Alternative education options for disillusioned parents

The standards in education are always being called into question, whether it be the annual moan belittling the achievements of GCSE students, the quality of undergraduate courses, the stress and strains of SATs testing, or the local primary schools being full to bursting.

The current educational entitlements for children are;

Free nursery places  planned for parents with two-year-olds in disadvantaged situations.

Currently all parents get a free part time nursery place from the term following the child’s third birthday. This is in the form of two and a half days or five sessions per week.

Children must attend school by the term following their fifth birthday.

A lack of faith in the education system is leaving parents looking for an alternative to formal conventional education.

A recent survey carried out by MyChild.co.uk, found that a huge 78 per cent of parents would fully support a boycott of SATs tests in 2010.

The education website found large numbers of parents downloading free SATs papers, and asking advice on how to help their children cope with the stress of the tests.

The NUT and NAHT, two of the biggest education unions are planning to ask the members to refuse to take part in the tests, which they now call ‘unacceptable for the future of children’s education’.

NUT’s acting general secretary,Christine Blower said: “Primary schools’ patience in enduring the damage caused by the tests has been stretched to the limit, and beyond. Our deadline for the end of SATs by 2010 is reasonable, and our alternative is one that will enhance teaching and learning. Above all else, the Government needs to understand that this year’s national curriculum tests will be the last.”

Findings from the  Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ALT) reveal that 30 per cent of teachers and support staff working with primary and junior children think that statutory education should not start until children are at least six years old. A further 37 per cent thought the children should be at least over five years old.

Teaching staff in England, Northern Ireland and Wales all said national assessment is having a detrimental impact on the children’s learning.  At key stage two 80 per cent of staff said it spoils the children’s enjoyment of learning, and 77 per cent said it affects the children’s behaviour.

General secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), Dr Mary Boustedsaid: “We have a choice – we can either go on overloading the curriculum and testing children at every opportunity, or we can create an environment where children enjoy learning and discovering. Primary school should give children the building blocks to continue learning, so they leave with the basic skills they need to be able to make friends, learn on their own and with others, and a desire to do so.”

If you have little faith in the current school crisis then there are alternative educational options to consider.

Steiner education is based upon the work of Dr Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925) a philosopher and scientist who went on to inspire a school movement.

Steiner schools take children from age three until eighteen depending on the school. Currently they are fee paying, though early years vouchers are accepted in the Kindergarten.

The ethos of a Steiner school is to provide a creative, natural learning environment. Children learn through play in an unhurried way, and formal learning blocks such as reading are not introduced until around the age of seven.

The school believes there are other things children need to learn before they start to read and write, including social, emotional and life skills. Once they have learnt these then formal learning is easier.

http://www.steinerwaldorf.org
http://www.steiner.bristol.sch.uk/

Italian doctor and educationalist Maria Montessori developed the Montessori Method. This educational method takes the premise that everyone is an individual and will develop at their own individual rate according to their needs and interests.

The children experience the world around them in a practical way before being introduced to abstract concept

http://www.stokebishopmontessori.co.uk/

Perfectly rational parents everywhere are choosing not to send their children to school but to home educate instead. Frustration at the constant testing, personal philosophies on education, bullying, crowded class rooms where children are crowd controlled rather than educated, are all reasons cited by home educators. It is estimated that around 50,000 UK families are now teaching their children at home.
You don’t need a teaching qualification, just an educational philosophy. With the internet you don’t have to be alone, there are websites out there giving advice, and social networking families meet up in groups so children get to socially interact. There is no financial help currently available to home educators, but the saving on uniforms, bus passes, and the resourcefulness of using what you have around you to learn will more than likely keep your expenses very low.