Compulsory Maths till you’re 18.

I graduated when I was 38 without a single 0 level via the wonderful Access opportunity to those mature folk who missed out first time round. Did a couple of O levels and an A too afterwards.

Just because I could

growstuff

effalump

Why not integrate it with useful life skills, like accounting, running a small business, etc. But then the Government probably doesn't want the general public being able to call them out on their dodgy dealings.

Indeed! I'd like all school pupils to study media awareness, which would include how politicians manipulate statistics. My idea of a course would include the influence of "influencers" and how public opinion generally is generally influenced by the media.

I agree. i honestly believe that the whole trashing of subjects such as sociology and media studies was started because the government (Thatcher's I believe) didn't want a population who could see what was happening, and have the vocabulary and theoretical underpinning to argue against it.

Best comment on GN so far!

Has there been trashing of sociology and media studies? I must tell my niece (media studies) and my nephews (1 sociology,
1 media studies) that they did rubbish subjects. It got them jobs.

Mollygo

Has there been trashing of sociology and media studies? I must tell my niece (media studies) and my nephews (1 sociology,
1 media studies) that they did rubbish subjects. It got them jobs.

I think it used to be a very popular subject at aim the 1960s and 1970s and numbers have tailed off.

Do you remember Maureen Lipman’s advert mentioning the ‘ology’?

The subject didn’t have the same kudos as other more mainstream subjects but I think it’s even more relevant today.

Sociology, media studies, the arts including English and history definitely rubbished by this govt and mr gove
Yes we need engineers scientists mathmeticians etc but we need critical thinkers, and the arts enrich all of us. Look at the interesting discussion on Happy Valley 🌞

ronib I guess it must have passed unnoticed by my relations. They weren’t at Uni until the 90’s onwards. I do remember the maureen Lipman ‘ology’ adverts though.

I am not boasting but I set a record for the mark of my A level sociology exam a very long time ago. There are some very simple study guides to A level sociology probably in the local library?

What I forgot to say if anyone is interested in sociology, and gets stuck on an idea, I can try to help work it through.

I left school as soon as I could weeks after my 16th birthday and walked straight into a job, now children must stay in education till they are 18 or doing an apprenticeship , I learnt on the job and probably learnt more that way and took my qualification later in life, I find most teachers are great with pupils who have an aptitude for their subject but hopeless with the ones who dont. The children who don't like maths are not suddenly going to love it between 16 & 18 , will they also have to take exams in the subject as this is the only way they can prove it is a success?

I hated maths as a child, our maths teacher at primary school would hit us if we got our times tables wrong.
I was truly terrified of her and had no confidence when it came to maths.
I prayed that she would die, she didn’t die but went blind, I was never sure if I didn’t pray hard enough or if I was a young witch.
I’m sure there were many teachers like Mrs B who put pupils off maths for life.

We have very proud parents and aunties here !