Something else for schools to do

[cromwell]

In addition to all the Ofsted rubbish they have to do, every secondary school will be "offered training" on how to identify and help children who are suffering from anxiety and depression in order to try and prevent mental illness.

Oh wonderful, as if they don't have enough to do as it is. Plus, young people are anxious at school sometime like when exams are coming up. Plus, all this arm round the shoulders business is only going to encourage more snowflake-ism.

Schools are already required to:-

Report any "racist incidents" and

"monitor and shield" pupils from becoming radicalised.

I honestly think that a lot of problems in society that have been caused by politicians are being pushed at schools to solve; and it's really unfair. Also, I've no doubt that some bright spark will come up with an idea that means that schools end up with even more work to do that has nothing to do with education.

[Rodo]

Oh I know. They want schools to completely take over parenting I think nowadays.

At the bottom end, children are increasingly coming into school not potty trained and in some cases still wearing nappies.

Thank God I'm out of it all now. I couldn't be a teacher to save my life the way things are nowadays.

[JoM]

Oh I know. They want schools to completely take over parenting I think nowadays.

At the bottom end, children are increasingly coming into school not potty trained and in some cases still wearing nappies.

Thank God I'm out of it all now. I couldn't be a teacher to save my life the way things are nowadays.

I agree. When I was at school we went in, did our lessons and then went home. The teachers taught and our parents looked after everything else, and most people I can think of had a decent, caring upbringing.
I suppose it's a sad sign of the direction society is taking if teachers are having to take on more and more of a parenting role with pupils.

My (almost) 20 year old plans to go into teaching. Personally I think he's needs to have a good think about it before he goes any further after getting his degree.

[Workingman]

Yes, another imposition on teachers, however, teachers and their unions should not be let off the hook in all of this.

Take Rodo's example. There are pupils in many, many, primary schools with similar problems. What should happen is that the child is sent home with a letter from the headmistress, most primary heads are female, informing the parents or guardians that the child will not be allowed back until it is out of nappies, toilet trained and can feed itself with common utensils. If that has not happened in a week the council's education welfare officer, and possibly social services, should be informed. Unfortunately that rarely happens for fear of upsetting the poor dears.

Secondary schools are even worse. A pupil's behaviour has to be borderline criminal before anything is done, and then the most used sanction is to exclude the pupil for x days. The pupils lap it up. Days off school spent on the X-box and ordering Domino's pizzas. For sure they are given homework, but can anyone force them to do it? Not a chance.

The whole system has been ruined by 'child centred learning', read "We will only teach what they want to learn". With the exception of a few subjects education has flown the coop as pupils are 'prepared' for the big wide world, and a lot of that preparation is in the form of inculcation. Pupils no longer know how to question, how to analyse or how to provide alternatives, they just go with the flow.

All of the impositions over the years could have been stopped by the teachers, had they disagreed with them, but they did not.

[Rodo]

Mostly for fear of being sacked by Heads who wanted to toe the line or Advisors similar.

[Workingman]

Mostly for fear of being sacked by Heads who wanted to toe the line or Advisors similar.

Individually, maybe so, but teachers have unions to protect them from such treatment.

I used to listen to my colleagues bitching and moaning about this and that. What they were going to do, come the day, was nobody's business, talk about sorting things out, unfortunately that is all it was: talk.

I was doing marking in the staff room when a union rep, not my union, turned up. She talked, they listened, with hardly a word spoken. Not one of their much bitched about moans came up. Cowards!

If it sounds as though I despise them it is a correct assessment. A weaker bunch of oxygen thieves I have yet to meet. Without the cooperation of teachers over five decades or more the education system would not be in the mess it is in today.

[cromwell]

From memory, taking incontinent children into schools was a legal duty imposed on schools by Tony Blair's government?

I don't think the schools got any choice in the matter.

[Workingman]

Indeed, and primary schools, especially, had to put in place policies for dealing with such. However, guidance from the NUT, the biggest union, made it clear that cleaning up the incontinent was not, and would not be, part of a teacher's job description. They would be sympathetic, of course, but on practical and H&S grounds they could not be forced to take part in any clean up.

Any teacher refusing to clean up Johnny or Jenny could not be sacked for doing so, but if they chose to help out then that was a personal matter for the individual.

[AliasAggers]

I had a sister and a daughter who were both school teachers, and I am appalled at what
teachers today are expected to do. Real education is bound to suffer now.

(But I suppose that as long as the children can twiddle their thumbs on a smart phone
that's all that matters today)