What would you think we should be taught in schools?

I am trying to build up an idea of what else should have been taught school. Please be as detailed as you can with the list and help spread this message.
Examples can be.
Pensions
Credit Cards
CV Building
Confidence
Mental Health
Global Issues

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Azurekalyani

i don't think it will change even if everyone knows, the school system is been the same or years and years always the useless information its always given us, I suspect there's a deeper meaning and reasoning behind it. but have you seen that 'don't stay in school vid' it went viral and still things are the same...😣 but at least finland schools are successful.

First aid

Original post by Iliketurtles19

We cover that in PSHE and in the sixth form tutor periods.

Reply 4

neko no basu

Original post by Muttley79

We cover that in PSHE and in the sixth form tutor periods.

my school never did that :cry:

Think they covered mental health once, and there was a bit of cv building stuff in year 10 when we did work experience but that was it.

Reply 5

claireestelle

Original post by Iliketurtles19

first aid, including mental health first aid, about wills and mortgages and such

Reply 6

Charlie101998

More domestic sciences. Things like using washing machines, sewing, cooking. When I was in school I only did cooking and that was just for the first two years. I wish I did more.

Reply 7

MidgetFever

Better sex ed, after seeing some of the threads in TSR it makes me wonder what they're teaching nowadays. :afraid:

Reply 8

Foxehh

Original post by MidgetFever

Better sex ed, after seeing some of the threads in TSR it makes me wonder what they're teaching nowadays. :afraid:

PRSOM

Reply 9

Native087

drugs
politics
mental well-being* -> relationships/grievance/stress
financial advise -> value of money/savings accounts/mortgage + loans explained
good angles and stick control for hitting naughty shots on carrier

Reply 10

Mesopotamian…

I’ll be honest, if you tried giving me a lesson on mental health and confidence in secondary school (which I’m pretty sure my school covered in PSHE lessons anyway) I wouldn’t listen and just use it as an opportunity to zone out for 50 minutes :redface:

Reply 11

gjd800

Original post by Mesopotamian.

Pretty much what I did in every lesson minus English, haha

Reply 12

Ne en mia nomo

Climate change
Employment rights. Too many employers exploit young workers because they don't know their rights.
Taxes
Home economics - paying bills, costs of running a house etc
Comprehensive history of Britain and the World - including all the negative and embarrassing bits
Hygiene (I know it should be thought at home, unfortunately not all parents can pass down their wisdom)
At least 1 foreign language

Reply 13

username5397810

Basic Self defense in PE

Reply 14

Mustafa0605

None of that stuff is academic. You can work out most of that sort of stuff using google.

Reply 15

Always_Confused

The national curriculum (while flawed) does actually teach a lot of what people are listing.
First aid and self defense are two very good ideas. Sex education definitely needs a overhaul but then school's have to fight with what parents do or don't want their kids to know.
But you are taught to calculate interest in maths. This knowledge should be enough for someone to figure out the best credit card for them and work out taxes etc.
Plus with a wealth of information out there on the internet and easy to use apps etc... It really shouldn't be up to a teacher to teach someone how to live..
I think school's would do better to encourage independence so people feel confident to look up information themselves. I think schools are too clinical as well in that a lot of pupils see them as being outside of their "real life". I think if there was better integration of the schooling system into everyday life, more pupils will realise that they that have been taught a lot of life skills through studying basic maths, english and science.

Reply 16

hajima

Original post by Muttley79

We cover that in PSHE and in the sixth form tutor periods.

It’s nice that your school does that. Hundreds of thousands of students are not taught it (properly), however, and they should be.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 17

Ne en mia nomo

Original post by Always_Confused

Yes, all the information is available on the internet. However, if you don't know what to look for, how can you find it?
Like my friend who moved out of their parents house and went into complete meltdown when she received her first council tax bill, as she didn't know such a thing existed and she did not budget for it.
There should be some kind of class in school that teaches your rights and responsibilities as a UK citizen and also about finances, healthcare etc. Not all parents are capable to teach it, and kids shouldn't be disadvantaged because of that.

Reply 18

gjd800

We should learn the Monster Mash

Reply 19

Always_Confused

Original post by ZR246

But you're taught how to read and comprehend a piece of information. Council tax bills inform you how to pay. They give detailed instructions on how to call, pay online or go into a bank and pay.
Plus, doing these things isn't consistent across the country. Every council works differently. School's would have to teach a general form and students should apply that knowledge in the context they find themselves in. Which is really what school's currently do. They teach a generalised form that can be applied to a whole host of contexts.
Science experiments teach to follow instructions. This knowledge and skill can be transferred to following the instructions to pay a bill, following a recipe, building a desk.
School's really shouldn't have to teach someone how to pay a bill when that information is readily available out there and they have given people the skills to act on that information.