does anyone know of a school that isn't mind-numbingly boring for children?

[whysoboring]

I'm feeling very sad for my children. They attend what is meant to be an "excellent" (sometimes "outstanding") school. Yet, they are bored and I'm bored observing the tedium of their school days.
Examples:
i) over-use of videos to introduce topics
ii) overuse of printed worksheets
iii) children mark each others' papers and read scores out loud to teacher
(( what do teachers actually DO??? They don't teach lessons; they don't make up questions; they don't mark papers.... I'm not sure they even review the papers after the children have market them to keep track of how individual children are progressing!!!)
iv) spelling work involves writing unrelated, simple sentences each one using a single spelling word (couldn't they be a bit more creative? ie ask children to write a paragraph using as many of the spelling words as possible? or use the spelling words to write sentences related to a "topic" they're learning in history or geography or PSCHE?
v) subjects are completely independent of each other -- no effort is made to incorporate learning from one subject with that of another (which could easily be done with, for example, geography and science or history and literacy
vi) oral reading consists of reading a single book aloud for the duration of a term or two or three (couldn't the teacher have them read aloud short stories which could be completed in a couple of weeks? or have children read ahead a few chapters in between the weekly oral reading sessions? or at least chose a book that's somehow related to something they're studying?
viii) the 3 or 4 weeks prior to exams are spent reviewing what they've learned -- seems to me they only learn new material for a few weeks out of every school year!!
vii) my younger child said a few weeks ago "i've figured out what school is about now. we learn something one term and review it the next".

viii) "reading comprehension" consists of copying words correctly and precisely in the same order as in the text.... there is no real "comprehension" required (in the sense of interpreting texts). My other child was marked down on a test for answering a question by writing something like "she likes to discover new things" rather than "she likes to find things out (the relevant phrase apparently being "find out" rather than "discover"????!?!?!?!?!?!!)

They are only 8 and 10 and already feeling bored by school. I remember loving school throughout the primary years. If it weren't for the positive social aspects of school, I'd be very, very tempted to try home education!!!

Does anyone know of a school (in or near London) where teachers are creative and actually TEACH? Where children are encouraged to enjoy learning?

I think you should home educate, you might then appreciate schools.

My kids are at a outer north London primary, they don't get bored by school. Some teachers are better than others and some classes seem to do more interesting fun work.

DD's teacher is particularly good, he takes them out into the playground and demonstrates things. I was early to pick up one day and saw the demo of opposing forces (children pulling skipping ropes in opposing directions). Subjects are combined, at the moment they are doing 'orienteering' around the school grounds (tbh I'm not sure what exactly this involves at their level) which is part of PE and Geography.

They go on reasonably frequent trips which are cheap or free as they use the tube as transport. Only reception doesn't go anywhere via tube but they do walk them to library etc instead. There seems to be an unofficial policy of only one trip by coach a year.

There are still days where they come out and tell me they did 'nothing' but mostly they have something interesting to tell.

Even if someone does know of this magical place where all the teachers are inspiring (all the time) it will be oversubscribed and your 2 won't get a place!

I've been broadly happy with my DC's primary, but it soooooo much depends on individual teachers, some have been super fab, most ok and a couple have been real duffers, nothing to be done about it as far as I can see?

I don't think my dcs' primary school is boring. I recently went to my Y1 ds's toy museum. Last term one of their topic was been toys. They'd learned about history through looking at old toys brought in from home, they'd learned about design through making new toys, they'd learned about other cultures through looking at toys around the word, they'd written about toys, they'd been to a toy museum, they'd probably even counted toys! The museum was absolutely fantastic. Creative. Joyful. The kids were incredibly (and rightfully) proud of what they'd achieved. There's a different topic every half term, subjects are taught in a cross curricular way, a big emphasis on creativity, kids are encouraged to be independent. little teaching to the test, some great teachers.

Dd's time in primary school is never boring the staff there go to a great deal of effort to ensure lessons are interesting. Ofsted commented themselves that the children are eager to attend because so much of what happens there is interesting and exciting.
Maybe you could look for a different school as I don't recognise any of your points made as happening in dd's school.

