Cheer up, Bridget, your lucky day is nigh!

GrannyGravy13

At my GCs primary school this term, year 5 & 6 went to the theatre, reception class went to a large zoo, and a travelling theatre company came into the school and performed a pantomime for all years.

Dinahmo these things are fairly regular at the two state primaries in my road.

That is very good to know.

School trips are an integral part of the curriculum and enrich learning. I think there was a ministerial drive a little while back to promote trips with a learning purpose.

I think, if there were school trips, a lot came to a halt during Covid, of course.
I remember when the older DGC were at primary school there were trips, outward bound weeks, theatre trips etc but the youngest didn't have those opportunities nor did the older ones who were at senior school.

Yes, in my grandsons state secondary, but they are more modest than in my day or my sons day. (A week away free in the Lakes as part of geography), exchange trip with German School every year)

But you need details from someone more versed then me in the current health and safety stuff, as well as the financing (schools will pay for pupils who cant afford within reason)

I am in my fifties with a teenager still at school. I am currently paying for trips to Italy and Germany, so it doesnt feel modest to me. However I am aware I am fortunate in that we can manage that.
I am not sure about secondary but in my local primary trips were subsidised for those in receipt of pupil premium.

Good to hear those still continue.

Well, to give her her due, Bridget Phillipson did say she was keen for UK pupils to build friendships with classmates further afield. I think she meant like foreign exchange trips between schools. I'd like to see more of this because there has been a real decline in the UK's language skills over the past few decades.
But as mentioned, the issues are the high costs of travel, and the reluctance of some staff to take on the responsibility.

Be fair to the staff, until numbers increase, they have responsibilities and workloads far heavier than those years ago.

Wyllow3

Be fair to the staff, until numbers increase, they have responsibilities and workloads far heavier than those years ago.

I meant more the fear of accidents related to foreign travel with youngsters these days. The risk assessment stuff that sends shivers down teachers' spines. 😱

I sat on a beach in France this September and watched 100s of French school children pile of coaches, (they told me they were going to see a film at the British Film Festival that afternoon). DH who is Mr. H&S and schools' compliance regs extraordinaire nearly had a fit!
- The French teachers went off to the bar for a drink
- The children were stripping off and going in the sea, and jumping off rocks
- Pleasant as it was, the girls were talking to us (strangers) about our (could gave been vicious) dog who they engaged in a game
- And a bit of smoking by the beach huts
etc.
The remarkable thing, was when a whistle blew, an hour or so later, they all walked to line up as if nothing had happened! 👏 👏

escaped

Well, to give her her due, Bridget Phillipson did say she was keen for UK pupils to build friendships with classmates further afield. I think she meant like foreign exchange trips between schools. I'd like to see more of this because there has been a real decline in the UK's language skills over the past few decades.
But as mentioned, the issues are the high costs of travel, and the reluctance of some staff to take on the responsibility.

She needs to have a word with her counterpart Lynne Neagle, Secretary or Education in Wales.

Language teaching is at an all-time low in Wales. That is because Welsh is compulsory up to GCSE level and pupils only need to take one language so drop other, more useful languages at 14.

Key Findings| Language Trends Wales 2024:

Nearly 70 per cent of responding secondary schools reported that none or less than 10 per cent of Year 10 students were taking an International Language for GCSE or other Level 2 qualification.
wales.britishcouncil.org/en/about/press/wales-risk-lost-generation-no-international-language-skills

Some primary schools are trying to include foreign language teaching but how much time is allowed in the curriculum with Welsh taking priority over any other language?

It is shocking that generations of children in Wales are losing out on opportunities to widen their horizons.

Well said Allira.
Welsh language although possibly quite beautiful is a niche dialect. I can see the Welsh government don’t want it to die out so they force it on students. But seriously? Why? Bet it’s never used abroad (outside of Wales). Daft in my opinion.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Well said Allira.
Welsh language although possibly quite beautiful is a niche dialect. I can see the Welsh government don’t want it to die out so they force it on students. But seriously? Why? Bet it’s never used abroad (outside of Wales). Daft in my opinion.

It should never be allowed to die out FriedGreenTomatoes2 as has happened to other languages.

But for it to end up as the only compulsory language from reception all the way to GCSE level is so limiting and does a disservice to generations of children.

My DN in England teaches French, Spanish and Mandarin with a good uptake at his school.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Well said Allira.
Welsh language although possibly quite beautiful is a niche dialect. I can see the Welsh government don’t want it to die out so they force it on students. But seriously? Why? Bet it’s never used abroad (outside of Wales). Daft in my opinion.

Oops! Best not call it a dialect FGT2 😯
Welsh grans might be listening!

I think it's spoken in Patagonia too.

The new Welsh curriculum includes learning international languages.
www.gov.wales/global-futures-plan-improve-and-promote-international-languages-wales-2022-2025-html
Welsh children will be multilingual, so not disadvantaged by learning Welsh (and native Welsh speakers learning English) - in fact it will be an advantage that they can, because it is required for a lot of jobs here in Wales. I wasn’t in favour of Welsh benighted to the exclusion of other languages, but that will not happen now.

