Thousands of five-year-olds can`t write their own name ...
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26/11/08 12:16
25/11/08 21:32
That was really well said Donna and sort of echoes what I feel. If kids started school at 5 and couldn't write their name by 7, now that would be a problem. But chances are they'd be able to write their name by 7 with or without school.
25/11/08 20:30
I think there is far too much emphasis on learning to read and write nowadays. When you are five you should be playing. exploring and building good relationships with your peers and teachers. At five nowadays most children have done two years of formalised learning in nursery already whereas I didn't even start school until I turned five so it was quite the norm then for a child not to be able to write their name at five.
Do children leave school more able because of their early start? I don't think they do tbh, they are taught to pass the repeated tests and exams to keep government statistics favourable rather than allowing a child's natural curiosity to lead what they are taught. I also think they miss out a lot by being away from their parents early on and I think this has contributed to the gang culture that is prevalent nowadays. I also think that we run the risk of our children becoming bored with their education and less wanting to continue into higher education.
I delayed all my children's entry into school because I didn't want them to have to experience formal learning too soon. That's not to say that they couldn't write their name before they started because they could, three of them could read independently too but that was because they wanted to learn and so picked it up through sharing books and stories not because I taught them to read and write.
25/11/08 14:45
my dd will be one of those statistics im afraid but she does have sen , she tries as much as she can most of her class are able to write there names now.
24/11/08 22:37
hi, my ds could write his own name from about 3.5-4 he was registered james and we called him jamie, when he was 5 school failed him as he wrote jamie not james!!!! the stats are useless in my book. xxx
24/11/08 15:02
Oh don't worry about offending me. I'm quite brave until I come face to face. I didn't mean to be rude either, I just wondered if maybe there was a reason that you'd be interested in how the education system was failing here when you're not part of this system anymore. Also, you post the articles but not your opinions of them.
23/11/08 22:57
JAMI
I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGISE FOR MY LAST POST, I DIDNT MEAN IT TO SOUND AS RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS AS IT DOES.
SO ONCE AGAIN, I AM VERY SORRY.
HEIDIH
23/11/08 22:16
SORRY ABOUT CAPITALS - MY KEYBOARD IS BROKEN, NOT INTENTIALLY SHOUTING
BECAUSE YOU PUT A POST UP SAYING DOES THE ARTICLE MENTION ABOUT NON ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLE. I REPOSTED THE ARTICLE FOR PEOPLE TO READ WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED MAINLY BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN CHANGED SINCE ORIGINAL POST.. JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IT DOESNT MEAN OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT NOT BE.
AS YOU SAY, THE MEDIA POST NEGATIVE ARTICLES. IF YOU READ 1 IN 5 CANT READ, THEN IT ALSO MEANS 4 IN 5 CAN.
THIS REPORT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THAT THE SYSTEM IS FAILING SOME STUDENTS AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT OR WHOEVER IS STARTING TO MAKE INROADS TO GET THINGS RIGHT.
WE KNOW THE SYSTEM IS FAILING. THATS WHY PEOPLE LIKE YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE ALTERNATIVE OPTION OF HOME EDUCATION, SO THAT YOU CAN ENSURE YOUR CHILD IS GIVEN THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATION THATS SUITS THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. THIS UNFORTUNATELY IS NOT AN OPTION FOR EVERYONE AND PARENTS RELY ON SCHOOLS GIVING THEIR CHILD THE BEST SUPPORT AND ENSURING THEY SUCCEED.
THERE ARE LOTS OF PARENTS ON HERE AND NOT ON HERE WHO DO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH SCHOOLS. THESE SORT OF REPORTS ALL LET PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
FORUMS ARE FOR DISCUSSIONS. I LIKE DEBATES. IF YOU DONT, THEN DONT JOIN IN.
HEIDIH
23/11/08 20:38
Why do you keep posting articles from the Daily Mail slating education? What are YOU trying to say? I get the feeling I'm missing the point that you are trying to make. I'd got the impression from some of your previous posts that you had been quite happy with the education system here and that you weren't so happy with how things are where you are now.
I think parents should stop worrying about numbers, stop worrying about where their children are in government statistics. If your child seems to be happy and making progress then whats the problem?
Oh, and just so as not to be left out, here's one from the BBC regarding personalised learning; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7741943.stm
23/11/08 18:26
...continued'
why teenagers are maths dunces
*** class="thinfloatrhs">teens are drilled to pass exams, rather than learn crucial maths concepts
***>half of schools are failing to teach maths properly, an ofsted report warns today.
the education watchdog said that this means millions of teenagers are finishing compulsory education with a poor grasp of the subject.
teachers are increasingly drilling pupils to pass exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial maths concepts, the report adds.
ofsted's damning conclusion was that rising exam results owe little or nothing to better teaching or a deeper understanding among pupils.
they have instead been inflated by 'teaching to the test'. inspectors-also highlighted a growing-culture of dependence on quick-fix 'booster' classes for pupils on the borderline between grade thresholds.
exam bodies were also criticised for designing national exams which test maths skills in bite-size chunks.
ofsted's verdict is embarrassing for ministers who have attempted to make political capital out of rising results.
schools minister jim knight said: 'there is no reason why testing should result in a narrow focus or uninspiring lessons.
this year's new secondary curriculum will help bring mathematics to life.'
