I have witnessed a school willing to pay £300+ for 3 bins because of their colour - but state that they could not afford toilet seats! In my opinion a lot of money is wasted in our schools.
Headteachers can be paid huge wages as can be seen here:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/salary/teaching-salary-scales.aspx
Then there are possibly anywhere between 3 and 10 deputies/seniors teachers depending on the size of the school. Their average pay can also be seen in the above link. The sums quickly add up!
Amid cuts is our society on melt down? Are not the children who attend our Schools the society of tomorrow.
Embrace and empower the child’s best ability - no matter if it’s cooking, throwing a ball or writing?
The English, Maths and science will filter out, for example if the child's strengths and enjoyment were in cooking then maths is the measuring, writing and researching recipes and projects is the English and the Science lies in how things combine and rise etc. This maybe a dream about how we can best embrace and nurture some children's talents - but couldn't it be a reality?
The reported pass rate targets and other measures are a fog screen, many of the results are heavily course work based and teachers are trained to teach the syllabus of the subject - repeated year on year. Can I hear some teachers crying out? Just hear me out, before you get cross with what I have said check it out for yourselves. Do exam results mean prizes?
Link: - Does cash get results in schools?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12176305
The Prime Minster talks about the “Big Society” with great enthusisam. He wishes 'to rebuild communities in this country'. The government say that they will work closely with communities to identify local leaders, projects and opportunities, and empower the local community to improve their local area. One such plan is Free Schools:
· the ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff
· greater control of their budget
· freedom from following the National Curriculum
· freedom to change the length of terms and school days
· freedom from local authority control.
Are Free Schools the answer or a £ saving opportunity?
A Free School could be set up by any suitable proposer, where there is evidence of parental demand such as a petition or declaration from interested parents. This could include one or more of the following groups:
· charities
· academy sponsors
· universities
· independent schools
· community and faith groups
· teachers
· parents
· businesses.
Are Schools becoming like corporations? Or is it too late? £££?
My point is (without getting too political) the Labour Party promised £45bn to schools/colleges around the country. Mr Gove in his wisdom saw there wasn’t any £ when the Conservatives/Lib-Dems came to power and so decided to scrap it. The cost for the tax payer was £260m because councils like ours had spent a lot of £ on Consultants, Planning, glossy handouts and probably lots of coffee, and cake for the meetings. New school buildings sounded wonderful - purpose built schools- so I was disappointed to hear that the present government scrapped the project. But like all buildings they would have became old eventually, poorly maintained and costly.
Your children could be destined for years in glorified prefab buildings and portacabins? They cost a lot and usually can only be maintained by the contractor. So if something breaks it can be days or possibly weeks before repaired, with children left in leaking classrooms. They are only ever meant to be temporary structures yet they are left in place for years.
Hopefully these useful web links will work:
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/architects-start-work-on-prefab-school-templates/5012738.article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11539933 also another good link to read -
Respect and Dignity
We do have to put things into perspective. Like a few nations we are fortunate in what we have, wealth, food and water. Oh yeah not forgetting the odd clean toilet! /-: It isn't about what we have, but hopefully what we should be striving to achieve. Respect and dignity to those who will pass it on to their next generations.
The minority do need support and help but that should not outweigh the majority!
Headteachers can be paid huge wages as can be seen here:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/salary/teaching-salary-scales.aspx
Then there are possibly anywhere between 3 and 10 deputies/seniors teachers depending on the size of the school. Their average pay can also be seen in the above link. The sums quickly add up!
Amid cuts is our society on melt down? Are not the children who attend our Schools the society of tomorrow.
Embrace and empower the child’s best ability - no matter if it’s cooking, throwing a ball or writing?
The English, Maths and science will filter out, for example if the child's strengths and enjoyment were in cooking then maths is the measuring, writing and researching recipes and projects is the English and the Science lies in how things combine and rise etc. This maybe a dream about how we can best embrace and nurture some children's talents - but couldn't it be a reality?
The reported pass rate targets and other measures are a fog screen, many of the results are heavily course work based and teachers are trained to teach the syllabus of the subject - repeated year on year. Can I hear some teachers crying out? Just hear me out, before you get cross with what I have said check it out for yourselves. Do exam results mean prizes?
