Groups petitioning for changes to compulsory school age & flexi schooling

[Thetherapyshed]

Does anyone know of any groups petitioning for changes to the uk education system? We know that children thrive when spending their formative years with their primary carers and small group settings. Many children are not ready for a prolonged separation at 4.5-5 years old and flexi-schooling should be offered to those who want to continue to care for their children at home beyond compulsory school age. Furthermore, in many countries children don’t start until the age of 7 and the outcomes academically are no different to those who start at 5. However, what is different, is their future mental health. The evidence that learning through free flow, child led play until 7 is better for the child’s mental health is unequivocal.

The system here is focused on getting parents to work and not on what’s best for our children. It is archaic and we have so much evidence to support change is needed.

Absolutely. Sensory overload in every way. And no you be looking at NT's definitely. Also a lot if children don't settle until Y2 when there is no free flow.

However, when these things are considered it is on the immense benefits of immersive play to children. And the design of an education system needs to be for the majority really. And probably more needs to be given to inclusion.

Try the fb group 'flexischooling families UK'
Some schools do have flexi approach.

How do families cope in Ireland with the short school days and the long school holidays?

My understanding is in countries like Sweden you are encouraged to send your child to nursery/pre-school so there aren’t many non-school activities available during the day for parents who decide to not send their child to nursery.

Also in countries like Finland children are taught to be independent much earlier than in England so will be walking to school on their own much earlier and will likely be latch key kids as the school day is much shorter than the work day and I think about 80% of Finnish parents work

I’m certain that my EYFS colleagues would be fascinated by your professional opinion that not much learning happens in reception classes. FMAL, it’s one of the steepest learning curves in the entire education system.

How incredibly privileged you are

Meanwhile you would like to make it harder for the teachers to teach the children who don't have the benefit of 6 adults attention and parents who can afford to work part time

That sounds rather self centred tbh

Exactly this. Children are still with parents the majority of the time even once they start school, it’s only 9-3 weekdays and term time.

But that’s not true. School is around 6 hours a day. Assuming 7am wake up and 7pm bedtime that’s 6 hours not at school. Plus weekends and school hols?

Your wants op are completely tailored to you and your family. Of course it can't work like that.

My girls were chomping at the bit to go to school at 4, they were like little sponges, very eager to get on with learning everything. They aren't particularly unusual.

Your suggestion of kids going whenever they like is obviously unworkable. So teacher teaches 2x table on Monday. Except your kid isn't there. So she has to teach it again. Etc. stupid idea.

It isn't that different. They have less of the half terms and 7 weeks at summer in primary school.

Like everyone else. Child minders amd clubs start at that time. It isn't different.

Also when I was in primary school the schools ran clubs for some weeks in the summer that we went to. You paid of course.

Secondary now that is a bit if a worry because it's 3 months in no exam years and you be looking at turning out teenagers on the streets. A lot do Irish college etc.

Most kids in Ireland go to secondary around 13 now. So quite a bit older.

I would also say that the just gone y3s have been an absolute nightmare. They were the class that missed reception due to covid. Covid has taught us that the year that CANNOT be missed is reception. They are a nightmare. Before I even start speaking someone's hand is up. I tell them they can go one after the other. Each fucking child gets in 'can I go now?' Yes!!! Fucking go. All my other teacher friends agree. We cannot wait for the reception missers from covid have left primary.

So true.

I am of the opinion that that time should be extended until the end of Y2.

Reception is the key time for learning phonics. If your DC’s is part time schooling, will you be covering the work he will be missing?

Flexi-schooling is already possible. It's just not mandatory for schools to agree to it.

There is no compulsory school in UK and you can homeschool. You can also send a child a year later. I think it is fantasy problem. Do not impose your choices on others. My child loved school from the very beginning

I had to do half days in reception - summer born and still remember the huge feeling of injustice that other children got to stay and have fun but I didn’t. Apparently I was unbearable and had epic tantrums. Careful what you wish for!

I agree with this. Have you considered OP how this would affect the class as a group with your child attending part time because it suits you. Very difficult for a teacher.

My sister did half days for part of Reception as a summer baby. (I think it was an option, not mandatory). Her slightly older friend was upset that her mum wouldn't pick her up early.

