Dumb Kids

My argument is that there is not enough time devoted to each subject these days. My daughter is has just made all her options choices for next year and I was stunned at how many subjects she is doing. They now have a fortnightly timetable and get around three sessions every two weeks for some subjects. We had four a week for things like sciences. She is also doing half a GCSE in RE. What the hell is half a GCSE???

I would reduce the choices and try to help these kids be reasonably good at something rather than crap at lots of things.

Of course there are kids that can excell at all their chosen subjects (and she is one of them...swot! ) but there are too many that just can't cope with that kind of workload and they are the ones that give up completely and end up going nowhere. Ok, that's a generalisation but you get the idea.

This is bad. Wow. Do they turn up to the exams?

Its a tricky one. Some people jsut aren't cut out for accademic stuff but could quite well do great at a more vocational course. The difficult bit is at what age do you say to a kid - you are never going to be any good at this so try something else. People can flower at different ages. Some people who were idiots at my school and just messed about have gone on to get good degrees and some have even gone on to do PhDs and alike. Its hard for kids to know what they are best at and ui think there needs to be a better system of spotting people who might do better in other ares, but without the stigma that used to go with the old vocational schools.

Too much testing, and too much interference from the government. But GCSEs are common sense, everyone should pass them. I think bringing back technical colleges for people who aren't so academic is a great idea; but of course that wouldn't be PC would it

Oh here we go again. It's no use blaming the schools. I bet that if you looked at the schools concerned, they have kids from places where nobody would really want to live, social problems and so on. Government looking for a scapegoat for a failure of policy generally. So let thenm close the schools - where are these kids going to go then? And how will they deal with thousands of redundant teachers? And even more angry parents?

After 11 years, isn't this an admission of failure?

Will they shut the hospitals for failing next? Or the police stations?! What a well thought out plan There's nothing like pandering to the papers for headlines

surely we should shut down gordon brown and his circus then

[timwilky]

Kids are not naturally dumb. They have a natural ability to learn. If they fail it is because of the failure of the system, not the kids.

Those that provide the system, either the policy or its implementation should be called to account for the poor standards of education amongst many of the nations youth.

My children went to "good" schools. But even there I saw a failure of the system where it came to the provision of education for those with "Special Needs", I saw their allocated funding being stolen by the school to "provide for all pupils with needs".

My personal opinion is that government is putting too much pressure on kids. We need to rain in the number of subjects taught. The amount of testing etc. and return to core competences taught well.

not very fair to make sweeping statements about kids being thick. my daughter has just sat her standard grades (scottish gsce) and worked hard and hopes to have done well. Most of her friends are in the same position. Easy to say how it was much easier in the good old days lets not put down the kids that are trying

Originally Posted by Xan173

Did you by chance study Art?

haha, nope, i am not that dumb, i did havea place to do ecconomics at Abber uni, but decided to join up instead. no regrets over that choice.