I agree with this so much it made me make a Substack account just to respond. I was bullied badly at school, left there with no friends and minimal GCSEs. Went to college after a year and was able to focus on what I really wanted to do, re-sat my maths GCSE and I've been making use of my Public Services BTEC (make of that what you will) ever since. Forcing kids to sit through hours of schooling that they either won't remember or won't use is useless. It's time the whole system had a shakeup and the kids were put first, not the budgets
School is based on values and needs of over 150 years ago and has not been updated since. Nursery and preschool is to prepare children for socialising and for recognising their own name, then primary is to learn to read, write and socialise more. Secondary is to prepare for testing of what you have learnt in primary and the first three years of secondary… then college is to build on any specialties or likes you may have in the hope that you will ‘never work a day if you enjoy what you do’… uni is then for those that decide to know more - for better or worse.
The only things that have changed are in the workplace… entrance to basic jobs may be easier in some ways, but to be above minimum wage and respected some companies prefer degree equivalent and above - so how do we do it? We need a complete overhaul of the schooling ideas and values, which in turn should filter through and change what is taught, how it is taught, and hopefully improve overall outcomes and achievements of the children and young people themselves. Your whole newsletter this week just happens to be a huge passion of mine… I will stop there though for now as I can chat about this in depth and bore most people to death…
I agree with this so much it made me make a Substack account just to respond. I was bullied badly at school, left there with no friends and minimal GCSEs. Went to college after a year and was able to focus on what I really wanted to do, re-sat my maths GCSE and I've been making use of my Public Services BTEC (make of that what you will) ever since. Forcing kids to sit through hours of schooling that they either won't remember or won't use is useless. It's time the whole system had a shakeup and the kids were put first, not the budgets
School is based on values and needs of over 150 years ago and has not been updated since. Nursery and preschool is to prepare children for socialising and for recognising their own name, then primary is to learn to read, write and socialise more. Secondary is to prepare for testing of what you have learnt in primary and the first three years of secondary… then college is to build on any specialties or likes you may have in the hope that you will ‘never work a day if you enjoy what you do’… uni is then for those that decide to know more - for better or worse.
The only things that have changed are in the workplace… entrance to basic jobs may be easier in some ways, but to be above minimum wage and respected some companies prefer degree equivalent and above - so how do we do it? We need a complete overhaul of the schooling ideas and values, which in turn should filter through and change what is taught, how it is taught, and hopefully improve overall outcomes and achievements of the children and young people themselves. Your whole newsletter this week just happens to be a huge passion of mine… I will stop there though for now as I can chat about this in depth and bore most people to death…
Viva la revolution 😎