Can someone in the know explain this much touted 'Swedish school system' please?

[ampere]

We are now constantly hearing ministers telling us about how this new 'parent led' school system will work, 'like the Swedish model' but no one has yet actually laid out WHAT that system is and how it works, what its strengths and weaknesses are.

My tuppence worth is scepticism that any system designed for an equal and egalitarian society will work here in competitive, class and wealth obsessed Britain!

We all say we want 'good schools' as an abstract concept, but we want our own DC's school to be better than the rest.

Why, frakkit?

Why a school? Cos that's what I spend my life daydreaming about.

My dream school would offer IB, have bilingual streams, not introduce writing/reading so early, actually teach grammar, get rid of the not-so-great bits of the NC.... All sorts of things. I'd love to have a Forest School element to it too and it would be as environmentally low impact as possible: recycling, electricity production and the children would help grow organic vegetables and learn to cook them. But then my dream school is in a big building in the countryside! In a city we'd have a roof garden

I can dream! But I'd love to see some if those things in any school instead of the way they've been stifled.

Like I said - I don't think just pinching another system will work though, it needs to be a cultural change.

We're starting Forest School next term! We're sooooo excited!!!

We tried IB a couple of years ago, using all the questioning techniques and some model planning. However, although the head was keen to sign up, becoming an IB school was really expensive (training sessions were held in Turkey and Bern!!) We don't use the IB questions any more, but it did help us to tailor our curriculum to be child-led (particularly in KS1).

Really, you need to come and buy our school, lock, stock and barrel! Big building, woods nearby, lots of field space for animals and planting (which we are just about to develop)... and stop all this push for writing in KS1!

Here is a link to the Swedish education system in English
www.skolverket.se/sb/d/190
I used this site for my degree in early years, to compare the 2 countries.

I like some PYP approaches but it's true, becoming an IBO school is massively expensive and time consuming, which is why it will probably only ever be a dream...

Pure PYP is dangerous IMO - I've seen it done very badly. It needs to be backed up by an actual curriculum and scheme of work. Encouraging child led enquiry does not mean no planning!!!

Very interesting purepurple. I hope they take up the idea that fully inclusive education doesn't always work.

I have a hearing impaired child and a visually impaired child in my class. We are still waiting for equipment for the VI child (final statement went through in February), and, although hosts of experts have come to observe her, I have had no concrete advice about what to do with the HI child (who also has MLD). It makes me so cross for the children.

One of the pages Skolverket link to in your link is a book to explain the change in learning outcomes. There is a reason for that- Sweden has dropped down the international ladder of educational achievement since the introduction of these private schools. From the search words it looks as if the author tries to explain it by societal changes and immigration and that may well be part of the explanation. But it is at least worth noting that results have dropped.

Also worth noting that there is a general perception among Swedish youngsters and their parents that these schools will give you an easier ride. In the short term this sounds nice- with the Swedish system of in-house continuous assessment it means you can get high marks for less work- but the problem comes when you then arrive at university and have to compete against other students with (whatever is left of) the oldfashioned state education.

this swedish company are taking over schools in our area KUNSKAPSSKOLAN