You're not fooling anyone, Mr Gove.

"Outstanding" probably represents the show that was put on for the days of the inspection. Ofsted wouldn't be very impressed by watching lots of videos.

My DCs go to a great school. In the past year they have learned about how to design and build a bridge, planted vegetables, taken care of a class pet (guinea pig), been on a trip to a workhouse as well as the usual mix of reading, writing and maths. I think schools are fantastic. (And I'm not even a teacher).

Well dd is taught by many teachers over the course of the week (8 at least because of streaming and specialist subject teachers) and they all seem to make their lessons interesting so maybe there aren't poor teachers in her school

I'd go and look around other schools. Ask questions, compare, see if kids seem engaged. Even if you don't move them, it will give you an idea of what's out there.
Some schools can be very good at drumming in the basics and getting good results, but not much else.
DS went to a school he described as very boring for the end of Y5 and Y6. He couldn't wait for secondary school.

Obviously I'm feeling particularly "down" today! There are some lovely things about the school -- all the "extras" are well taught (ie music lessons, PE, play time, small "dramatic productions", etc and they do a few interesting excursions during the year. It just seems like the actual academic part is uninspiring. When I read comments such as littleduck's and neolara's I wonder where oh where can I find a similarly creative school. Or... when I read comments by mrz and other teachers on mumsnet, I wonder where I can find a school with teachers who are so dedicated. I come from a family of teachers (parents and grandparents, many aunts, etc) and I know how hard many of them worked to create interesting lessons and run schools (not in the UK). They actually made lesson plans and wrote problems for children to solve and graded papers themselves and gave extra work to children who didn't learn the lessons the first time (or who were ready for greater challenges). My children's teachers seem to hand out photocopied pages or print things from websites or show films.... there seems to be little effort to engage the children in any sort of discussion about "topics" or to tailor lessons to children's abilties, etc. I just hate seeing my children so bored... (and they're not boring children! they are very curious, avid readers, etc; and they're not "top of their classes" either (ie they're not bored because it's too easy.. they're bored because the lessons are uninspiring....)
I'm not quite sure why I posted.... just felt a need to let off a bit of steam after a particularly depressing few weeks of school drudgery.

Vess... I do plan to try to look around other schools. It's so hard, though, to know what a school is really like until you're "inside". This school has a great reputation. I wonder whether other parents just keep quiet about the problems because they don't want to admit they made a mistake. Or... they're so pleased they're children are getting good marks on exams they don't care that it's all so mind-numbing (good marks are achieved because the children are drilled and drilled and drilled until the prescribed answers come dribbling out of their heads). I almost cried a few weeks ago when my older daughter was doing a "comprehension" at home. She got very annoyed and said "I know what answer I'm SUPPOSED to write but it's not correct. The question is wrong" (the question made an incorrect assumption about a historical character). I told her to write what she thought was correct and not worry what was "the right answer". She said "but I'll be marked wrong". I told her it didn't matter how she was marked, she should write the answer she thought was correct and explain why she thought it was correct. A few days later, I asked how the paper was marked. She said she didn't know. The teacher had put the "right" answers up on the white board and the children were meant to correct their own papers. She just left that question unmarked because she didn't know what to do .... and that was it. No feedback from the teacher (who presumably didn't even look at what the children had marked). Is this how Y5 English classes are conducted at other schools?!!?

I would say that pretty much ANY school of my experience (even the one which turned my DS into a selective mute, and then crashed into Special measures) is less boring than the one that you describe. And that ranges from 'satisfactory' schools in very challenging circumstances all the way yup to big MC primaries with great SATs results.

(Actually, I do harbour suspicions that the supposedly 'outstanding' school that I deliberately didn't send DS to when we moved is rather like the one you state... desperately preserving a 'fossilised' form of 'what they did when the Ofsted inspector came' plus 'what we need to do to keep the test results high because we don't want to be inspected under the new regime').

