So much to go into here. Loved the article. The funding gap of £460 is a bit of a red herring – if you click on the link that is the difference between the highest cost per pupil (Scotland) and the lowest. I don’t think you would find many Scots saying their education system which has rapidly declined under the ScotsNats provides value for money. The actual parallel to draw is within England where the gap between the highest (London) and lowest (SW) is £250 and this is after years of targetted funding of London’s schools – not exactly a massove difference. Secondly, in order to file a tax return you do need a decent level of ability with basic maths – it isn’t spmething anyone is able to do. Achieving a 4 at GCSE is equivalent to an old C grade (a pass). There needs to be some sort of line but I think a recommendation from a teacher should suffice – if you can’t find one teacher to give you a reference you probably won’t be able to do an apprenticeship.
There are people who are not accountants but who can help with tax returns. Though accountants generally try and ensure their fee is covered by savings in tax. If the tradesperson is not earning enough to pay an accountant then he/she should probably not be working for him/ herself but be employed instead.
Apprenticeships are linked to functional skills maths and English, today. However, what is worth considering is if you are on an apprenticeship that requires you to work 39 hours a week (likely more due to overtime), plus the required learning/written work alongside, plus maths and/or English functional skills, plus running a home and raising children. It’s a lot and many people drop out, citing the maths and/or English being too much on top of an already busy workload. Especially when many actually got their school qualifications but lost the certificate and cannot remember the examine board they were under.
Simon Cornish
1 month ago
To ‘discover’ something as fundamental as this 15 year old’s functioning illiteracy rather than it already be known, flags up for me why this school is failing its children. For the senior staff member to praise the author for providing the pupil with a graphic novel version of Macbeth as a suitable intervention to cater for his totally inadequate reading level is shocking. This strategy merely manages the child’s disruptive behaviour as he continues along his path to failure. Where are the serious interventions this school could have employed to address his obvious inability to access the secondary curriculum because of his poor reading, and presumably his writing as well? To compare Devon’s financial support and educational outcomes with London is to ignore the London weighting and enhanced payments that reflects higher costs and other factors such as much greater number of pupils with English as a second language. No, other comparable regions of the UK have the same financial support as Devon but through good management and a strong commitment to catering for the educational needs of all pupils, many school achieve good outcomes.
I see you’re point, however there are many variables to consider- such as the class may have been recently taken over by a new teacher that hasn’t had access to the data previously- which seems to already exist, or the pupil may be new to the school/ frequently absent for incremental reading tests/ removed before they have a chance to complete- it is informative data but undoubtedly depends on the participants’ willingness to take the test seriously and complete it. The school may be at it’s limit with small group intervention and the child may already be on a waiting list for this- we are in a recruitment crisis after all. Absenteeism is a huge problem too after the pandemic- it’s possible the child’s lack of progress isn’t entirely the fault of the school system if the pupil is not consistently in lessons learning. I think the author is expressing frustration at not being able to provide better support in the moment. Further, some areas of the South West still have a middle school system, so ‘secondary’ school starts in year 9, thus problems might seem as though they’ve been neglected by secondary schools who could be playing catch-up on an inherited issue.
My point is it’s highly unlikely the teacher has consistently taught this child from year 7- year 10, or even perhaps for several consecutive years. Unfortunately school timetables rarely accommodate such consistency. Often classes are split/ shared between several teachers at a time and change hands frequently as staff leave/ timetables annually shift.
From my experience attending a school in Taunton in the South West I had 4 English teachers between years 7-11.
I don’t think labelling the child as incapable or the teacher as poor without knowing the context is particularly helpful.
Aphrodite Rises
1 month ago
I agree vocational courses should be open to anyone who is capable of undertaking whatever type of work the training leads to and academic qualifications are frequently unnecessary and an obstacle to people who would make excellent practitioners. My aunt was an SEN (state enrolled nurse; a nurse who was not academic and did not possess academic qualifications). She was a midwife in east London in the 1950s. But I cannot stand labels including disadvantaged. I strongly suspect, from my own teaching experience, that a large contributing factor to the greater academic success of London ‘disadvantaged’ children is many have highly motivated immigrant parents and live within a traditional family structure. When I went to school, the only equipment a teacher was provided with was a blackboard and chalk, and children were provided with textbooks. The budget per child has greatly increased but literacy rates have remained the same.
