How could the state education system improve?

Give the schools the money.

You can't reduce class sizes without huge expense; extra teaching space and extra teaching and support staff for a start.

You're all just ignoring the elephant in the room.

In secondary education, hire subject specialists who love their subject. In too many schools it’s a case of ‘I know you did PE for your qualification, but I’m sure you could manage Y7 English’ or ‘I know you teach Geography, but you go to church, don’t you? You can be head of RS’ (yes, that’s a real one).

Sago

I have always felt SAT’s interfere with teaching.
A good teacher will tell you exactly how your child is progressing.
Have any teachers, ex teachers got an opinion on this?

Totally agree. Sats are a waste of time.

Smaller classes, but better discipline. It doesn’t matter how small the class is if there is an element are is so disruptive that the teacher has to spend all her time trying to control them before any educating can take place. There is also a problem in some state secondary schools where pre-teen and teenage children who have arrived from outside the country come to school unable to speak or write the language and unused to any formal school system, even in their own country, but are lumped into mainstream education and expected to learn. Not fair on them and certainly not fair on teachers.

ban expensive uniforms.
have no uniform or a basic national one, bought at supermarket.
no stupid logo-ed sports socks.
i heard a woman from northern ireland whose 9 year old's sports shirt had gone from £5 to £18, because it was now carrying local business's brand.

Oh, Please!

Give them the same funding that the private sector gets.

A few years ago there was a study which proved that there was no advantage to childrens’ learning in smaller classes....strange that the government research should show this when every teacher I have ever known would love smaller classes! The powers that be seem to have money to spare on endless initiatives, most of which have been tried and discarded in the past.

. Classes of around 23 at primary, better support for the increasing number of children with ever more demanding SEN would really improve things for teachers and pupils. Won’t happen though, it would cost too much which is why people decamp to the private sector.

Classes of 20 instead of 30. Do away with sats as I’m not sure what they achieve. Teachers know their children and how they are progressing. The children themselves also know. Ensure any government education minister has a proper working knowledge of the education systems.

I was educated in Scotland late 40's and 50's where the class size was 44 but the discipline very harsh. I think sheer fright got me through the 11+ with an A grade. Admittedly there was also a stick dangling in the form of a new bike from a great aunt. A beautiful green Raleigh.

As an Infant teacher I always felt that 24 children with a Classroom assistant was about right.

But that was before inclusion and the high number of children needing individual help that most Early Years classes now have.

Inclusion was a worthy principle. In practice it’s meant large classes of young children, several with complex needs and often only one adult for about half the time.

Galaxy

Smaller classes.

Absolutely. This is the main reason why DD left teaching. That and the lack of money for even basic things like text books. She started teaching in the Blair years and said teaching was a joy back then. She’s a great loss to the profession as well, being totally dedicated: probably too much so.

I would say class size of 20 M0nica. Higher than that and each additional child is like having 3 or 4 more. Below 16 and it doesn't work either.

Too small, 10 or less children, is not positive. But over 27, and certainly over 30, is just impossible.

So 18 to 25 max. What do you call 'standard size'? Over 30?

Lots of people say 'smaller classes'. How many does that mean. I knew someone who taught in a school with small classes, thta they found it very borinf and prefered the standard class size.

Make sure, one way or another, that all children are well nourished, well dressed and have had enough sleep.

NotSpaghetti

1. Bring back Surestart as the first 3 years are the most important.

2. Smaller classes.

Neither can be achieved without funding.

This. Thanks.

Class size is absolutely crucial. Which is why so many choose private education. As long as those with means and influence can by-pass the large sizes, poor funding , etc- nothing will be done.

In countries where private education is more or less unknown- those with means and influence make sure class sizes are kept loe, and proper funding given- for their children- and for all children. The same applies to health care.

more emphasis on learning less emphasis on passing tests and exams. When I was at school and dinosaurs roamed the earth, We were taught at shcool that the only use for in house exams was to teach you how to to public exams and the only use for public exams was to get you on to the next level of whatever training or education you had chosen. Nowadays it seems that children and schools are judged on how many exams are passed and how many a grades. All it means is that college and uni requirements go up putting more pressure on the kids.

Sago

I have always felt SAT’s interfere with teaching.
A good teacher will tell you exactly how your child is progressing.
Have any teachers, ex teachers got an opinion on this?

I agree, not worth wasting lots of time on them.
We were lucky we didn't have to do them!

Leave teaching to the teachers and unqualified politicians stay out of it.

Sorry, my 'Q' doesn't always work. That should, of course, be 'NVQs'

proper training of TAs, along the lines of the NNEB (nursery nurses) courses, combining lectures and work experience on a weekly basis.

This was available for years, ranging from NVs up to Level 3 and HLTA.

Having been away from the system since 2013, and knowing how much budgets have been squeezed by the tories, I don't know if such levels of training still exist for the few TAs that are left.

Perhaps if state schools were funded to a level that allowed them to offer the same opportunities as the private sector that politicians send their children to we might see a big improvement without having to tinker round the edges.

1. Bring back Surestart as the first 3 years are the most important.

2. Smaller classes.

Neither can be achieved without funding.

I have always felt SAT’s interfere with teaching.
A good teacher will tell you exactly how your child is progressing.
Have any teachers, ex teachers got an opinion on this?

Fewer changes, more evaluation (of curriculum changes, teaching methodology and infrastructure) before they are imposed on schools.
Longer and better training of teachers; in Finland all teachers are trained to MA level, which explains their consistently good results and standards; proper training of TAs, along the lines of the NNEB (nursery nurses) courses, combining lectures and work experience on a weekly basis.
Less data collection and testing; smaller classes; special needs units attached to schools.
Removal of the Academy system.
Just for starters.

More teaching staff (I definitely include TAs) fewer managers.

Sorry....fewer levels ...