Stories + Views: Parents

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Ellen Purton: We are fixing a system that isn’t broken, instead of a curriculum that is.

I have three sons aged 9, 6 and 3 who attend an excellent state primary school. I believe we have two major, not-unrelated problems in our primary education system. The first problem is that we are starting formal education much too young. An enormous quantity of research has been done in this area and the conclusions are always the ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Sue Palmer: "Thank you, Ellen! I've been a 'literacy specialist' for 25 years and never heard the early years problem expressed better. For some insane Anglo-Saxon reason we're obsessed with an early start -- it's never worked, and, as children's lifestyles ......"

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Fay Davies: Local schools benefit from a comprehensive system where all are treated the same.

I went to school in Bury, North Manchester, but moved south to take up my first job after university. When I decided to start a family myself I took a serious look at schools in the area where I had ended up working. I found that the schools were polarized between high achieving private schools and much lower achieving state ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "Bravo to Bury. It should be leading the way for all of us..."

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Melissa Benn: Beware the word on the street – and the page

Two recent  encounters, one in person, one in print,  have reminded me of the dangers of taking other people's often simplistic or ill informed word concerning the merits of local schools. Some of you involved in the LSN might remember David Wood's, London's chief adviser on schools, wise warning in January this year about parents rejecting good and even outstanding ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "Yes, I agree that there is no substitute for looking at school properly yourself. The Ofsted report is generally much more reliable than the league table stuff too...."

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Polly Woodford: Bridging the gap between primary and secondary schools by becoming a secondary school governor whilst still a primary parent.

As a KS1 mum I used to watch in astonishment as the leaves fell of the trees every autumn and the same appeared to be happening to most of the KS2 parents in our area of south-west London. The annual, autumnal panic about how far away our children might have to travel to school, aged 11, to escape the seemingly ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "This is a really great idea. I think some of the local secondaries in my area need something like this too. There's so much unnecessary prejudice against them......"

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Liz Cotgreave: I want to be a governor

My eldest daughter starts school next September and I very much want her to go to our local school. Many of the other children in the street go there and children who now go to the local comprehensive still walk up there with the friends they made at our primary school. I want my daughter to grow up as part of ... read more and comment →

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Sioned-Mair Richards: Local Schools need us all

When we said our son would go to our local school, people were horrified. Bad reputation, poor teaching. I began volunteering there ( was working p/t) then became a governor for five years. New head, new staff, new governors, hard work. My husband became a governor. I went back to being a parent again! Our son (now in year 4) has thrived ... read more and comment →

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Frank Monaghan: Local schools, global vision

I'm a lecturer in education and particularly interested in children learning English as an additional language and the teachers who work with them. Queens Park Community School is my local school and I have been fortunate enough to be welcomed there both as a researcher and a volunteer in their excellent mathematics department. As a researcher I have been deeply ... read more and comment →

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Howard Knight: League tables are no guide to a good school

I've been tempted to write after I recently clicked on to a website telling me it offered a 'Good Schools Guide'. Any parent, taking at face value the information offered about Byron Wood Primary School, would have kept their child at home. Leaving aside the fact that the data offered was well out of date, it also provided a superb illustration ... read more and comment →

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Jackie Schneider: Why we need parents in the state system

Five years ago school meals in the London Borough of Merton were shockingly bad. Teachers, dinner ladies and head teachers felt powerless to improve them. A lively parent led campaign persuaded the local authority and local politicians that they were wrong to ignore this and they changed their minds. Money was found to build new kitchens in every school and ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "Yes, the case you cite about the school dinners in Merton is very relevant in many ways: it shows that LAs can improve things substantially for ALL children in the area. It's the universal coverage an LA can give that's ......"

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Oliver Rickard: We dared send our child to the nearest primary school to our house

It went all the way back to when we were looking at houses to move into when our daughter was 1 year old. The people selling would take one look at the baby dribbling on the floor and go into lengthy spiels detailing all the schools in the area and why if we bought their house we'd be able to get ... read more and comment →

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