My brother (also summer born) did a term of Reception and 2 terms of year 1 after starting at 5.

In part of Germany where the cut-off date means that the youngest children in a year are starting school at not quite 6 (cut-off dates vary between states), there was a massive (and successful) campaign by parents to have it put back three months because 'still 5 is too young for them to be starting school'. All over Germany, many many children are deferred for a year (you do have to jump through a couple of hoops but de facto it's parental choice) so in any first year class you may have an age range of 5 and a half (early starting is an option too sometimes) to nearly 8. So the British unease about too-early schooling is not unique.

As PP said, in Germany almost everyone will have been in kindergarten at least 4 hours a day, more usually about 6, from age 3, and many with two working parents from long before that - there is a legal right to a place in subsidised childcare from age 1 (a rather theoretical right in some places atm as provision hasn't kept pace with the law, but it would be exceptionally rare not to have a place by age 3). These are generally run as very consciously 'not-school', so lots of free play, outdoor time, topic-based 'projects' and learning by discovery, and you won't usually find the staff encouraging reading and writing, though in some kindergartens there are some very limited, fun 'classes' around literacy and numeracy in the final year, and if an individual child is interested they won't be stopped. I do think the quite sudden switch to school with sitting at desks, timetabled lessons etc can be quite hard on some children, but they're old enough to navigate it by the time it happens. Usually lessons are mornings only (starting early, but shorter days than the UK in terms of hours) and afternoons are a kind of after-school club (voluntary but low, subsidised income-linked cost) that's a bit of a continuation of the principles of kindergarten but for older children.

Another point is that while kindergarten isn't compulsory, it is pretty universal and a child who's never been in a setting like that will probably really struggle with school. Most SAHPs will send their children to kindergarten for half days from about 3.

I've had all my children here, so never experienced the UK school system as a parent. I think there are things about it that sound lovely, but overall I think the German system gives the better deal to the majority of children, given real life circumstances (which OP seems to be well detached from).

This. You can send your child as little as you like intil the term after they are five, and the school have no control over what you do, so few people know this…

But to answer your question I don’t know. Try asking in one of the Facebook flexi-schooling groups

Later school start won't work in the UK unless childcare is made affordable - families just won't be able to afford to have both parents working and pay for childcare for that long so it'll be back to one parent staying at home and that vast majority of those parents will be mums, losing out on their careers. And then there's the fact that English is a difficult, complicated language, that takes longer to learn than some other languages.

Flexischooling sounds like it would be difficult for teachers. How can they make sure all the children in their class achieve the level they're supposed to when some are only in part time?

I do like a later start age better though, which is why I'm glad I live in Finland (where the children aren't learning to read and write in kindergarten actually, they do a little bit of introduction to literacy and pencil work in the term before they go to preschool but they don't actively teach them to read or write, its lots of play instead. Only one child in DD's class started preschool knowing how to read) not the UK any more, but its not a system that can be easily transferred, it requires more than just changing the school system.

Natsku - agreed - it would need a whole change of mindset, basically a shift towards a more social way of looking at things rather than considering children and the associated expenses an individual responsibility. Which would inevitably mean a shift to a higher-tax economy, which I can't see going down well at all in the UK.

In Germany you might get the odd person moaning about 'paying for other people's children' but generally it's a societal consensus that it benefits us all to invest in children. People with children get a (small) reduction in the percentage of income paid towards statutory social care insurance. And nobody really resents the state subsidies for childcare (which mean that, as a middle earner and on a very, very rough average, you'd be paying about 200-300 euro/month for a 6h place for a 1-2yo and about 150 for a 3-6yo).

(That's 6h/day - it's a bit more for FT, but not much more, I think).

Upstart Scotland are campaigning for a rise to 7. Give Them Time campaigned and won a change to the law to allow a parent chosen third funded nursery year for children born Aug-Dec (Jan/Feb births already had this).

Yeah with the subsidised system here you pay at most 300ish euros a month for full time childcare (depends on your income, I pay zero), and before/after school club for the 7-9 year olds can be around 100 euros a month, but that depends on where you are, some places are more expensive but not ridiculously expensive. If you had those prices in the UK I can only imagine the relief parents would feel, far less stress about trying to balance childcare and working.

Is it children not ready to go to school or the parents that don't want to send them?