Wednesday 24 April 2013

Teach Your Children Well - Graham Nash



Mr. Gove has again picked a fight with the teaching unions; unusually for me I almost agree with him.

The arrangement of the school year does date from an agricultural period and could arguably be updated to provide a better balanced year. The autumn term, for example, is very long and is quite arduous for young children. The summer term, by contrast, is quite short and doesn’t allow nearly enough time to play cricket.

Where Mr. Gove has it wrong is in insisting that children need to spend more time in school. His plans seem to only make the summer holiday shorter; not rebalance the school year. He also wants to make the school day longer.

The Sutton Report does infer that longer teaching hours can have a positive impact on educational development; but does find that this is contextual. Some children, at some schools do better with more contact time. The quality of teaching is paramount.

I would agree that for older children KS2 and KS3, a longer day could be of benefit. But only if this extra time is used for creative subjects and sport. For KS1 children the day is long enough already. A change in school hours would adversely affect these children (in my opinion as father of 2 and parent governor at an Infant School). But having different length of school day would be difficult in a primary school.

The worst part of Gove’s announcement was that it would begin from next September. I know that he is in a hurry to make a name for himself, but rushed and incremental changes are more likely to cause problems then provide solutions.

I would agree that the education system in England and Wales can be improved. My opinion, however, is that it is better to plan for wholesale changes in a few years and at least try and reach consensus with teachers, political parties and local authorities. The Cambridge Assessment Report of a few years ago found that the most significant factor affecting examination performance in schools was the number of changes made to the curriculum and testing procedures.

From my experience as a school governor and from reading around the subject I think that structural changes would be required to produce overall improvement; not merely tinkering around the edges. The fundamental premise behind any changes must be decided on a consensus on the purposes of education; is it to teach the skill of acquiring and using knowledge? To prepare children to be workers? Or to teach them lists of the kings and queens of England?


TEACH YOUR CHILDREN    (Graham Nash)

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good bye

Teach your children well
Their father's hell did slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you

And you, of tender years
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by
And so please help them with your youth
They seek the truth before they can die

Teach your parents well
Their children's hell will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.


Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"4 Way Street"  1970

"Deja Vu"  1969

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