Go and look at other schools...even the ones that your friends will be astonished that you might consider....

If all that is true I cannot see how the school has a good let alone outstanding rating. Our school ( I am a governor) has recently come out of special measures and the quality of teaching has been a massive development area, one that the teachers are working hard to address. I am expected to monitor quality of teaching and am told to look for passionate inspiring teaching, motivated engaged children, child led investigative activities, lots of talking and discussion on the part of the children... nothing like you have described. When was the school last inspected?

It sounds to me as though the school is using 'Assessment for Learning' but in an thoughtless way. Possibly the HT is a bit of a control freak and therfore very prescriptive about how teaching is done. OP have you thought about training as a teacher yourself? You sound like you'd be good.

On the plus side -- boredom is supposed to encourage creativity! As long as you do interesting things with your children at home, help them choose good books etc they'll be fine.

Fwiw, I do remember being so bored at primary school that I had to smuggle my own books in... It didn't turn me off education but was the start of a rich inner life that has got me through many tedious meetings .

Under the new OFSTED framework a school like you describe would not be good, let alone outstanding. It's much harder to pull things together and have a sudden outstanding series of lessons with less than 24 hours notice.

Your description also sounds nothing like DD's school and it doesn't sound anything like the school I work at either, or the schools my friend's DC go to. DD loves school. She's in y6 and is no way bored or uninspired. She gets to do so much and loves learning. I don;t think she is unusual.

My DCs school ain't boring - its all fun,fun, fun.

But all 3 of my children have serious gaps in their education. Ie leaving Y6 not knowing their times tables. With atrocious spelling. 1 DC can't read. 1 DC always writes 'D' instead of 'd' and he's not pulledup on it etc, etc.

Unfortunately because school is so much fun they refuse to be home educated.

That doesn't sound like my experience, not in my DCs school and not in the one I work in (mind you, I'm not a teacher). I don't know what the answer is, maybe looking for a different school or HE, but as you say there are the friendship and social aspects... tough one.

I don't think you should tar all teachers with the same brush though. The ones I have come across (mostly) certainly DO teach - and plan, mark, differentiate, set tests, give feedback, do cross-curricular topic work, etc.

Doesn't sound like an 'outstanding' school at all, my the primary my DD2 attends (rated 'good', not 'outstanding' does none of these mind-numbing things. I'd be looking at other schools and not assuming that all schools are like this.

Journalist alert
just felt a need to let off a bit of steam after a particularly depressing few weeks of school drudgery

It's the Friday of Half term : all real parents have just had a week off school ......
Hi there Sarah Vine, we meet again.

My daughter absolutely loves her school. I don't think she's learned anything useful at it, but she adores it. I'm pretty sure I could turn her into a spotty teenager at home who knows about five hundred times as much and can explain the relevance and contents of the periodic table at five. But I'm pretty sure she'd be nothing like as happy. (She'd know more.)

My DD skips excitedly into school every day and bounds out at 3pm full of new stuff she's found out. Seems pretty normal to me.

Thanks for your replies!

talkinpeace -- i don't understand your post.

crystalsinger -- i agree with you that "fun" doesn't necessarily equate to "good". but a school CAN be both creative and good (and it seems many people on this thread are fortunate to have found such schools for their children!)

heartstrump -- i don't want to "tar" teachers as a group. i know many very dedicated teachers (some, as I said, from my own extended family) and it's obvious from reading posts from teachers on mumsnet that many are very dedicated and apparently effective.

My children enjoy going to school because they have great friends and interesting clubs, etc -- they seem to like everything about school EXCEPT their classes. I don't expect them to love maths and english and other subjects the same way they enjoy art club, for example, but i'd like them to at least find their classes interesting.

Oh well... I will begin to explore other options but I know it's very hard to figure out what a school is really like until your children are "on the inside" and even schools that seem to be excellent most likely have a teacher or two who are not quite as excellent... So perhaps I should just be glad they're happy with the social aspects of school and continue to look for ways to sustain their curiosity and excitement about learning through activities outside of school.