Overhaul education

Covid-19 could offer a potential opportunity. This may be the right time to make crucial changes to our education system to improve our position and become leaders in Europe.

The Finish system has been heralded as an outstanding model for modern education. There is also extensive research supporting the benefits to children of starting school at an older age,

‘Children who start school in the year they turn six are more likely to have developed the skills and competencies needed to thrive in a formal learning environment, compared with their younger peers who start school in the year they turn five.’

I and many teachers I have spoken to feel that this may be the right time to implement lasting change. We could benefit our young people and have a positive outcome by putting all of our year groups back by one year. Give this years pupils a chance to sit exams next year, and extra time to work towards these. Have our pre-schoolers stay and nursery for an additional year and start primary at 6 years old.

Why the contribution is important

We should not be disadvantaging our children, I don’t believe this is a sacrifice we should be willing to make. The way things are progressing it’s going to affect educational outcomes for the next five years, maybe longer. Pupils are missing core education and we know this will make it very difficult for pupils to achieve high outcomes in certificate years. Online teaching disadvantages ASN/ASD and pupils from the bottom deciles the most, widening the education gap.

This would obviously require careful implementation therefore, this would have to be proposed at the earliest possible opportunity to allow schools to make adjustments.

There would also have to be support put in place to support families, an extra year of nursery is costly. However, I feel this is something that should be looked at separately. We should be supporting families to spend more time at home with their children, not funding nurseries to raise children for them.

I do not have all of the answers but I, and many of my colleagues, do feel there is definite merit in this suggestion and I hope you will give it serious consideration.

by Mandyintdesign on May 05, 2020 at 02:34PM

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Comments

  • Posted by Zephyrina May 07, 2020 at 09:25

    I agree an overhaul should be implemented but think maybe we could assist to promote home learning. Allow access to resources for education in some way and creating more of a home schooling base that can follow the curriculum and be comprehensive and implemented by parents/caregivers.

  • Posted by Mandyintdesign May 08, 2020 at 12:59

    I will also add that it provides an opportunity to reverse the problems we are creating within society. Forcing parents to place children in childcare from a younger age and longer periods of time is linked to increased chance of developing ADHD, Aspergers, anti-social and aggressive behaviour plus mental illness. Instead of finding nurseries pay this money to families as a benefit. This could be used to supplement income so one parent could stay home with their children or work less hours, it could also be spent on childcare if the parents choose. This combined with starting school later would have a hugely beneficial effect on education outcomes and wellbeing.

  • Posted by monkey3margaret May 08, 2020 at 15:14

    Totally agree with Mandyintdesign. Perfect opportunity to rethink current education system. Myself and my colleagues have been saying this for years too. Government has found money for businesses to survive this pandemic so why not fund additional early years classes.

    This would increase education results as pupils starting school at 6 years old will be better equipped to deal with a more formal learning environment as supported by majority of European countries.

  • Posted by EleanorM May 09, 2020 at 23:03

    I quite agree. We can also redesign the school year and length of day, moving away from the agricultural calendar currently used to one more suited to the majority. There are no children in Scotland whose parents rely on them to take animals to the shielings for 7 weeks in the summer or to take part in tattie howking in October.
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