Back in 1970 , Colchester , a bog standard secondary modern ( just before they became ‘comprehensive’ schools , I was met with 4 metalwork workshops , same for woodwork , and several technical drawing studios . We had great fun making and mending all sorts of things , in my case not very well , but like you it gave me an insight and appreciation of the mechanical and construction ‘dark arts’ ( I became a photographer ) . The point of this comment is , when my mother and a few other parents complained about our lack of English and maths homework , the then head said “ ladies , if you feel your children are more suited to an academic environment , I suggest you take them to ( a fee paying grammar school ) , our job in Colchester is to turn out mechanically aware apprentices for Colchester lathe company , Paxmans ( big engines ) Woods ( big fan or air movement manufacturers ) and the like “ .
Sounds a bit basic , but as a system , it worked very well , and most kids left with at least an understanding of some practical stuff , many went on to work in these big employers of the day , and some did very well , and some had a job , or skills , for life . To this day there are lots of small specialised engineering and construction businesses in the area , with their history tracking back to vocational education .. before the ‘comprehensive’ system screwed it all up .
"In our nurturing learning environment where all teachers know their students well, through access to rigorous inclusive curricula and ongoing social emotional support, .." Aargh! It's enough to put you off, but Pete's point is clear enough.
A themed school seems a good idea. Janus van H made the case well.
My youngest went there after 1 year of A levels at comprehensive, it's a fantastic place. Burnham is correct we've got to reverse the Blairite over focus on University education.
Pete will probably puke at this, but really interesting interview between Michael Gove and Katherine Birbalsingh yesterday. I believe her concepts are sound and her awareness of the institutional rot is invaluable, it's a sad reflection of our society (in reality I mean media and public services) but she will have more cut through, not just for being head of one of the highest acedmically achieving schools in the country, but because of her mixed race heritage.
Cookery, metalwork, woodwork, technical drawing and “dress making” were all on the agenda in the last year of my junior and first two years of grammar school, before O level subjects were selected. All solid life skills, which should still be taught (all to both sexes) with maybe the addition of financial and online scamming awareness. Instead they get taught climate fear and white guilt. If I had young kids now, they would be home schooled.
You and Mr Burnham are on the money regarding the balance of vocational vs non- vocational education, but the sticking point in this is the extent to which you can get the private sector to get involved. The UK's employers are happy to get any freebies, but less interested in really developing staff (and there may be valid business reasons for that). Germany used to be a good model on how to get that right before their cheap energy was torpedoed, but the flip side of this is flexibility of labour markets: if you have a strongly vocationallly- coded workforce, you don't have the (almost absurdly) flexible labour market we have in the UK.
A couple more pints to consider:
* how important is it to use primary education to establish basic socialisation (are the home Dommers onto something)
* we might have some lost cohorts, and HMGs passim have knackered adult education options +/- online offerings can be quite good
Please also include Educational Psychologists in any education system. We’ve been around a long time - and have mostly lost ability to act in a protective way supporting schools and parents. Also bringing evidence based interventions to the attention of schools and LA’s. Too much money gets wasted on fashionable ideas.
The biggest single problem in our education system is a failure to teach the 3Rs correctly and even this term has now been adopted to mean 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'!!
Associated with the above is the fact in many cases indoctrination has replaced education.
Back in 1970 , Colchester , a bog standard secondary modern ( just before they became ‘comprehensive’ schools , I was met with 4 metalwork workshops , same for woodwork , and several technical drawing studios . We had great fun making and mending all sorts of things , in my case not very well , but like you it gave me an insight and appreciation of the mechanical and construction ‘dark arts’ ( I became a photographer ) . The point of this comment is , when my mother and a few other parents complained about our lack of English and maths homework , the then head said “ ladies , if you feel your children are more suited to an academic environment , I suggest you take them to ( a fee paying grammar school ) , our job in Colchester is to turn out mechanically aware apprentices for Colchester lathe company , Paxmans ( big engines ) Woods ( big fan or air movement manufacturers ) and the like “ .
Sounds a bit basic , but as a system , it worked very well , and most kids left with at least an understanding of some practical stuff , many went on to work in these big employers of the day , and some did very well , and some had a job , or skills , for life . To this day there are lots of small specialised engineering and construction businesses in the area , with their history tracking back to vocational education .. before the ‘comprehensive’ system screwed it all up .
Couldn’t be more in agreement. An aviation themed school? Wow.
Your school days mirror my own - academically distant, unless pursuing my own interests.
Undisciplined? Yes.
Thick? Probably not.
Was that Mission Statement written by AI? It is certainly sloppish enough.
In many places it is just meaningless verbiage.
"In our nurturing learning environment where all teachers know their students well, through access to rigorous inclusive curricula and ongoing social emotional support, .." Aargh! It's enough to put you off, but Pete's point is clear enough.
A themed school seems a good idea. Janus van H made the case well.
Perhaps Cheshire is different, but the opportunity for 14 years old kids is already there https://www.reaseheath.ac.uk/14-16-students/
My youngest went there after 1 year of A levels at comprehensive, it's a fantastic place. Burnham is correct we've got to reverse the Blairite over focus on University education.
Pete will probably puke at this, but really interesting interview between Michael Gove and Katherine Birbalsingh yesterday. I believe her concepts are sound and her awareness of the institutional rot is invaluable, it's a sad reflection of our society (in reality I mean media and public services) but she will have more cut through, not just for being head of one of the highest acedmically achieving schools in the country, but because of her mixed race heritage.
Cookery, metalwork, woodwork, technical drawing and “dress making” were all on the agenda in the last year of my junior and first two years of grammar school, before O level subjects were selected. All solid life skills, which should still be taught (all to both sexes) with maybe the addition of financial and online scamming awareness. Instead they get taught climate fear and white guilt. If I had young kids now, they would be home schooled.
You and Mr Burnham are on the money regarding the balance of vocational vs non- vocational education, but the sticking point in this is the extent to which you can get the private sector to get involved. The UK's employers are happy to get any freebies, but less interested in really developing staff (and there may be valid business reasons for that). Germany used to be a good model on how to get that right before their cheap energy was torpedoed, but the flip side of this is flexibility of labour markets: if you have a strongly vocationallly- coded workforce, you don't have the (almost absurdly) flexible labour market we have in the UK.
A couple more pints to consider:
* how important is it to use primary education to establish basic socialisation (are the home Dommers onto something)
* we might have some lost cohorts, and HMGs passim have knackered adult education options +/- online offerings can be quite good
... home schoolers...
Please also include Educational Psychologists in any education system. We’ve been around a long time - and have mostly lost ability to act in a protective way supporting schools and parents. Also bringing evidence based interventions to the attention of schools and LA’s. Too much money gets wasted on fashionable ideas.
The biggest single problem in our education system is a failure to teach the 3Rs correctly and even this term has now been adopted to mean 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'!!
Associated with the above is the fact in many cases indoctrination has replaced education.
The 3R's should have been RWA. 😂
👍🤣