calling all disillusioned primary teachers!

[Bronte]

I have taught since 1987 across ks2 and 1 and although I managed to escape the post ken baker era with its prescriptive straitjacket NC, and continue my work in the independent sector I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with the systems we impose on our young learners.
Levels,targets and testing leave a bitter taste in my mouth. So much of it seems to be a waste of time, not there for the benefit of the children,but paper filling for the benefit of Ofsted. My year 1 daughter came home with a slip of paper outlining her literacy target: to use capital letters and fullstops in her writing.
How dull and uninspiring! Our year 4's and 5's still forget these literary technicalities. Surely there must be loads of othe teachers out there who feel the same but are scared to question and criticise their employers.
The swedish method looks interesting . Are Montessori schools similar to this?
Any comments, feedback please??

It might have been assumed, but one of the current issues is that there are not enough minutes in the KS2 timetable for all the subject allocations, and double accounting can only get you so far. Subjects have been added over the years with nothing taken out. MFL for an hour seems to be the latest, or have I missed one?
Some schools have heads that are very focused on OFSTED and time allocations, and pass that priority onto staff as a diktat.
Yes, we have to produce planning for everything Feenie, and it's checked weekly.
I am currently reading Moomintroll Midwinter to my class.

"Yes, we have to produce planning for everything Feenie, and it's checked weekly."

I hope it's retrospective Literacy planning? I have tangled with more than one Head regarding the appalling practice that some seemed to require - planning produced for the week ahead. How the hell can you plan Thursday etc until you know how Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday went?

The teachers tried retrospective submitting of plans but SMT didn't like it. Now we submit plans for the week ahead, and the previous week's plans, annotated.
The insane thing is that you have to plan a full week, even if you are rehearsing the school play for 1/3 of your lesson times. So you plan lessons you aren't going to teach, because that is what you are ordered to do.

Bonkers! .

I started to link "Planning Guidance for Teachers for you, which was produced in response to the NUT's complaints about Heads like yours, and then noticed how old it is - signed by Estelle Morris, flipping heck! At least she was an Education Secretary who had actually taught. Still not much use though.

Until everything is nailed down to the letter and legally enforceable, heads will be able to interpret the guidances how they choose.
It's one of the downsides.

True

one of the current issues is that there are not enough minutes in the KS2 timetable for all the subject allocations

There are no statutory requirements for time allocated to subjects although some schools still insist on every subject being taught every week.

That's interesting, and not what my headteacher believes.

www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/f/flexibilityinthenationalcurriculum/index.cfm?code=faqu

How much time do you have to spend teaching each subject?

The amount of time spent teaching each subject is for individual schools to decide and they can organise their timetables to reflect the school's individual needs, strengths and values. For example, as long as the whole programme of study was covered, it would be possible to teach citizenship through history or English, or to have combined Humanities lessons instead of geography and history.

Hah, bet all that will stop under the new curriculum!

Love all your comments about reading to children. I like the 5 a day rule! I love reading stories to all ages and isn't it amazing how your worst toublemakers turn into little pussycats at story times?
I always use a story as a stimulus for our literacy work. Have just done a unit of work based on Lydia Monks's Aaarrgghh, Spider!They loved it!

I'm not a disillusioned teacher so shouldn't really be on the thread. But as a parent I am heartened to learn that some teachers share my view of the obsession with capital letters and full stops which seems to start with the Early Years Foundation Stage (and can't be working very because my Year 3 dd still hasn't got the hang of it despite everyone banging on about it since Reception).