23/11/08 18:24
article has been revised since initial printing
one in seven children struggles to write his or her name after a year at primary school, official figures showed yesterday.
fourteen per cent of five-year-olds - almost 80,000 - are unable to scribble 'mum', 'dad' or their first name from memory.
some 11 per cent have trouble sounding out the alphabet, and four in ten cannot write a simple shopping list or letter to father christmas, according to assessments of pupils' progress at the end of their reception year at primary school.
*** class="clear"> ***>one in seven primary school students struggle to write their own name after a year in school, official figures show
overall, just half of the 556,000 children at this stage were judged to have reached a 'good level of development'.
the figures, which come from the department for children, schools and families, apply to pupils in both state and private sectors. while the five-year-olds' progress was judged to be better than last year, it was still down on 2005 in most areas.
officials have blamed tougher assessment arrangements for the decline in results since 2005 but the tories have warned that performance is 'slipping back'.
ministers have also missed a 2008 target for 53 per cent of children in state-maintained schools and nurseries to meet the expected level of development.
boys remain behind girls in all developmental areas, especially in writing, where girls are 18 points ahead.
the results mean that a majority of pupils are beginning year 1 this month lacking key skills.
under the government's system of assessments for five-year-olds, children are judged to have reached a 'good level' if they can show they are attentive in class; know the importance of school rules; take turns in conversation; guess at the meaning of simple sentences; write a letter to father christmas; blend sounds together to say simple words; and respect others.
teachers are meant to observe children as they work and play and then record their progress.
yesterday's results will intensify calls for the current developmental goals in writing to be scaled back because they are too tough for young children.
one of the goals is for five-year-olds to write simple sentences using basic punctuation.
just a quarter of youngsters met the standard this year.
childcare experts have warned that a new 'nappy curriculum' being introduced this month - a statutory learning framework for children from birth to five - will put teachers under greater pressure than ever to push youngsters towards such goals.
children will be forced into formal lessons too soon, they say.
ministers have asked an inquiry into the primary curriculum to consider the complaints when it reports back next year.
yesterday's assessments also showed a persistent gap in attainment between the richest and poorest youngsters.
children from more affluent areas are already well ahead of pupils in the most deprived parts of the country before they
even start school, and the gulf shows little sign of narrowing.
among five-year-olds in the most deprived 30 per cent of areas in the country, only 38 per cent achieved a good level of development.
this compares with 54 per cent in all other areas - a gap of 16 points. while this is down from 17 points last year, ministers missed a target aimed at reducing the gap to 12 points.
children's minister beverley hughes said the results showed 'continued improvements'.
'but there is more to do to ensure that all children achieve their potential, especially the most disadvantaged.'
why teenagers are maths dunces
*** class="thinfloatrhs">teens are drilled to pass exams, rather than learn crucial maths concepts
***>half of sch
23/11/08 11:55
Does it mention in the article what percentage of children do not speak English as a first language? And what percentage of children have a known special need? Many children who previously would not have been in mainstream school are now. I bet if the figures were recalculated omitting foreign speaking children and those with special needs then we'd be praising the education system and it's teachers.
It's just another sensational media article.
22/11/08 21:33
My dd2 whos 4 ,she is 5 in feb.Started school in aug and already can write her own name and is writing sentences to.Her teacher told us she is very advanced for her age.She is the youngest in her class .Shes also in the pupil council too.So iam pleased she is doing well.
22/11/08 18:48
I think children start school far to young a friend of mine had a child who started school about 2 weeks after he turned 4, as they only had 1 intake a year. He was still a baby and has struggled all the way since then, he is now 7.
My kids were always nearly 5 but I still think its too soon, I m now pregnant with a baby who will be one of the youngest in the year and already I am worried about it! Talk about paranoia(its just I like them with me for as long as possible to experience all the simple joys of early childhood,collecting conkers,feeding the ducks walks in the park etc.
I do agree that often they are ready for something by the age of 4-5 but not school as it is today.I personally think they need to learn through play at this age and have fun and feel comfortable with themselves and their environment.
25/9/08 16:08
I agree that they are too young to be in school all day every day but I also believe that many children are ready for the stimulation of learning.
On this basis I have decided not to send my 4 year old to school this year and have kept him at home. He gets to play with his little brother, go out for walks, to the park, various trips, bike rides, to soft play etc, do cooking, craft activities, play games etc.
