Do you want what Gove wants for your grandchildren?

I watched with some admiration and much trepidation the Channel 4 programme Child Genius which ended last night. I was pleased that the child whose pushy mother wrote and made him memorise his debating speech didn't win the title. That seemed very much like cheating to me. The girl who won was already the world under 12 Scrabble champion, so naturally her forte was spelling, but she was brilliant all round. Her parents had moved from India because they realised that her English was so good that they wanted to give her the opportunity to excel. But otherwise they didn't seem pushy - she pushed herself.

I learnt as much, if not more, during the school holidays than I did at school - and I was at a academically very good school.

I just got more and more uncomfortable with Child Genius, Anno. Dreadful, pushy parents and children who didn't seem to have a normal childhood at all. I couldn't see what a lot of the actual competition had to do with intelligence; it mostly seemed to be about memory and cramming. I seriously doubt that we really were looking at future leaders.

I watched the Child Genius programme with a heavy heart. So much pressure on such young children - and how many will continue to excel as they get older? Ruth Lawrence says her creepy father ruined her childhood and teenage years.

I felt it was very similar to those horrid child beauty pageants so popular in the US. One or two were obnoxious little beasts but closely resembled their parents. I saw bits of the second programmer and couldn't stomach it again.

Yes I saw the end of that and cringed. Winners mother by far the most happy and laid back methinks.
Gove is a headline grabbing toad. Has no one had the courage to point out to him that public school kids get about a month less schooling per year than state school kids? (re the longer terms bit)

I think it was the fascination of horror that kept me watching. The chess child with the most obnoxious parent of all was fortunately eliminated in an earlier round. The most obnoxious child with the most normal parents failed to swot up his spellings and bit the dust early too. I expect to see some of these in Countdown in the near future!

I want my grandchildren to have a good education over 39 weeks a year, during school hours, with minimal homework as they get older but none when they are tiny. I want them to have time to read, play with their friends, slob out and relax. I also want them to enjoy long, lazy summer holidays learning how to enjoy seemingly endless freedom. And I want them to be bored at regular intervals - there's nothing more character building than those afternoons when you have to learn to entertain yourself. I do not want my grandchildren to be geniuses of any description. If they are I shall support them all I can, but I'll see it as a huge disadvantage, not a gift. I don't want what Michael Gove wants for them - in fact I don't want Michael Gove, full stop.

Maggiemaybe The most amazing thing about the whole debate about the size, shape and length of the school year is that is no evidence base whatsoever. Still who would want evidence to get in the way of policy? Well, yes, altogether now Gove( and Hunt and Grayling and IDS (who actually makes up his own statistics)

That's rubbish wot I just wrote - that bunch D'ONT want evidence to get on the way of policy. Long day is my excuse!

My great-gd1 starts school in September and her mother has been told they are 'trialling' a new curriculum and she will be in a group of 60 children with one teacher and two teaching assistants.

I felt very sorry for the chess child in the Child Genius's, his mother was the worst sort of American, who was to talk everything to death. I think he was well out of it. I didn't think most of the parents were pushy - just trying to keep up with the children in most cases.

I think Maggiemaybe has said everything I wanted to say. As far as I can see children are doing more and more schoolwork yet leaving school knowing less and less about the world around them! My daughter who has a science degree and a PhD herself certainly doesn't want her son spending any more time at school. It leaves little enough time for the things he is interested in as it is.

I do NOT want shorter summer holidays. They need to do all the things maggiemaybe said in her post.

And they need to come and stay with me.

It's very sad that children are being exploited in this way. And having a high IQ doesn't necessarily equal happiness or success.

Maggiemaybe, what an excellent post. it seems that the ghastly Gove just wants to ensure that parents and children have no fun together, no time to relax or engage in the activities which they have chosen. Instead, the heads of children are to stuffed with dubious 'facts'; cooperation, debate, discussion, teamwork and reflection are rubbished and the only role for parents is to make money to support the wealthy 5% so that they can continue to decide what happens to the rest.

Greatnan, that is truly dreadful. I hope that her parents are going to get together with others to challenge and stop this harmful and ludicrous experimenting with children. I would question if this is even legal.

Not sure what you mean miceself re legality? This weeks ministerial pronouncement was "schools can set their own terms" - this is relatively minor as academies can already do this. But they don't make major changes because unless all schools in the area have similar holidays parents are inconvenienced - and a large number of teachers are parents. so all it means is a few days tweaking around the starts and ends.
His ministerialness was also pontificating recently about the length of the school year which was what I was on about. Never get that past the unions - it would not be the fight he would pick.

Jess, I think MiceElf was referring to the 60 reception children with one teacher and two assistants bit.

When Govey started one of the first things he did was spend ££££s on sending an embossed Bible to every school. This assumes that schools didn't already have bibles? And what good is one anyway - to be passed round a class? My husband has his copy as a bookend in his office.

Yes, it was Greatnan's post I was responding to. I would be reluctant to allow my children to attend a school which was organised in this way.

I love the new title His Ministerialness.

For parents in villages there is rarely more than one school to choose, especially if they don't have their own transport. My ggd has been attending pre-school for some time and is very bright, sociable and looking forward to going to school with the friends from pre-school. As this is a trial (I have no idea what that implies) my gd is going to see how it works out.

I was particularly incensed by the way Gove simply lied about free schools, perverting the statistics.

For parents in villages there is rarely more than one school to choose, especially if they don't have their own transport. My ggd has been attending pre-school for some time and is very bright, sociable and looking forward to going to school with the friends from pre-school. As this is a trial (I have no idea what that implies) my gd is going to see how it works out.

I was particularly incensed by the way Gove simply lied about free schools, perverting the statistics.

That's hard. Greatnan. I hope your GD has inherited your persistence and is caucusing with the PTA!

There already are state schools that set their own holiday dates, one in Leeds was on the news the other day. The pupils seemed to like it and the Head made a good case but the Head of one of the feeder primaries wasn't thrilled. He said it was a problem that half the top class disappeared to secondary school in June. They didn't ask any parents how they managed with children on holiday at different times. And again, Govey's messages are confusingly mixed. Schools should act as child-care by staying open longer but to hell with parents' needs when it comes to holidays. Academies will be free to make their own decisions but if anything goes wrong, central government will zoom in. Schools will be free to develop their own curriculum but exams will be designed by the Minister. MiceElf he isn't taking any of this through the parliamentary route, he's doing it on ministerial authority.

Micelf - my GD1 works ten hour shifts as a supervisor in a local hotel and is studying for an LLB with the OU, as well as sharing care of her two children with her partner, who works part-time as a postman and is also studying with the OU for a degree in design technology! They are just about the most hard-working and determined couple I know. She is hoping to become a parent governor of the school and I know she will be vigilant in monitoring her daughter's progress. They have spent many hours in pre-reading activities, number games and educational visits, and if Zara does not seem to be happy, secure, and learning new skills they will be quite ready to confront the head.
It is quite a deprived area of Hull, and my concern is for those children who don't have such knowledgeable and confident parents.