primary school

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Janet Downs: The May Dancing

For the first time in living memory, well, seven years, the Year Six maypole dancers tangled up the ribbons. They had skipped round the pole weaving an intricate pattern of colours – all they had to do was to reverse the moves. But one of them, maybe more, dived when they should have ducked and the threads became entwined. There ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "andy - sorry, didn't mean to sound pedantic but there are commentators who mistakingly believe that EBacc = 5 GCSEs A*-C, not realising that Science requires a double award (2 GCSEs) or two separate sciences. Parents may be misled ......"

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Susanna Rustin: Barlby Primary School

My daughter is just coming to the end of her first term in Reception class at Barlby School. Her dad and I are so pleased and proud of her and the school. In her first class assembly the audience was greeted by members of her class in Japanese, Swedish, Spanish, Arabic, French and English. This week we have a Christmas concert, ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Nigel Ford: "Good luck with the Christmas concert - try not to shed a tear...."

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Stuart Boothman: Marketisation and conglomeration are undermining state education

From Grant Maintained, CTCs, Academies, Free Schools... Every change to governance arrangements have pressured schools into chasing money rather than providing education for children. The new coalition government are pushing this acceleration to new and scary levels. Small schools are vulnerable to take over or closure for economic reasons, leaving the academic benefits of a more personalised ... read more and comment →

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Francis Gilbert: Is it fair that a selective private school should become a state-funded free school?

The news that the Wisdom Primary school in Tottenham has applied to become a free school should be worrying for anyone who is concerned about the state sponsoring more academically selective schools. Yet this is the news that is reported in the press today. Overwhelmingly, one gathers the sense that Haringey will become even more polarised socially, religiously and ethnically ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "But isn't the problem that the school has already selected a huge proportion of students from affluent backgrounds and therefore with the siblings policy will continue to do so, so even if it adopts the LA admissions criteria it will ......"

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W Smith: Oh no they have a business plan!!!

The Department for Education Business Plan Nov 2010 makes very depressing reading. This is the government's idea of leaving schools and teachers alone to get on with the job!!!!! Included is a new reading test for 6 year olds, a new early years framework and assessment and a brand new primary curriculum, after yet another review!! Who is going to be on ... read more and comment →

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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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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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