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If you were in charge of the education system in the UK what would you do?

As title, If you were in charge of the education system what would you change/keep the same etc.

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I would want to focus on also teaching more practical life skills. I would also want to alter the system in schools regarding stress and pressure. Obviously the system is a lot more complicated but yeh :smile:
Ban private schools, reintroduce selective grammar schools. Very very simple fair and effective way to raise standards and not discriminate by class in this country.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by SaucissonSecCy
Ban private schools, reintroduce selective grammar schools. Very very simple fair and effective way to raise standards and not discriminate by class in this country.


Ahh that’s interesting 🤔
Reply 4
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hotpud
18
Original post by SaucissonSecCy
Ban private schools, reintroduce selective grammar schools. Very very simple fair and effective way to raise standards and not discriminate by class in this country.

Hmmm - are you sure this would do that? There are two state grammar schools in Altringham, Cheshire. Would you be surprised to discover that the average house price in the catchment of these schools is around £800k+. It is well known that in areas that still have grammar schools, wealthy and middle class parents will do almost anything to ensure their kids get in. Meanwhile, everyone else has to do to the failure's school.

I would change the education system by making it a bit less accountable. The levels of scrutiny in schools are just unbearable. Schools are judged on outcomes, Ofsted and local education authorities and that filters right down to the lowliest teacher. The amount of work on top of just teaching kids teachers are expected to do is ridiculous. If teachers could focus just on teaching, the job would be a breeze and outcomes would improve overnight because teachers wouldn't be knackered all the time.
Reply 5
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Napp
22
Ditch non-subjects (or stop funding them) like film studies, various 'critical' theories' and redirect any funding from them to more useful topics .. or as earlier mentioned skills thatre actually useful in life such as money management (the number of people on this forum with cifas markers being a case in point).

On a more specific level though, id like to see the history curriculum completely overhauled. The current one being ridiculous in not teaching anything of relevence to British history (the history of medicine hardly being the most pertinent bit of our history when the empire is utterly ignored) along with some vaguely more interesting things, ditch the unification of germany/italy and the Spanish civil war and focus more on, as noted, our own history (which happily touches many other countries from Malaya to India and Australasia) as well as other countries stand alone history there being plenty of examples fo fascinating events around the world thatre simply ignored for tedious junk.

I imagine maths can be redone as well to make it more engaging. There was an interesting story about a teacher who used weed to help teach students (as in using its weights and sales) which actually engaged the students and showed higher levels of students doing well, as opposed to 'akhmed has 5 apples' or such boring stuff like that. Its less a matter of maths being inherently boring (although it kind of is) but it isnt helped by the reaslly *****y way its taught that doesnt speak to kids at all.
Original post by hotpud
Hmmm - are you sure this would do that? There are two state grammar schools in Altringham, Cheshire. Would you be surprised to discover that the average house price in the catchment of these schools is around £800k+. It is well known that in areas that still have grammar schools, wealthy and middle class parents will do almost anything to ensure their kids get in. Meanwhile, everyone else has to do to the failure's school.

I would change the education system by making it a bit less accountable. The levels of scrutiny in schools are just unbearable. Schools are judged on outcomes, Ofsted and local education authorities and that filters right down to the lowliest teacher. The amount of work on top of just teaching kids teachers are expected to do is ridiculous. If teachers could focus just on teaching, the job would be a breeze and outcomes would improve overnight because teachers wouldn't be knackered all the time.


It couldnt be worse than it is. You'd have a far greater volume of grammar schools across mixed areas.
Stop the insane grade inflation/prizes for all culture that the Conservatives love.

We should award top grades for top students, not hand them out like Smarties.
Make citizenship and critial thinking core subjects alongside english, maths and science.
Original post by Napp
On a more specific level though, id like to see the history curriculum completely overhauled. The current one being ridiculous in not teaching anything of relevence to British history (the history of medicine hardly being the most pertinent bit of our history when the empire is utterly ignored) along with some vaguely more interesting things, ditch the unification of germany/italy and the Spanish civil war and focus more on, as noted, our own history (which happily touches many other countries from Malaya to India and Australasia) as well as other countries stand alone history there being plenty of examples fo fascinating events around the world thatre simply ignored for tedious junk.

Oh God, yes. I remember spending so much time in history learning about the medieval and tudor periods, both of which are extremely dry and irrelevant compared to our modern history.
Reply 10
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L i b
19
While I'm all for academic rigour, I do think getting out of the classroom and seeing more practical application of subjects would be a positive thing all round. Show young people what careers are available, give them better guidance and let them appreciate what their education can offer in practical terms.

I genuinely believe for lots of people a passion for learning comes later in life. Young people need more inspiration than that. Unsurprising when there's so much excitement of new things and new experiences.
Reply 11
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hotpud
18
Original post by SaucissonSecCy
It couldnt be worse than it is. You'd have a far greater volume of grammar schools across mixed areas.


Indeed. And across all areas they would be serving the middle classes of that area very nicely. What you need to understand is that when you provide something over and above the normal, people will do anything to ensure they get in. If that means private tutoring and the like then so be it.

Meanwhile, those who should go to grammar school but don't have the resources behind them get left behind. So you have grammar schools full of middle class kids many of whom got in because they gamed the entrance exam but don't have the ability whilst those with the ability but without the means to pass the test get left behind.

If there is one proven way to discriminate against those who should achieve but don't quite, it is the grammar school system. It is well documented and happening as I type.

A comprehensive system is by no means perfect, but it does at the very least offer the same opportunities to everyone if they are prepared to work for it.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by hotpud

A comprehensive system is by no means perfect, but it does at the very least offer the same opportunities to everyone if they are prepared to work for it.


It offers just as much area selection and lagging behind the private schools massively in terms of opportunities.
Original post by SHallowvale
Oh God, yes. I remember spending so much time in history learning about the medieval and tudor periods, both of which are extremely dry and irrelevant compared to our modern history.

All I recall learning in history was the Nazis and JFK. It was well taught.
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 14
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hotpud
18
Original post by SaucissonSecCy
It offers just as much area selection and lagging behind the private schools massively in terms of opportunities.


Of course. But it isn't the school that sees the opportunities come forth. It is the parents. Is it really a surprise that the sort of people who can afford the best schools see their kids get the best jobs? The school is kind of irrelevant. If you put the richest kids in the worst schools, they would still achieve more than the working class kid at the same school

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nice-white-parents/id1524080195
Reply 15
Avatar for Napp
Napp
22
Original post by SHallowvale
Oh God, yes. I remember spending so much time in history learning about the medieval and tudor periods, both of which are extremely dry and irrelevant compared to our modern history.


We spent abput 1 term in primary school on them, nothing more. Hardly teaching us about it.
Original post by Napp
We spent abput 1 term in primary school on them, nothing more. Hardly teaching us about it.

Huh, really? Strange, we spent several years in primary and secondary learning about them.
I've moved this to Educational debate where (for a variety of reasons :tongue:) you might find this gets more interest.
2) is controversial. they'd be stiII developing at 14 obvs and staying in schooI is better should they decide they want to take education more seriousIy (assuming the ones who'd want to Ieave aren't). schooI Iife shouId be a thing.
Original post by WhoAmI???
2) is controversial. they'd be stiII developing at 14 obvs and staying in schooI is better should they decide they want to take education more seriousIy (assuming the ones who'd want to Ieave aren't). schooI Iife shouId be a thing.

Yeh, i feel if someone gave me the chance to leave school at 14 I would take it. But now at 17 I would defo regret that choice

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