Charles Stanhope
1 month ago
If ‘we’ weren’t squandering such a vast amount of cash on the ever needy Northern Irish and Sc*tch via the outrageous ‘Barnett Formula’ there would be ample funds to assist Devon & Cornwall.
However as you remain so suitably supine and don’t scream and shout and whinge and whine on every possible occasion, you will continue to be ignored.
Thank you, and thus London* is almost identical with the needy Sc*tch and Northern Irish, whilst the rest of England lags far behind.
Frankly this is an outrage.
(* No longer an English city it must be said but rather a multicultural cesspit.)
Perhaps that’s part of the reason so many Devon families, including my own, are home eductating. I’m so impressed with the effects of HE on my grandchildren, 2 in Devon and others elsewhere. Reading this article adds to my conviction that for many families this is the best way to go at the present time, and until the education system becomes truly educational.
Absolutely, the problem isn’t so much the funding as it is the system, one that is designed by academics for academics and anyone non academic is consigned to the gutter!
forcing young people to stay in education till they’re 18 regardless of interest or ability and attaching maths and English qualifications to every single avenue is damaging to an entire group of young people who are growing up with no ambitions beyond a life on benefits. They love the mental health crisis, btw! I can’t work because I have mental health problems!
Dougie Undersub
1 month ago
Sorry, Rosie, it’s nobody’s fault but the school’s – certainly not the Government’s – if a child can reach year 10 without his reading age having been established. And I would certainly hope that nurses are literate and that builders understand trig.
We should, I agree, make vocational education more flexible and available to all. Returning universities such as the University of Falmouth (sic) to their previous status as technical colleges would help.
Could it be that the high proportion of self-employed in the SW is due to the absence of large employers in the region? Chicken or egg?
I’m glad that you know also much more about this than the author of the article. And perhaps you didn’t know but nurses these days have to have degrees – crazy!
In the authors defence, it seems that the data has been discovered- just that further support hasn’t yet been provided. The school can only control what it has in front of it- if the pupil is frequently absent (through suspension or absenteeism) it is very difficult to ensure learning is progressing at home, even if support is already in place.
I share your agreement about the self employed data stemming from an absence of employment, though I believe the author might be trying to champion self employed careers by arguing for alternative entry requirements so that more can access these options.
Alex Lekas
1 month ago
How many times can something be described as the fault of govt before one considers the alternative – that this is happening intentionally and not because of incompetence or indifference. When a student is 15 and only then is his borderline literacy discovered, it’s hard to blame faraway bureaucrats; that seems like a local issue that no one is incentivized to discover.
This has been a long-running issue in the US, where the public system is more concerned with being in line with the latest in social justice wokery. Sure, the kids can barely read and few do math at grade level, but they’re experts on the oppressed/oppressor divide and can name all 57 genders. Colleges are forced to provide remedial work in math and English for a reason.
Christopher Barclay
1 month ago
You don’t need to understand trigonometry to get a grade 4 at Maths.
Peter Churcher
1 month ago
I’m in North Devon, and have 4 kids. One in an apprenticeship (thanks to a good friend), one at college, and 2 home educated. I’ve also been involved in both primary and secondary schools for year, and I think you’re bang-on! However, I believe we need a culture change too. Schools simply cannot be educators, parents, disciplinarians, social workers, therapists, and even more. I believe we need to return to a school system that focuses on basic education and leaving the rest to the parents. Yes, some kids need additional support (I know this all too well) but that shouldn’t come out of the education budget, or at the expense of others’ education. I also wonder to what extent the stats are misleading. Loads of people I know didn’t go to university because they didn’t want to. They had jobs they liked or stayed to work in the family business, etc.
stephen david
1 month ago
Now retired, but the head of a highly respected joinery in Uffculme in Devon, told me that they’d tried, mostly unsuccessfully, for years to work with the government apprentice scheme. The money wasn’t close to what was needed for the time spent. A bigger problem was that very few apprentices stayed longer than a few weeks. The few who did left as soon as they could (understandably) to set up their own businesses.
Perhaps these skills should be taught at schools instead of the those that, for example, teach young white Devon kids that they are responsible for the slave trade.
Kat L
1 month ago
Sounds bad. I don’t know the govt structure of Britain but doesn’t someone represent your area? Can’t a group of you light a fire under their…ahem, feet? What can the smart ones do in your community to get together and help your kids ?
