We don’t need no education?
We hear a lot, at times such as when the nation’s yoof receives its GSCE results, about the parlous state of the British education system. Results keep rising? Exams must be getting easier. Trouble on the streets? It’s the kids, innit? There have, I’m pretty sure, been blogs about it here, too, although I’m not about to search for them for fear of opening wormcans.
And to be honest, that was largely my opinion of the UK’s secondary schools; a collection of soft boiled, policy scrambled, in one ear and out the other sausage machines hell bent on statistical improvements that meant little and proved less. That is, until recently.
My daughter is ten years old. And in September and October, that can only mean one thing; it’s time to adopt the air of a forensic educationalist and go on the secondary school trail, in the hope that come mid-October we’ll have seen enough cream of the crop examples of British education that we’ll be scribbling school names on the appropriate form to be submitted to the Local Education Authority. Making what Tony Blair called choices. Making what the rest of us call empty gestures. The dog days of primary school never looked so appealing.
But you know what? It’s ok.
The much-derided system of selection, once it’s explained, makes sense. It’s not perfect, but then what is? The schools themselves trumpet valedictory results and brandish statistics like peacock feathers, but look beyond the hype and the sometimes brazen, occasionally woefully half-hearted flirting for parents’ admiration slash wallets (depending on state or private) and there are some terrific schools out there. What’s more, the schools that are remembered days afterwards and that resonate with all the family are the ones with the teachers who abound with enthusiasm, reverberate with passion, shine with optimism and excitement about the achievements of their students.
The methodologies have ranged from the private young ladies establishment seemingly hell bent on disgorging the next generation of Stepford Wives, to the Blairite new Academy that couldn’t wait to tell us about its data and its punishments for crimes so heinous as leaving a top button undone, to the schools that are charging ahead under banners of genuine inclusivity, thoughtfulness and determination to be the best, not just educationally, but to make a real difference to the citizens of their schools. And this last group are genuinely refreshing and exciting.
The amazing thing is that they are so rarely portrayed; that there are learning establishments out there who do more than it says on the tin, who constantly strive and have the results and, more importantly, the ethos and the prevailing atmosphere, to back up their claims.
And discovering that has been both a pleasure and an education.
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14 Comments
'We don't need no thought control' cue awesome riff and bass line.
The infant (in particular), the junior and the the two secondary schools were imaginative, sensitive, in touch with parents, and places where our two felt at home and flourished. There were some individual poor secondary teachers, far outnumbered by the good ones, but most of the troubles we dealt with at school related to other children's behaviour.
Our son, who went to the school with poor Ofsted results, was confident enough to take some GCSEs just for fun in subjects he knew he wouldn't score well in. After sixth-form college, he went on to read Maths at Cambridge and is now doing education-related work in India.
Our daughter took a different route. She hated sixth-form college (a different one) and left after a year to do a National diploma. The more vocational course gave her confidence, and she went on to do a degree, getting a first in animal science. After a gap year, she is about to do an MSc in Zurich.
So, they both went through the 'ordinary' system, both benefitted from some extraordinary teachers, stayed in touch with peers of all social groups, and ended up both following their dreams.
Keep your hands off our schools, Michael Gove!
I am not a product (or victim) of the UK system so I only observe the results on our family. I am working on my masters in misanthropy at the moment but higher education is indeed another "wormcan".
The best thing our lot have taken from school is the desire to continue learning.
As for Michael Gove - no one dares mention his name in my house *spits on the floor*
But in general the teachers are as good or as bad as people in most jobs. There were some very good ones and they all were well intentioned. What more can you ask?
It's the system that determines so much. Jenny received a Comprehensive education from a "Science Academy" and seems to have come out of it in pretty good shape overall. But I was always conscious of the pressure to move on to the next exam, the focus being on that issue because it determines so much, for the school perhaps more than the students and teachers. I did feel there was too much examination.
With hindsight I think it's a far from perfect system, most systems are far from perfect. But as with all systems if they don't mess with it then people eventually make it work. So I think leave it alone and don't screw around.
Mac
Oh, and Elysia, my son was one of those who grunted at the teachers, at least while he was in class. He was a keen observer of teachers, and often brought home tales of how such-and-such a teacher didn't understand the fundamental principle behind... (usually something I hadn't a clue about either!) He also observed different ways of keeping discipline, and tested a few of them out experimentally! But then he seemed to regard those teachers he respected as co-conspirators in the art of getting round the education system, and I expect he'll be calling in on both his junior and senior school when he gets back from India, as he always did when home from college.
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