[Seán Himmelb(L)au]

I have the following ideas for a radical reform of the British education system which will hopefully allow students to achieve to the highest standard possible:

- The reformed education focuses on five main areas of study all implemented in primary school and expanded into separate more definite subjects as students progress though the system. They can also choose what specific topics in each area they wish to study once they have completed the whole study area to a satisfactory degree. These areas are:
- Languages (Native and foreign)
- Mathematics and Science (Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Computing)
- Environmental Studies and Humanities (Geography, History, Business Studies, Politics etc.)
- Expressive Arts (Art, Design, Music, Dance)
- Citizenship (Religious/spiritual and moral education, physical and health education and personal and social development. This area is the only one organised by age, taught in tutor groups instead of by ability, and will form the basis of students' social lives)

- The schooling system to the age of 10 stays essentially how it is, but with more emphasis on learning basic numeracy and literacy skills, and more definition between seperate subjects, particularly leading up to the end of primary school.

- From 10 upwards classes are not made from age groups but purely by ability. Each student is assessed at 10 years old in every subject and put into one of a series of higher to lower streams which vary in the pace of the course. So in just one subject Grade 3 class you could have a very bright 10 year old, some 14 or even 15 year olds who struggle with that subject, and of course some 13 year old average acheivers. The odds would also be you would be with different people in different classes depending on your ability.

- Each year of a subject which is completed is treated as an individual grade, so if a child completes the first year in English they have a Grade 1, and the next year that is made into a Grade 2, 3 and so on.

- Performance is assessed through small tests and coursework throughout the year. There are no big exams. As a student progresses they can start to expand the range of courses they do but particular emphasis is put on literacy, numeracy and computing skills.

- For the first three years the five study areas are covered, aiming for the child to be educated in the basics of everything. In the final three years students are allowed to concentrate on the topics in each they want to and are better at.

- At 16 they can leave school or attend for the next two years of their further education a specialised college in their chosen subjects, a regular sixth form college, or complete a (normally for more practical vocations) modern apprenticeship.

- The objective is to teach as diverse a range of subjects as possible in preparation for university so young people know what career they wish to pursue earlier, and to allow a student to pass grades more frequently and therefore maximise on their talents.

- Hopefully then, instead of passing GCSEs in 10 subjects, and AS in one, and 4 A Levels, each person would have a CV something like this:

English- Grade 7
Art- Grade 3
Business Studies- Grade 8
Philosophy- Grade 5
Maths- Grade 6

and so on...

- It will be easier for employers also to see a candidate's talents and their full capacity will have been tested by the schooling system.

- Along with this school reform, the state would be agnostic. Faith-based schools would be abolished and a completely mixed education system with no connection funding to the Church. Religion would be taught as differing views as part of Citizenship in schools, but only as part of a wider set of philosophies.

[bradley]

that's quite nice BUT

a large element of the classroom system, based, basically, on age, is the society of the year that develops. in the current system, as you approach the end of your secondary schooling, the groups of friends you have are, most likely, of very similar age, maturity, phase of adolescence, etc. you might all decide to go to the pub one night, for example (lying about your age, or having you beer with a warm meal, of course!) - whereas in the system you propose, an english class will be made up of many different age strata, all intermingling. Some may be of clubbing age, whilst others will be going round each others houses to play Playstation games. All sense of belonging disappears, the few anchors that help us explore who we are, and what we are becoming, as we mature, notably having friends of the same age, at the same stage in their life, break loose. Either you belong to no age group, or your class becomes extremely divided, and unproductive.

also, your system assumes that everyone wants to work, in at least one direction. For many adolescents, that isn't the case. We are far less driven than that!. Having a stable base of people, yur yeargroup, to which you can compare your progress, helps (not with 100% effectiveness) people from falling behind. In as fluid a system as yours, in which you or I would not doubt swim with ease and enjoyment, others may find it too easy for their own good to fall behind every one else, with nothing to hold them up to the pace.