So much to go into here. Loved the article. The funding gap of £460 is a bit of a red herring – if you click on the link that is the difference between the highest cost per pupil (Scotland) and the lowest. I don’t think you would find many Scots saying their education system which has rapidly declined under the ScotsNats provides value for money. The actual parallel to draw is within England where the gap between the highest (London) and lowest (SW) is £250 and this is after years of targetted funding of London’s schools – not exactly a massove difference. Secondly, in order to file a tax return you do need a decent level of ability with basic maths – it isn’t spmething anyone is able to do. Achieving a 4 at GCSE is equivalent to an old C grade (a pass). There needs to be some sort of line but I think a recommendation from a teacher should suffice – if you can’t find one teacher to give you a reference you probably won’t be able to do an apprenticeship.
Accountants are happy to file tax returns for a fee and many tradespeople use them.
And maybe many tradespeople can’t afford to use accountants.
There are people who are not accountants but who can help with tax returns. Though accountants generally try and ensure their fee is covered by savings in tax. If the tradesperson is not earning enough to pay an accountant then he/she should probably not be working for him/ herself but be employed instead.
Apprenticeships are linked to functional skills maths and English, today. However, what is worth considering is if you are on an apprenticeship that requires you to work 39 hours a week (likely more due to overtime), plus the required learning/written work alongside, plus maths and/or English functional skills, plus running a home and raising children. It’s a lot and many people drop out, citing the maths and/or English being too much on top of an already busy workload. Especially when many actually got their school qualifications but lost the certificate and cannot remember the examine board they were under.
To ‘discover’ something as fundamental as this 15 year old’s functioning illiteracy rather than it already be known, flags up for me why this school is failing its children. For the senior staff member to praise the author for providing the pupil with a graphic novel version of Macbeth as a suitable intervention to cater for his totally inadequate reading level is shocking. This strategy merely manages the child’s disruptive behaviour as he continues along his path to failure. Where are the serious interventions this school could have employed to address his obvious inability to access the secondary curriculum because of his poor reading, and presumably his writing as well? To compare Devon’s financial support and educational outcomes with London is to ignore the London weighting and enhanced payments that reflects higher costs and other factors such as much greater number of pupils with English as a second language. No, other comparable regions of the UK have the same financial support as Devon but through good management and a strong commitment to catering for the educational needs of all pupils, many school achieve good outcomes.
I see you’re point, however there are many variables to consider- such as the class may have been recently taken over by a new teacher that hasn’t had access to the data previously- which seems to already exist, or the pupil may be new to the school/ frequently absent for incremental reading tests/ removed before they have a chance to complete- it is informative data but undoubtedly depends on the participants’ willingness to take the test seriously and complete it. The school may be at it’s limit with small group intervention and the child may already be on a waiting list for this- we are in a recruitment crisis after all. Absenteeism is a huge problem too after the pandemic- it’s possible the child’s lack of progress isn’t entirely the fault of the school system if the pupil is not consistently in lessons learning. I think the author is expressing frustration at not being able to provide better support in the moment. Further, some areas of the South West still have a middle school system, so ‘secondary’ school starts in year 9, thus problems might seem as though they’ve been neglected by secondary schools who could be playing catch-up on an inherited issue.
You seem to be looking for every possible reason for the boy’s incapacity and the teacher’s ignorance. Perhaps the two are linked.
My point is it’s highly unlikely the teacher has consistently taught this child from year 7- year 10, or even perhaps for several consecutive years. Unfortunately school timetables rarely accommodate such consistency. Often classes are split/ shared between several teachers at a time and change hands frequently as staff leave/ timetables annually shift.
From my experience attending a school in Taunton in the South West I had 4 English teachers between years 7-11.
I don’t think labelling the child as incapable or the teacher as poor without knowing the context is particularly helpful.
I agree vocational courses should be open to anyone who is capable of undertaking whatever type of work the training leads to and academic qualifications are frequently unnecessary and an obstacle to people who would make excellent practitioners. My aunt was an SEN (state enrolled nurse; a nurse who was not academic and did not possess academic qualifications). She was a midwife in east London in the 1950s. But I cannot stand labels including disadvantaged. I strongly suspect, from my own teaching experience, that a large contributing factor to the greater academic success of London ‘disadvantaged’ children is many have highly motivated immigrant parents and live within a traditional family structure. When I went to school, the only equipment a teacher was provided with was a blackboard and chalk, and children were provided with textbooks. The budget per child has greatly increased but literacy rates have remained the same.
