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Education sector

As a school or college you are at the frontline of education reform. If you believe in Edge's Six Steps to a better education system then help us tell policy makers how to shape the education system of the future. If your school or college already recognises the importance of practical and vocational learning then support VQ Day, our national day to celebrate vocational success!

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What's your view
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Steve Waller
Hi, I might disagree that education should be fundamentally different these days as to when I left school in 1969 at 17. As with my 2 GCE's in Maths and English I also left with a sound basic education (I was good at sport though so gained my confidence and self esteem that way) What I know has changed for the worse is parents attitudes. I went to school because I had to and made the best of it. I enjoyed some parts of it and got on with the bits I found difficult or boring. We had practical lessons such as woodwork (possibly metalwork) art, bits of chemistry and physics and PE. This is what there should be more of-vocational subjects because as you said many do not engage with academic subjects but could excel at practical ones.
Over the last year I have worked as an Employer Liaison Officer on an Entry to Employment programme for 16-18 year olds who have not done well at school. Basically, the NEET group. Many of the learners who cannot cope in a classroom have excelled when given a practical 'job placement' in something they enjoy. However, some still fall out because they are just not prepared to do something they either do not like doing or do not want to do and this again comes from their upbringing in my opinion, but where will these young people finish up? I hope this makes sense.

RW
As we all know to our cost, the models of assessment can negate all best intentions. But there are existing solutions! Suggest look at Teacher TV mini-videos on the e-scape project:
http://www.teachers.tv/video/3306
http://www.teachers.tv/video/3307
http://www.teachers.tv/video/5431
More info about tghis project at e.g. http://www.gold.ac.uk/teru/projectinfo/projecttitle,5882,en.php

Caroline Kelly
If education is about supporting each young person to realise their potential and it did that, think how society would change when everybody is striving to become better at what they do and what they do is driven from interest, inspiration, passion. Would society not become healthier and wealthier? To make education anything else for example to make people fit jobs - is why we have so many social problems. The economy (and society) can only develop for the future because people are able to innovate - and there is no A level that is going to teach innovation or make someone an entrepreneur. New ideas and creativity come when people are free to express themselves according to their authentic selves.
So if young people have a talent for woodwork, mechanics, drama, that should be supported and encouraged and they should not just be taught just how to do it but put their interest in a historical perspective, a mathematical perspective, to think fro themselves and allow them to become artistic in their field/vocation. Otherwise they become one sided and the subject becomes dry and boring.
Remember we are not here to serve the economy, it is here to serve us, it should be what allows our work to become more than a job, we are able to teach because other people are growing our food, making our clothes and we contribute to their lives by educating their children to realise their potential. Only in this way will society and culture grow better instead of wasting resources on containing the damage done by poor education which year on year fails so many young people.

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Your experiences

"It’s not that a career wasn’t something we discussed or talked about and its in now way a reflection on the quality of my education, its just all my subjects were academic and none of them really had a vocational focus."


"My experience in education guided me into an area which i didnt really enjoy."

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