"Mae'n ddrwg gyda fi"
😁

Benighted? Sorry, I meant being taught

That's interesting - the Welsh curriculum and the language.
I went to school and taught in Brittany at a time when, unlike other Celtic languages, Breton had, and still has, no official status. However, in more recent years an increasing number of children are attending bilingual Breton schools.
Breton road signs and signage and are not allowed in Brittany without the French words alongside.

My late father spoke Gaeilge as his first language and English as his second, this was not unusual for the time but would have held him back hugely, the Christian Brothers made sure he spoke English fluently!

We must never let these languages die.

We must never let these languages die.

I agree Sago
Cornish is an example but is being revived, although many Cornish words are estimates of wat they were.

However, neither must we limit the chances of Welsh children to working in Wales when there is a world of opportunity if they are given a level playing field on which to compete.

Is it discrimination also to deny non-Welsh speakers the opportunity to compete for jobs in Wales too?
I remember DH applying for a temporary job which was not customer-facing. He did well at interview but the final question was "Do you speak Welsh". When he said no, the interview was terminated.

Welsh children won’t be limited in future though Allira, I don’t understand why they would be constrained to only work in Wales as they will have three languages? There are large cross border work flows with England, so I don’t think in reality it’s a major concern.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the necessity to speak Welsh. I think for anybody who is in a role where others in the workplace routinely speak in Welsh, particularly customers or clients, where they need to read things written only in Welsh, or where meetings are routinely held in Welsh, it’s essential. If none of those conditions exist, it is not necessary.

I agree. It's still the first language of some Welsh people.

Allira

MaizieD

escaped

I agree Casdon that state schools will never ever have the specialist teaching expertise found in the independent sector. I don't just mean in academic subjects, but in Sport, Music, Art, Drama etc. It also needs specialist facilities to take children with exceptional talents to the highest level, and this requires real estate and state of the art premises. Most parents at private schools won't want to make their children poorer in their sporting and cultural life, so they will pay more knowing that their children are receiving the best of the best that can never be equalled by a state school.

I don't intend to join this utterly pointless discussion any further but I've read most of the posts and if vegansrock's post was deemed to be insulting to private school pupils I feel that this one is the other side of the coin and is extremely insulting to state school teachers and to state schools which provide an excellent all round education.

I'm surprised that none of the teachers or former teachers posting on here has pulled escaped up on it.

There was absolutely nothing in escaped's posts which could see which criticised teachers in the state system.

If it was a criticism of the state system then it would be blaming successive governments in eroding those facilities which we had come to expect for our own DC - ie good sports facilities, music lessons etc which may be lacking now.

state schools will never ever have the specialist teaching expertise found in the independent sector. I don't just mean in academic subjects, but in Sport, Music, Art, Drama etc.

And what does this mean, then? No teachers in the state system are competent to teach to the highest level in any discipline? No state school teachers can take children with exceptional talents to the highest level?

Good Lord. What utter arrogance and entitlement...

Casdon

Welsh children won’t be limited in future though Allira, I don’t understand why they would be constrained to only work in Wales as they will have three languages? There are large cross border work flows with England, so I don’t think in reality it’s a major concern.

I’ve got mixed feelings about the necessity to speak Welsh. I think for anybody who is in a role where others in the workplace routinely speak in Welsh, particularly customers or clients, where they need to read things written only in Welsh, or where meetings are routinely held in Welsh, it’s essential. If none of those conditions exist, it is not necessary.

How three languages?

Will they have to take English, Welsh and a foreign language at GCSE level?
At present, and for the past very many years, they have been allowed to drop a language after age 14 but Welsh has been compulsory which means many dropped a foreign language.

There are large cross border work flows with England, so I don’t think in reality it’s a major concern.

I know. But it has been of such concern that this new initiative has ad to be introduced.

MaizieD

Allira

MaizieD

escaped

I agree Casdon that state schools will never ever have the specialist teaching expertise found in the independent sector. I don't just mean in academic subjects, but in Sport, Music, Art, Drama etc. It also needs specialist facilities to take children with exceptional talents to the highest level, and this requires real estate and state of the art premises. Most parents at private schools won't want to make their children poorer in their sporting and cultural life, so they will pay more knowing that their children are receiving the best of the best that can never be equalled by a state school.

I don't intend to join this utterly pointless discussion any further but I've read most of the posts and if vegansrock's post was deemed to be insulting to private school pupils I feel that this one is the other side of the coin and is extremely insulting to state school teachers and to state schools which provide an excellent all round education.

I'm surprised that none of the teachers or former teachers posting on here has pulled escaped up on it.

There was absolutely nothing in escaped's posts which could see which criticised teachers in the state system.

If it was a criticism of the state system then it would be blaming successive governments in eroding those facilities which we had come to expect for our own DC - ie good sports facilities, music lessons etc which may be lacking now.

state schools will never ever have the specialist teaching expertise found in the independent sector. I don't just mean in academic subjects, but in Sport, Music, Art, Drama etc.

And what does this mean, then? No teachers in the state system are competent to teach to the highest level in any discipline? No state school teachers can take children with exceptional talents to the highest level?

Good Lord. What utter arrogance and entitlement...

So you are saying the Tories did not neglect these areas in education then?


I must have been in a parallel universe.