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Post by shep on Sept 24, 2007 10:22:51 GMT -5
I heard today that they are changing the age of leaving school form 15/16 to 18. Is this true, and what will the pupils gain from it/what qualifiactions etc?
Cheers Vicks
Thanks x
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Post by madvicks on Sept 25, 2007 12:47:48 GMT -5
Oh you mean Labour's let's ruin education for good business? It works like this: students entering secondary school in September 2007 will have to stay at school until they are 18. Most will pursue AS/A2 levels in their 6th form years (16-18), though other vocational qualifications are supposed to be offered. In typical half-assed Labour fashion though, they haven't considered a) rooming, b) teaching staff, c) extra money, d) horrendously large Post-16 groups, d) motivation or lack of for the students being "forced" to remain on. Typically, Post 16 is when students can do well as the doofuses that have held back learning go and do their thing elsewhere so the ones who want to learn can. Well, all that is going to go out the window. How is it going to work? Who knows. Schools have been told nada. I presume the magic elves are going to come along and sort it out the same as they have with literacy and numeracy... Oh wait, literacy and numeracy haven't been sorted have they? I'm a little cynical on some education "revolutions" especially when teaching the debacle that the new Science GCSE is, with it multiple guess answers.
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Post by shep on Sept 25, 2007 15:00:10 GMT -5
Well what I was thinking was what if the kids arent academic? Some kids are more practical thats why they leave at 16 and pursue a trade, or get a job that just gets them by as they dont have any career aspirations. I am already thinking about Drew. What happens if he is more parctical than academic? Forced to stay and do courses that he may not want to do? I mean what vocational qualifiactions are offered? Health and Social Care? Leisure and Tourism? The Government are going to get their act together pretty quick for these reforms I know it may seem years away but it will fly by and lots of planning etc (as you mentioned) is needed. Perhaps they are leaving the NHS alone this year! They know were pissed with the 3% pay rise!
My GCSE Science end of module tests were multi choice. I was no good at Science and once gained a high mark becuause I had probably guessed half of the answers. The next time round they put me in higher band and I said I wasnt happy but they told me I had to stay in that band. I took the higher test and got about 4 out of 30. So I know exactly what you mean about multi choice.
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Ouija
Supernatural Hunter
Reaper
Posts: 629
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Post by Ouija on Sept 26, 2007 9:30:31 GMT -5
I actually liked those GCSE Science module tests.
Which is saying something cause I really don't like Science.
Seriously GCSE was enough to put me off the subject for good.
But the module tests weren't actually that bad.
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Post by madvicks on Sept 26, 2007 12:46:30 GMT -5
Well, the GCSE Science tests are even more of a farce! Oh, the Government finds that the Human body (Heart, Breathing, Respiration, Digestion) is too hard as students have to actually learn and be active in it. So what do they do, remove it from the new syllabus. Yes, budding doctors aged 15/16 know nothing of the heart and digestion now. Installs faith doesn't it?
Allegedly, more vocational courses are going to be implemented: When? How? Who knows.
My gripe with m/c is it tests Polly Parrot syndrome (i.e. which facts have stuck) rather than understanding or application. Our kids cannot think at school you given them an A4 side of info and ask for the important parts and they re-write (as in copy) the info word for word. An OFSTED said we were a "good school with outstanding festures".
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