Formal school lessons should start 'above age of five'

[ADK]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24058227

 

Thoughts?

 

 

[Webbo]

I think it's a good idea, however it won't happen because school has become free child care.

[Rincewind]

They should know the basics before school.

 

Saw a story the other week where some kids were going school in nappies aged five.

[davieG]

It should be a mix of formal and play and surely it's not beyond their wit to create play that has 'formal' learning embedded in it.

[Stadt]

When in 'foundation' I remember playing with Lego all the time and we'd have about 10 minutes doing really basic stuff and go back to Lego and milk.

[Smudge]

I think it's a good idea, however it won't happen because school has become free child care

It hasn't become that, it always has been for working parents.

 

So instead of them being in a structured educational establishment, they are now farmed out to daycare centers with no set curricula.

 

Working parents would have to find two years worth of daycare at £180 per week per child which is North of £9300 a year, God help TPH with his twins. Lets also hope his wife isn't an infants school teacher since she now has no job unless she wants to go into the daycare business.

[Harry - LCFC]

Not sure about it. But schooling isn't the major problem, it's parenting.

 

It doesn't really matter what school you go to, what matters is whether the student has the right attitude and that comes almost entirely from the people who brought them up. I've no doubt that parents play the by far the biggest role in a child's education, if they don't stimulate a child's willingness to learn then any teacher will have a difficult time helping them progress.

[Finnaldo]

Don't they start at 7 in some parts of Europe?

[Vlad the Fox]

Nurseries, play schools and child minders all have to follow EYFS which is like a curriculum these establishments all have to follow to prepare a child for school. Obviously, as with schools, some are better than others. However I do agree that children start school too early, one of my children had only just turned four when he started last year, he was too young and it showed.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

It's a good idea, I believe.

[stevelcfc]

Agree, would love to see us follow the Finn/Scandinavian model of eduction, but as it is at the moment, with who we have in charge, we are going all Japanese, which I would hate.

[Guest Bilo]

It does happen in Europe, most notably in Finland, but getting this past the traditionalists would be difficult. They're all about learning through play in Scandinavia and their education system is the most successful in Europe in terms of literacy and numeracy.

[Charl91]

The EYFS is mainly play anyway. I don't particularly have a problem with it.

 

If the Government wanted better results, maybe they should stop fvking around with the system every few years, and making it a lot more difficult for teachers to do their jobs, just for the sake of making it look like they actually do something.

 

That being said, considering the Governments recent actions, I don't think they're too fussed about education. If you're going to decrease their wages, increase the work load and increase the cost of becoming a teacher, it's hardly motivation for people to go into the profession.

[Guest MattP]

Don't they start at 7 in some parts of Europe?

 

They start at all in some parts of Scotland.

 

I'm easy on it, it sounds a good idea but can you imagine the moaning we would get from parents if this was brought in?

 

Harry raised some good points as well, whatever age you start them we need parents to be provided the base for manners and behaviour etc for them to even want to make the most of their education.

[Vlad the Fox]

The EYFS is mainly play anyway. I don't particularly have a problem with it.

 

If the Government wanted better results, maybe they should stop fvking around with the system every few years, and making it a lot more difficult for teachers to do their jobs, just for the sake of making it look like they actually do something.

 

That being said, considering the Governments recent actions, I don't think they're too fussed about education. If you're going to decrease their wages, increase the work load and increase the cost of becoming a teacher, it's hardly motivation for people to go into the profession.

I was at a meeting at my local school yesterday, and while the teachers didn't say, you definitely got the impression they were fed up with government initiatives and having to prepare kids for tests from the age of five. There should be an independent eduction panel set up where experts decide on educational policy and not have it left to a government who will only be in the job for a few years.

[Rincewind]

Not a parent myself but am an uncle and a brother to younger siblings. From what i have seen, and i stand to be corrected, young children under around seven are curious and eager to learn and asks questions so whether with a parent, a child carer or a nursery teacher they will take in a mixture of   interactive educational games, play and story telling.

[Vlad the Fox]

Not a parent myself but am an uncle and a brother to younger siblings. From what i have seen, and i stand to be corrected, young children under around seven are curious and eager to learn and asks questions so whether with a parent, a child carer or a nursery teacher they will take in a mixture of   interactive educational games, play and story telling.

That's right and education should be based around this inquisitiveness through creative play. At my children's school the foundation level is fantastic and education is built around play, role play, hands on education, they have an outdoor classroom and can build things with milk crates, wood, old tyres. they learn about counting and so they set up a market ect. Unfortunately however more and more government regulations mean that teachers are having to railroad the children down a certain avenue because if they don't pass the tests then they're seen as failing. The teachers are aware of their children's abilities and limitations and focus and encourage were the child needs help or is exceeding, they shouldn't be in a situation were they are basically training the children to pass another test.

[Fox92]

It doesn't matter what age the start is, it's about the kids themselves, sometimes the parenting and sometimes the teachers... I watched Rachel Riley on mastermind, she is a mathematician, and she hit the nail on the head imo by stating if maths (or any subject, I guess) isn't taught well from the beginning then you'll never get it.

[ADK]

I've often wondered about education and how important it is. I'm not trying to brag but I've always been pretty intelligent and good at maths and probably the majority of academic school subjects. I wonder how much of an effect schooling, parenting and innate ability have on someone's performance.

[Rincewind]

Closest topic to post this. Better than a new thread/