Link: - Does cash get results in schools?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12176305
The Prime Minster talks about the “Big Society” with great enthusisam. He wishes 'to rebuild communities in this country'. The government say that they will work closely with communities to identify local leaders, projects and opportunities, and empower the local community to improve their local area. One such plan is Free Schools:
· the ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff
· greater control of their budget
· freedom from following the National Curriculum
· freedom to change the length of terms and school days
· freedom from local authority control.
Are Free Schools the answer or a £ saving opportunity?
A Free School could be set up by any suitable proposer, where there is evidence of parental demand such as a petition or declaration from interested parents. This could include one or more of the following groups:
· charities
· academy sponsors
· universities
· independent schools
· community and faith groups
· teachers
· parents
· businesses.
Are Schools becoming like corporations? Or is it too late? £££?
My point is (without getting too political) the Labour Party promised £45bn to schools/colleges around the country. Mr Gove in his wisdom saw there wasn’t any £ when the Conservatives/Lib-Dems came to power and so decided to scrap it. The cost for the tax payer was £260m because councils like ours had spent a lot of £ on Consultants, Planning, glossy handouts and probably lots of coffee, and cake for the meetings. New school buildings sounded wonderful - purpose built schools- so I was disappointed to hear that the present government scrapped the project. But like all buildings they would have became old eventually, poorly maintained and costly.
Your children could be destined for years in glorified prefab buildings and portacabins? They cost a lot and usually can only be maintained by the contractor. So if something breaks it can be days or possibly weeks before repaired, with children left in leaking classrooms. They are only ever meant to be temporary structures yet they are left in place for years.
Hopefully these useful web links will work:
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/architects-start-work-on-prefab-school-templates/5012738.article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11539933 also another good link to read -
Respect and Dignity
We do have to put things into perspective. Like a few nations we are fortunate in what we have, wealth, food and water. Oh yeah not forgetting the odd clean toilet! /-: It isn't about what we have, but hopefully what we should be striving to achieve. Respect and dignity to those who will pass it on to their next generations.
Ok, there is few out in this big world that won’t respect others!
From my own personal childhood experiences, being a parent for 23 years and from work I have seen the balance shift. The majority of our children behave, work hard (-: and respect most of the rules. As it should be!! However, what they observe sometimes from the minority in our schools doesn’t give them much reward to do so! Those two words “No Consequence”, come to mind and for some reason well paid footballers? (-:
It is the minority who upset the balance; something we experience in life every day. For example, we could be driving to work or even at work, walking down the street, shopping and so on. Why is bad behaviour so acceptable now?
The minority do need support and help but that should not outweigh the majority!
Reasons for lack of respect could be one of many reasons, bad parenting, is there such a thing? We can’t throw stones!! Home life, the lack money or peer pressure and so on?? I’ve been told so many times from the older generation that we are a “Want it now Society”! Got to admit I feel they may be right!!
Most Schools and Colleges borrowing will soar even more, “want it now Society”??
Dream School - Discipline
Now I will agree that this is a problem and have seen how it destroys a classroom setting. I know at least a dozen parents who removed their children from schools because of bullying. They felt that the situation became out control due to the fact that they believed the schools were not protecting their child. I do know that there are always two sides to a story but from experience and due to what I have witnessed, most schools do not want to take the hard approach on the individual/child who is the perpetrator.
My point is that schools have to sell themselves and will therefore play down bullying. I may be wrong but it always appears that most schools do not want to attract a bad image.
I watched a programme Jamie Oliver’s Dream School last week... It is very unusual that you will find 20 young disruptive people in one classroom in mainstream school! Maybe one or two disruptive persons and then the odd follower but not 20! And sadly that odd person’s can disrupt the whole class. And most of the time teachers will feel unsupported by the Management if they wished to remove the perpetrator from their class - there are few repercussions, a child is sent out but then back in the classroom for the next lesson with the same disruptive behaviour. It is a vicious circle that weak school discipline systems have created.
Check out this link -
I'm not saying this is reliable evidence for what I have said, but does make you think!
Before becoming a caretaker I worked in an educational establishment. I was asked to support a lesson of school leavers; their age was 16-17yrs. It was a small group of about eight and at least four of them were not able to read or write. It was heart breaking; the educational system had let them down. We let them down? If these young people were allowed to shine and encouraged to build on their skills, perhaps things may have been different for them. But instead we demanded English, Maths and Science. The word comes to mind, Confidence!! It’s a wonderful thing..... Don’t get me wrong, they were cheeky and sometimes very funny! But, I just couldn't help feeling that they had wasted their school years?
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