Saturday, September 22

Parents want their children to be tested!

See this report about 52 different bodies complaining about the fact that children are tested too much. Only one body said no, and too was the Department for Education and Skills. Every person is very well experienced and vocal in blathering about the children except for one small, insignificant lot, the parents.

Listen, you over-qualified, under-experienced lot, read the international comparisons of our education system. I want my children to know where s/he are in relation to the world's students and the country's and the county's and the borough's. I want to know who is responsible for the performance. It has to be linked to the political structures. I want to fire people who are not able to reach performance levels. I want my child to be in the top 10 percentile of all global children.

What a bunch of silly idiots to keep on moaning about testing. I suspect it is more because testing throws up performance and shines a clear light on relative performance. Give bonus's to the head teachers and teachers who show good performance. Give independence and freedom to the head teachers.

My son just finished KS2, and he has got 5* in all topics. But that tells me very little. It does not tell me how he compared internationally. It does not tell me how he compared domestically. I simply do not know. And if I do not know where he is with respect to the curriculum and competition, how can I and my wife work on his weaknesses and improve his strengths, teach him to jump at relevant opportunities and fend away the threats?

Truly, sometimes I despair.

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