School - BBC 2 - 9 pm

[HollowTalk]

Anyone watching?

ponty I agree with you.

Ja Rule I think will be much happier as an electrician.

Schools still seem to be in the mindset that if a pupil doesn't get the "right" results from school that his or her life is over.

Attainment targets are probably seen to be more important to the school than what's best for the pupil and his or her future.

Attainment targets are probably seen to be more important to the school than what's best for the pupil and his or her future.

Sadly this is true although I think schools do care, very much, it's just that they are under such scrutiny now that if they do decide to focus on individual students and not on performance indicators then they will be penalised, possibly lose their jobs.

It is a terrible system at the moment. Ideas are changing so quickly and nothing is left to embed properly before the next big idea is rolled out. Ofsted will name areas for improvement and yet by the next inspection these areas will be ignored, along with any improvements made, and different areas of criticism will be found.

You've got previously outstanding schools not being inspected for years yet now performing worse than RI schools but the RI schools are inspected every 3 years.

It's a big mess and all that's being achieved is losing experienced HTs and teachers.

I admit I also thought what's wrong with being an electrician.... Then I thought maybe I'm the odd one out thinking this...

No you’re not the only one thinking this. I think that attitude is a throwback from the 90s Labour mantra of “50% of young people should attend university”. Plus the pressure for “decent” destinations and outcomes data tables.

I think it has ruined the university sector, let down a lot of young people who thought an (expensive) uni education, no matter what their academic ability,,would guarantee them a good job, and deterred a lot of youngsters from learning a trade.

I can’t get a decent reliable plumber for weeks in my area. Whereas graduates looking for unskilled work are 10 a penny.

Preparation for Post-16 education and training needs a huge overhaul. To have got rid of so many vocational courses in schools Over the last few years just to try to fit every peg, no matter what shape, into a round Gove-shaped hole, was a huge mistake and we’re now reaping what we sow in terms of behaviour and poorer outcomes.

From this series it does appear schools like the NHS are expected to fix all society’s ills. The thing which struck me from watching all this series was where were the fathers of the problematic kids especially the boys. It seemed the mums were only featured and they were clearly struggling with their dcs’ behaviour.

That struck me too. Very telling that Ja’Rule agreed with his mum that he had no real male role model in his life. I do think boys need that, however hard-working and supportive their mum might be, if she is not with the father anymore. It doesn’t even have to be their dad. An older cousin or uncle or step-dad can provide that example of aspiration and hard work as long as they see them regularly.

In my experience, a lot of teenage boys also tend to show behavioural difficulties at school when they are upset by a poor relationship with their dad if their parents are separated. I don’t think it always helps kids to maintain regular access visits with their dad if their dad continually lets them down, cancelling arrangements, or favouring a new partner over the children, or by allowing inappropriate behaviour by trying to create more of a “mates” relationship too young, or by slagging off their ex-partner/discussing the difficulties they had in their marriage.

I’ve seen some very upset boys at work on a Monday morning when their access visit to their dad’s has not gone well.