If ‘we’ weren’t squandering such a vast amount of cash on the ever needy Northern Irish and Sc*tch via the outrageous ‘Barnett Formula’ there would be ample funds to assist Devon & Cornwall.
However as you remain so suitably supine and don’t scream and shout and whinge and whine on every possible occasion, you will continue to be ignored.
I think you will find the good people of London soak up most funds per person
Public spending by country and region – House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
Thank you, and thus London* is almost identical with the needy Sc*tch and Northern Irish, whilst the rest of England lags far behind.
Frankly this is an outrage.
(* No longer an English city it must be said but rather a multicultural cesspit.)
Plus you continue to vote Tory whatever, so why should the government care a toss about you?
I haven’t voted Tory since 1959.
Perhaps that’s part of the reason so many Devon families, including my own, are home eductating. I’m so impressed with the effects of HE on my grandchildren, 2 in Devon and others elsewhere. Reading this article adds to my conviction that for many families this is the best way to go at the present time, and until the education system becomes truly educational.
Absolutely, the problem isn’t so much the funding as it is the system, one that is designed by academics for academics and anyone non academic is consigned to the gutter!
forcing young people to stay in education till they’re 18 regardless of interest or ability and attaching maths and English qualifications to every single avenue is damaging to an entire group of young people who are growing up with no ambitions beyond a life on benefits. They love the mental health crisis, btw! I can’t work because I have mental health problems!
Sorry, Rosie, it’s nobody’s fault but the school’s – certainly not the Government’s – if a child can reach year 10 without his reading age having been established. And I would certainly hope that nurses are literate and that builders understand trig.
We should, I agree, make vocational education more flexible and available to all. Returning universities such as the University of Falmouth (sic) to their previous status as technical colleges would help.
Could it be that the high proportion of self-employed in the SW is due to the absence of large employers in the region? Chicken or egg?
I’m glad that you know also much more about this than the author of the article. And perhaps you didn’t know but nurses these days have to have degrees – crazy!
In the authors defence, it seems that the data has been discovered- just that further support hasn’t yet been provided. The school can only control what it has in front of it- if the pupil is frequently absent (through suspension or absenteeism) it is very difficult to ensure learning is progressing at home, even if support is already in place.
I share your agreement about the self employed data stemming from an absence of employment, though I believe the author might be trying to champion self employed careers by arguing for alternative entry requirements so that more can access these options.
How many times can something be described as the fault of govt before one considers the alternative – that this is happening intentionally and not because of incompetence or indifference. When a student is 15 and only then is his borderline literacy discovered, it’s hard to blame faraway bureaucrats; that seems like a local issue that no one is incentivized to discover.
This has been a long-running issue in the US, where the public system is more concerned with being in line with the latest in social justice wokery. Sure, the kids can barely read and few do math at grade level, but they’re experts on the oppressed/oppressor divide and can name all 57 genders. Colleges are forced to provide remedial work in math and English for a reason.
You don’t need to understand trigonometry to get a grade 4 at Maths.
I’m in North Devon, and have 4 kids. One in an apprenticeship (thanks to a good friend), one at college, and 2 home educated. I’ve also been involved in both primary and secondary schools for year, and I think you’re bang-on! However, I believe we need a culture change too. Schools simply cannot be educators, parents, disciplinarians, social workers, therapists, and even more. I believe we need to return to a school system that focuses on basic education and leaving the rest to the parents. Yes, some kids need additional support (I know this all too well) but that shouldn’t come out of the education budget, or at the expense of others’ education. I also wonder to what extent the stats are misleading. Loads of people I know didn’t go to university because they didn’t want to. They had jobs they liked or stayed to work in the family business, etc.
Now retired, but the head of a highly respected joinery in Uffculme in Devon, told me that they’d tried, mostly unsuccessfully, for years to work with the government apprentice scheme. The money wasn’t close to what was needed for the time spent. A bigger problem was that very few apprentices stayed longer than a few weeks. The few who did left as soon as they could (understandably) to set up their own businesses.
Perhaps these skills should be taught at schools instead of the those that, for example, teach young white Devon kids that they are responsible for the slave trade.
Sounds bad. I don’t know the govt structure of Britain but doesn’t someone represent your area? Can’t a group of you light a fire under their…ahem, feet? What can the smart ones do in your community to get together and help your kids ?