Here we go again.

Time for another change- the government are considering abolishing GCSE's and introducing 'O' level type exams with a CSE type alternative for the less able. One thing you can rely on is that,every few years, politicians will decide that what was the "best thing since sliced bread" 20 years ago is rubbish and needs changing. When I trained to be a teacher the latest fad was three stage basic education, middle schools. I don't think any such schools now exist.

Re: Here we go again.

It's the politicians who should be re-sitting those exams and a pound to a penny bet none of them would pass!!

What you say is true!

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Gove is an idiot! My husband is a retired secondary school head teacher and has some very uncomplimentary things to say about that chap!

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Its no good just saying bad things about Gove, one should be prepared to DO something about him (and his cronies in the Tory Party - just remember this conversation in three years time, unless the Con-Dems do us all a favour in the meantime and break the coalition.

Re: Here we go again.

It is true that education has been one of the biggest political battlegrounds of the past half century, but if you try to tell me now, that education is better than it ever was you must be from another planet.

The system we enjoyed as children 50 years ago with discipline, times tables, spelling tests, 11+ exams and grammar schools etc. etc., was so far superior to what we have now, which is all dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. In fact most of today's children wouldn't know a lowest common denominator even if they tripped up on one...

We are now turning out students who cannot put a grammatically correct sentence together, cannot spell basic words and cannot do simple mathematics. We, as a powerful and sophisticated country, now have a disgraceful standard of education and are ever more falling behind other countries, particularly the third world. Anyone who tries to change that for good old fashioned, joined up education has my vote.

Love him or loath him, Gove does have the good of the education system in his sights and not just political dogma, which makes a refreshing change to the wooly headed thinking of Labour/Liberal policy makers of the last few decades....

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Couldn't agree more (although I loathe Gove). Educational equality is worse now than it ever was when the 11+ existed. As bright working class children, my two sisters and I all passed the 11+ and went to grammar schools, where we all did well. I was the first person in my family's history to go to university (and in those days a university degree actually meant something - as opposed to nowadays when barely literate students can graduate from the University of the North Circular at The World of Leather with a degree in "Social Care and Media").
My daughter is currently at University and is doing well, although to me the level of her work seems more appropriate to "A" level 40 years ago than to degree level. Her "A" level work was similar to the level of the old "O" levels. What is worse is that so much of their "learning" is "tickbox" learning with no emphasis on analysis and logical argument.
The "liberal" approach to education, like the "liberal" approach to so many other things unfortunately makes situations worse rather than better.

Mick

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Trouble is I doubt the other lot will do any better.

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To be crude they are two cheeks of the same a*se!! The only differences are cosmetic.

Mick

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When my older children done their GCSE, they had one attempt in the last year of school.
Today they get about three attempts over three years to pass. I don't think they are easier. Today they have resit to get better grades. That is why more children are passing.

For eg, My youngest sat his GCSE Maths in year 9 got a D. Resit the exam again in year 10 got a C, he then had another resit in year 11, in January which gave him a B. Maths teacher did not put him in again to do the June exam. Because they thought he would not improve his mark.
This happens in all subject's.
He will get his final marks late August.

Re: Here we go again.

I totally agree with Barrie. Kids today are NOT more intelligent as the government would have us believe, as they seriously lack education, which are two different things.

Take away from them their computers and calculators and make them learn, if that isn't beyond a teacher's remit these days.

No word of a lie, I was in a local bakery a short while ago and a young lady of around 18 years old was serving a customer in front of me. The customer bought two items - one costing 65p and one costing 84p. The lass behind the counter needed a calculator and I called to her £1.49 before she could find it!

We didn't have technology 50 years ago and had to learn with whatever brain we had, so why are they allowed to use technology now? Sorry, but I really can not understand how they can learn of their own accord. Let's face it. Any fool can look up information on the internet - even an old fool like me, but that's gaining information, not learning! There's a distinct difference.