers feel the same way - have a look (and listen) here: Call to start school at age six

So if you were PM for a day or two in charge of the education system, what would you change, if anything?

But it isn't just about the education system is it? Many of the facets of our education system are driven by social factors. Far fewer families have stay at home parents or grandparents to look after children. And one of the reasons subsidised preschool education starts to early is that there is already a significant difference between children coming from different socio-economical backgrounds by the time they start school.

I am always intrigued as to why it is only ever Scandinavia which is singled out as closer to the ideal. I suspect inbound immigration to Scandinavia by families who would have access to a system closer to the English one remains relatively low.

I'm not sure starting school later is good for all children. Children from families who place a high value on education and have the resources to educate their children would probably be fine if they started later. Children from less advantaged families would be way behind their peers if they didn't start formal education until 7.

I think a more flexible approach is the answer.

It would give all us lovely teachers twice as much hoilday!! Sorry

There will never be an ideal education system that suits all children and I don't think any amount of governement intervention does anything to bridge the huge inequalities. Education has always been a middle and upper class institution and children from those backgrounds for the most part are more likely to do well out of it for all sorts of reasons.
I worked in education for five years.
My ideal education system would be one that views children holistically - not as statistics to be pushed through hoops for results and league tables. Children do not all learn at the rate the government sets out and too many children fail uneccesarily for the sake of a couple more weeks. Active learning should be combined with more traditional methods as all children learn differently. I've worked with teachers who have no idea about child development and therefore don't know children move from concrete to abstract and some never make that leap. How can you possibly understand how children learn if you don't know your child development so I would change the whole training structure too - I think the old training was better.

Well I would:

Scrap private schools
Scrap faith schools
Scrap SATS
All children go to the primary school nearest their home.

Smaller class sizes.

Breakfast and afterschool clubs in all schools.

All children follow same curriculum up to age of 14, then test. Option then according to ability/temperament to follow an academic path OR follow a vocational path with focus more on practical skills - office/mechanical/nursing etc etc

Much more investment in schools, with a focus on poorer areas so that no-one is deprived of the chance to a GOOD education.

Starting school later is a bit of a red herring.

Many countries with age 7 starting age have institutionalised pre-school/daycare. I don't think it is a case of staying at home with mum until 7 for very many families.

Allowing parental rights to a choice for state education has made the system chaotic, but it is easy to say you should go to your local school when you live in a nice neighbourhood with a high % of educated parents.

What everyone wants is their local school to be good so that they won't have any qualms about their children going there. But you can't just invent good schools, even by throwing money at them. You need the right parental support by providing you with a socialised child who is eager to learn, and will support the school in both the child's education and formation.

The firmest foundation of a good education system is good parenting, so that is where the government should be tackling issues, not meddling with the school system.

Learning through play to continue to age 7.
Teachers teach to individual learning styles.
Smaller class sizes across all ages.
Less emphasis on written presentation, children given more opportunity to present learning in different formats.
Use of concrete apparatus to be encouraged with older children.
Multi-sensory teaching across the curriculum.

"Teachers teach to individual learning styles"

Cornsilk - how would you do this with a class of 30?! And all children have a range of learning styles that change and change again.

"Learning through play to continue to age 7"

Don't we play when learning all our lives Cornsilk?

"Don't we play when learning all our lives "

I don't believe we do.

Reduce social inequality before starting on the schools
Make all schools secular by law
Ensure that poor teachers can be identified and supported/trained
More streaming
Take disruptive pupils out of mainstream education and support them in special units
Ensure that schools receive equal levels of funding
Remove the responsibility for buildings and maintenance from schools and centralise the procurement much as they did (to good effect) in the NHS
Introduce administrators into schools to do proper budgets, and manage the IT infrastructure
Take more direct action to support underperforming schools

Yes we do!

You get a new sat nav for Easter, you play around with it until you understand it etc!

We do it all the time.

Ah, Marypoppins, I would have said that we learn while playing so probably misunderstood when you said that we play while learning.

I don't think that some children feel like it's playing when made to sit through some lessons they're not keen on.

Well that's because they are not in my class!!

mary poppins - this is an ideal education system. Class sizes wouldn't be 30 ideally they would be much smaller.

Provide adequate funding to make inclusion work

I have a tiny class this year. It's odd though, I think you need about 20 to have a good balance.

Addressing different learning styles should really make differentiation easier as the children should become more independent learners. So some examples might be teachers planning for a balance between writing and talk within lessons, having enough concrete materials which the children were trained to use independently, allowing thinking time and time for children to question each other and explain their thinking.

I think that happens every day in class. I think learning styles is just the latest buzz to be honest. Children need to work in different ways to keep learning interesting BUT they also need to work in ways less comfortable to them as this extends their learning too.

To me the real issue in schools is the need for more freedom, less testing and more adult support. I'm sorry Mrz but its not possible to include all children and infact many become more excluded as a result of trying to stay in mainstream settings.

tryingtobemarypoppins with respect I think you are missing the whole point of this thread. The title says it all ideal education system ...

many children's special needs could be fully met given adequate funding

No Mrz I get it! I just don't agree with you.

How would you include a Downs child in year 6 functioning at a developmental age of 5 year old in an ideal education system???

Having just taught a child with a developmental age of 18 months in a class of 30 my life would have been much easier if there had been funding to meet her needs and provide an extra adult.

I don't think an extra adult would enable you to provide an 'inclusive' education. I just don't think inclusion provides the best education. Special schools can provide so many very special things that are needed by these children. With a developmental age of 18 months a child would need an environment far far removed from 'schooling'.

So in my ideal education system, children would be given the right to be educated in the right environment.

And with funding can't mainstream employ the specialists and purchase the equipment found in special schools while allowing the child to remain within a familiar "community" and with their friends?

It could but in reality they will be taught alone, in different classes away from their friends, not inclusive! This is a different thread I think.