Katherine Birbalsingh believes that there is a problem with UK's education system.
1. This ex-teacher believes that the "system is broken because it keeps poor children poor". There is a "culture of excuses", as she says, in the UK's education system where children don't feel they are responsible of their exam success...or failure at school. Therefore they fail because excuses are given them to excuse their bad behavior at school.
2. According to her, this problem exists because the "culture of excuses" is part of the well meaning people ; they always find excuses for the pupils bad behavior, for example a difficult background... But for Katherine Birbalsingh, this is not helpful for pupils success because it shifts the problem to considerate that they are responsible of themselves.
3. About this problem, the government ministers shares the point of view of Katherine Birbalsingh but they say they did have to try to support teachers for not going in the "culture of excuses". So the government is not to blame for the condition. They need dedicated teachers with natural authority even if this good teachers can leave the system because of the children bad behavior.
4. To improve the system, Katherine thinks they have to change this culture of excuses, which come from many years. Both of pupils and staff have to be responsible of what they do. She says too at the beginning that they have to bring competition between classrooms with bench marking and individual exam, so children can be allowed to fail.
5. If she were given a choice to make changes in the UK's education system, she would trust in teacher and headteacher more : give them more freedom about discipline. According to her, they are professionals who know their job and are be able to decide the exclusion of a pupil (after helping him to be responsible) : "It requires a culture of exclusion". And looking exams, to be honest, its become easier ever year. So she would come back to an acceptable level ; "we need to success" she says.
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Problems with France education system ?
Of course I think they are !
The government says school is for everybody and everybody have the same chance to succeed but in the reality, school stays a system who permits to the elite to succeed (with a few exceptions...) ; that is to say people thanks to his social environment pass in prestigious University or School and then have a good job, top-ranking with a big salary... Currently, the France doesn't reduce the social divide. On the contrary, it grows : the good students are better and better and student who go in specific studies learn less and less...
The France is one of the countries where the social environment more influences in schooling.
To my mind if there is this selection at school it's because there is a lot of competition in the system but in our individual society too : "If you want to have a good job, you have to success and to be the best at school".
But what is a good job ? I believe that to succeed at school is not the only way to find it and be happy; of course for some people who want to do a job which requires a high formation, they don't have an other solution that pass all exams with a good level. But I think the problem is that the system (the government or the society I don't know who exactly) want most of people to pass this exam even if then, their job isn't make them happy. There are some examples of people who succeeded at school and became engineer or boss and one day, stopped everything because our dream was to become a pastry cook !!!
It 's because a lot of job are depreciate by the salary and the organization into a hierarchy in the society.
It would have to make more attractive more equitably the different jobs to permit choose better according to our capacities and feelings... (But It requires too a change of mentalities in the society...)
This problem begins in primary school : the best preoccupation at the end of the year is how many children passed... It put children success in the center of the system instead of the children himself.
In general I think they have not enough manual education and practices of art and sport, witch are very important for the child development, specifically for children which have some difficulties at school...
In that, there are often only good children on maths or language which are value but not the other who can have a particular sensibility on art for example or other capacities that school, witch this system, don't know developing.
And I think too teachers are not sufficiently prepared when they start their career..To my mind there are not enough psychology and pedagogy in the formation whereas it's very important to know when you have to teach to children...
A system which put in the center the child, which value him with his own needs and capacities, without always being into the competition for the child want to learn and develop it... That is to succeed at school for me... (Suggestion easier like idea than in practice, unfortunately...).