He is also very keen to learn so we do lots of learning through play but also some more formal work. For example, at the moment we are doing a topic on shapes so he has made shape pictures, we have sorted shapes using a Venn diagram and he has done some handwriting revising the 'th' phonics he has been learning. He's also done some basic addition and subtraction. Later, we'll look at his reading book together. We're having lots of fun learning together and it's great to have him at home.
24/9/08 09:18
I agree with what previous posters have said. I think children start school far too early although I understand that some may be ready but not all. As for shopping lists, etc my nearly 5 year old is no where near being able to do anything like that and I wouldn't expect him to either. There's far too much pressure on children these days anyway. I'm sure it doesn't matter if he can't read a shopping list at 5 year's old. I don't think that says anything about the educational system it is far too early to judge at that age IMO.
23/9/08 10:18
I got to agree with Michele5kids; kids in the UK starts school too young. My family lives in Sweden and when I told my sister that my daughter was starting school at age 4 (5 in Oct so would be one of the oldest) she was very surprised and asked how come that British school kids has a lower knowledge level than many European kids when they go to school for longer? Good point I thought, as I cannot see the point in starting school so early; they may be able to write their own name, count to 20 or whatever but most of them are def. not ready for the school structure and forced learning. Pre-school is the answer I think.
22/9/08 22:49
The school curriculum doesnt expect children to know beyond 10 at the end of reception, and count up to 20 by the end of year 1. (and know their number bonds)
when you get the school reports, it will only indicate that they can achieve the target levels, so if your child can do more, it wont be detailed in the report, then, as a parent we get upset because we think the school isnt aware of what our child can do, but they only have to report that they have achieved the target level
I do think most schools work around the ability of the children, and its not as pressured as its made out. Kids have a lot of fun in schoools, and if they aren't then maybe parents should look at alternative schools. The problem time is around SATS when schools spend all their time training the kids to pass the exams, so that their results look good.
Kids learn whilst having fun. If they are pressured they forget everything. If they dont understand, they need to go over it again and again and be taught using different methods until the right method is found for your child. Sometimes hving a break and going back to it is an excellent idea.
A lot of kids can cope with learning, and do want to be extended, its not just parents being pushy. Children do get bored doing stuff they already know and teachers should build up on this knowledge by using what they know and helping their knowledge grow.
This is a point I have found difficult to understand. My son did a lot of work in the UK schools, and we moved to NZ and he has gone back to the reception work level, so because hes done it before he wasnt paying attention so was making mistakes, so teachers thought he didnt understand and therefore didnt extend him. its been a vicious circle. I was unhappy because he was going over the basics again, but the reality is, children need to hear things repeatedly over time because this does assess how much they understand to do their work accurately. He is now working on our equivalent year 4 work because he has gone over the basics, and now has a solid understanding and is working at his appropriate level.
But the teachers will still only report him as achieving his current class level, not ability level!
I have also spoken to british parents who say that their kids didnt understand or remember a lot of what they were taught in year 1/2/3 in the UK, but in NZ are only covering the same topics in Y3/4/5/6 and because they are older, grasp the knowledge much better.
heidih
22/9/08 20:02
i personally think children are starting school too young and getting pushed into things far too quickly, what happened to learning through play? Other countries do not start school until they are 6-7 yrs and end up knowing more than our kids by the time they are 11... My dd is 3 atm but will be one of the youngest in her class and start school at 4 yrs as her birthday is in july and i feel she will not be ready almost a year yonger than her brother who's birthday is in september so was almost 5 when he started and struggled himself, although a reasonably good reader and good at maths but still struggled with being thee every day all day etc... my dd just started pre school and hates it, she cries all the time etc and i feel that she would be more ready for nursery at 4 yrs and school at more like 5-6 yrs...
22/9/08 12:06
ds started reception a few weeks ago and the school never said what they needed to know before they started. i wasnt worried as he is 4 and can count as far as he likes and can count backwards from 250, knows all his alphabet including sounds etc, can write his name and short words etc. each pupil has a book which the teacher records what they have learned that day and they are starting letters right at the beggining with sounds etc. but like his nursery they only seem to comment when he has done something wrong in class and not how good he is doing which really p***es me off, but i know it is because he is bored and wants to learn something new. but obviously they need to start at a level suitable to all teh children in his class.
You have a good point Donna, I didn't start school unitl I was over 5 either, I have no idea if I could write my name then but i'm sure a lot of children couldn't and it wasn't a problem. My 4 year old learnt to write her name when she was at Nursery and now she can wite all her letters and is starting to read them all too. Some of the children in her class can read better but I'm not worried because she is improving all the time and she loves books whatever. I'm sure there are some children who just don't want to learn and maybe that is down to the parents. I think you need to spend time encouraging children to read and write rather than watching tv etc but at the same time not push them too much.
They are only little after all and I agree it does seem like they start too early. My husband is Turkish and they don't start school until 6 there and he cannot understand why they are at full time school at 4 over here.