Edge

15,633 people have already voiced their support

21 January 2010 vocational learning A message for:

Ed Balls

If we offered more vocational subjects, children who struggle academically could feel that they could shine, in a worthwhile vocation that could keep them in good stead for the rest of their lives. To be taught a trade instead of leaving school with barely a qualification to their name. I have always believed that all children have a gift of something, it just needs a helping hand sometimes to develop. Why cannot we as a nation make sure that schools provide vocational subjects alongside the curriculum, if we leave it to 16+ colleges it is sometimes too late. Give the option at school, with all the local schools sharing the facilities between them. Get local firms interested in sponsoring pupils and offering apprentices. Antoinette

46 7

09 March 2010 vocational education A message for:

The next Education Secretary

I'm a retired university lecturer. I think we need universities for vocational learners. We should turn some of our ex-polys or colleges of further education into degree-giving institutions for builders, painters and decorators, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, stonemasons, roofers etc. Students would be undergraduates with all that that implies...they would learn trades along with business studies and have opportunities for other cultural activities. Current colleges do not offer young people the life-style for which we should aim for all our children. judith Alnwick

8 0

31 October 2009 education Stop teaching the PC edited versions of history and teach children real history - firstly of this country and then the rest of the world. This would give the children the knowledge of how society is changed by events. I am totally disgusted at the edited, PC versions of history that is taught in schools with an obvious hidden political agenda. Linda London

10 4

21 October 2009 Provide genuine choice Ensure that more, good quality, vocational courses are funded and available to a wider number of people - particularly those that increase and offer direct access to the professions. Clare Morley, AAT London

5 0

11 September 2009 Qualifications Make more vocational courses available, especially in Special Ed schools. Employers are not interested in GCSE grades below a C so why con pupils and parents with the idea that E,F and G are passes. Bernie McGee Bedford

4 0

04 March 2010 Money A message for:

The next Education Secretary

EMA bonuses are the most ridiculous idea ever, what about all the people that have turned up for every lesson and continually worked hard throughout the year, how come they aren't entitled to such bonuses?? Just because someone comes from a reasonably well off family doesn't mean they should not be rewarded equally for their hard work, what kind of an incentive is that for the rest of us to work hard?? Another pressing matter is the way that grants are decided form financial information from the previous year, especially with so many people being made redundent, the informational is irrelevent! The money that you earnt last year was spent last year on living!! The trouble is that it is hard to appreciate these matters unles sthey are happening to you! Hollie Leics

4 0

09 January 2010 stop tinkering and ditch it We need to stop tinkering with the school system and recognise that the fundamental problem does not lie in the content of the curriculum but in the very existence of a compulsory pre-determined curriculum and standard attainment goals by which all young people are measured. Until we understand that worthwhile and truly valuable learning only occurs as a result of intrinsic motivation we will not create a society where learning is seen as a joy and not a chore. Summerhill is a wonderful example but so are the thousands of families who allow their children to learn autonomously at home. Autonomously educated children do not need to learn to 'leave bits of themselves' at the school gates, take SATS or GCSEs or learn in an institution instead of the real world in order to be successful; they are free to create their own definition of 'success'. Carrie Stoke

4 0

18 March 2010 Let's be fair to all A message for:

Ed Balls

There should be more focus on good behaviour in the classroom (from students & staff!). Kids should not be paid EMA to just "turn up" at college without effort on their part. Showing commitment and working hard and then receiving EMA would be a much better idea. Also, all kids should benefit to some degree, after all, the wealthier parents still pay their taxes. Everyone is good at something, not necessarily academia. Where would we be without butchers, bakers, and trades people of all descriptions? Let's give youngsters more vocational choice with lots of encouragement along the way with REAL job placements and REAL money to go with it Emma Nuneaton

4 1

24 November 2009 Creativity is being destroyed The only certainty in the future is uncertainty so we must educate our young people to cope with this and GCSEs and the test culture we have is failing them. 'Every child matters', but some 'matter more than others' in our current system which is geared to having our students jump through hoops and you have to get 5! Value everyone and engender a culture of creativity, collaboration and communication. We can only do this when we take our teachers out of their straightjackets of the national curriculum . We cant have excited and buzzing kids without excited and buzzing teachers. Neil Atkin Movement for Learning neil poole

2 0

22 December 2009 More funding More funds for things like experiments more and get a better understanding practically of how things work Christopher McGill Milton Keynes

3 1

17 May 2010 School Exams A message for:

The next Education Secretary

I have just supervised AQA exam 'Preparation for a working life'. The 1.5 hr exam went as follows: After 30 mins some 20% of students had completed the paper. After 45 mins some 50% of students had finished. After 60 mins some 95% had finished. After a further 5 mins the entire body of some 200 students had completed the paper. So here we had 200 students, 11 invigilators, and 1 teacher for a period of not less than 25 mins being totally unproductive apart from satisfying some state controlled examination authority. This behaviour was more or less standard for the half dozen exams I have had privilege to supervise. This occurred at a well-regarded state school. What a travesty waste of a nations effort for this scenario to be repeated throughout the whole country for every exam taken! What an example to students bearing in mind the title of the paper? Why ever not reduce the time of the exam, or better still, extend the paper to fill the time so that the most able students are better identified for further encouragement, and recognize those students who do infact need extra help? Paul Christchurch

0 1

14 May 2010 Early Years Education A message for:

Michael Gove

I read with interest the change of name from DCSF to The Deparemtn for Education. As a provider of Early Years Education for many years I am delighted to see a common sense approach hopefully coming back into our profession. The last few years of endless changes and interference have left our worforce disollusioned and with very low morale. I await with interest the 'next steps' in the education of our youngest children and the self esteem of practitioners raised to the highest level given the importance of the profession they are in. Yours truly Mollie Orton. Mollie Burbage, Leic.

0 1

View all messages

Today's Guardian - School lotteries are failing to help poorer pupils http://bit.ly/a1OTuQ
5 hours ago from web
Dragon Peter Jones waxes lyrical on the benefits of vocational learning in today's Guardian http://bit.ly/d2vcwH
3 days ago from web
RT @YourAAT argues in letter to @TelegraphNews that it's time to recognise that university does not work for everyone - http://bit.ly/cLENR1
46 days ago from web
Fantastic example of learning by doing in today’s Telegraph. The use of gardening profiled as a learning tool http://bit.ly/9sHqxW
67 days ago from web

Sign in

Change details

Stay in touch