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****SORRY ABOUT THE NON FOOTBALL POST****
With exam season under way a bunch of articles like this: (https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-...ure-to-perform) are appearing discussing mental health amongst teenagers
Are we putting too much pressure on kids to perform academically?
Yes ... schools want the best results so that they can satisfy league tables, parents and OFSTED.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
Kids are under pressure from all directions, including themselves.
Some who opt out of working hard will get grief from their school.
Government > School > Teachers > Pupils < Parents
The amount of pupils with mental health issues in one of the best comps in the country has spriraled over the past few years.
Yes there is pressure, but far more pressure from social media and the need to fit in.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
Absolutely. Both my lads go to The Cotswold School. It’s a good state school but they pile the pressure on with practise exam after exam and constant homework. So many of them go to school looking miserable. Nothing like my school days which seemed carefree by comparison.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
There is pressure from the top downwards and everyone is under pressure.
It's all driven by results and heads are rewarded based on these results. The best schools attract the brightest pupils, brightest get the best jobs and so on.
Agree that social media adds huge amount of pressure. All real time, no respite.
It's tough for kids alright.
My Daughter is doing her Eng Lit GCSE a year early ( so in year 10 ) its a school decision and while i can see the idea behind it, Eng Lit is very intensive on learning Quotes and extensive revision is needed, so it gets it out of the way, is it fair to a just turned 15 yr old to be put under that pressure ? ?
her " expected grade " is a 7 or 8 ( A or A* in old terms ) but you speak to her over the last month ( she has been revising for it for the last 3 months ) and she will be happy with a Pass, even a 5 will do, it has been sad to see her reduced to a wreck with the stress / pressure of it ( yea i know, its life and get used to it, will be the answer ) but it has not been a good thing to watch a bright bubbly fun girl reduced a stressed mess spending 2 / 3 hours a night in her room revising and facetime'ing friends in her study group and bounce around idea's
her only outlet and normality has been her Netball, but the last few weeks even that has gone to pot, this season she has a 80% plus shooting stat ( which is pretty decent, 8 out of 10 shots scored cannot be moaned about ), she played last Thursday and had a 22% stat, it was shocking, the only thing that has changed is the exams are this week, I dont know though
I have played it down, Eng Lit to me is a load of bollocks, Learning quotes from Macbeth just seems so far from todays world to me, it has no use in anything she wants to do, but of course, the school are pushing and she is pushing herself, she wants to do well, thats how she is, her friends are a mixture, but all are stressed about it
It'll be over this week for her though, exam Tomorrow and Friday :thumbup: she does have her BTEC sports exam in June, but her course work means she only has to pass that and she will still have a Distinction
My lad is in the middle of his GCSEs at the moment and has suffered pretty badly with stress and anxiety for years. He's had some help but the system is woefully inadequate in offering help and support. He's had some support through school and we have some counselling lined up for him after his exams.
Oddly enough even though he's right in the middle of his exams he's in a pretty good place at the moment (maybe a promotion has helped?) but we worry terribly about him moving into adulthood.
good luck to him :thumbup: hope it goes wellQuote:
Originally Posted by The Bloop
I was fortunate that my parents decided to send me to a private school (was doing shit in my local comp) It was very high performing 100% pupils received at least 5 GCSE'S GRADE C and above. The funny thing however was that the teachers put very little pressure on us just small classes, lots of support and try your best attitude.
Discipline was relaxed given lots of freedom and responsibility complete opposite of my state school, and I guess I just didn't feel the need to rebel then as i was being treated fairly and respectfully. The other big difference was sport, hugely competitive and if you were not good enough you couldn't play simple as that, I guess this helped focus and drive the less academic but sporty like me to still commit to school
My lad was doing his German GCSE three years ago and his teacher kept emailing us saying that he needed to do this and that. At the time he wasn’t sleeping and suffering from depression so I told her to back off. He got an A in the end but he really struggled with life at the time.
Now it’s gone the other way. He is at Cardiff Uni doing a History degree and is lucky to get four hours of lectures a week. He finishes his first year after exams this week and doesn’t start his second year until October. How they can justify charging £9000 tuition fees each year is beyond me.
Perhaps with kids in KS3, however from my experience a lot of that falls to the wayside by the time GCSEs come around, and especially with A Levels, I've seen bright kids dropping out of school for a while as a result of stress and anxiety as well as many in tears during exam season. Social media very rarely has that effect unless its cyber bullying, which is another problem facing kids todayQuote:
Originally Posted by Nelsonca61
I'm in my final week of Year 13 (anyone out in Canton/Town on Friday can expect to see ~100 teenagers in fancy dress marching from pub to pub) and have been fortunate enough to not suffer with stress/anxiety as much as others, I have six more exams starting on the 4th of June but some in my year have 20 exams (including practicals)! Its ridiculous and heaps so much unnecessary pressure on young people
Good luck to all :thumbup:
There is always something better to do than school work.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nelsonca61
Today: Social media
Yesterday: Play stations etc
I would say that a huge amount of pressure is the result of not coping with the demands of school and finding solace in social media ... which is addictive for many.
I wonder what will replace social media in the next generation?
Nice school & great environment at Cotswold.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pearcey3
As with virtually all Gloucestershire comps, failure to improve year on year is not on the agenda.
Every new year at my place (not so far away) new ways are found to get 'blood out of a stone' both for the pupils and teachers at GCSE and A-level.
I know the teachers are under a lot of pressure there. It doesn’t make for a great workplace in my view. The school does have great facilities though. I went to a poor Comp at Tewkesbury but was happy there. Not sure either of my lads have enjoyed their schooling. It’s got to be more than just academic results.Quote:
Originally Posted by Forest Green Bluebird
Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
If the question was "Should all kids do exams?" - then I would say no. Teachers should be able to spot the non-academic kids from the academic kids by the teenage years. Instead of railroading those kids into exams which, unfortunately, they will very likely fail and feel shit about, those kids should be steered towards learning skills that they enjoy, and skills that will provide them with opportunities once they leave school. No kid should leave school feeling like they have failed. But, that's not the question being asked here.
Are we putting too much pressure on kids? I would say no, in fact many parents seem happy to provide their kids with excuses for not studying "life's too short, what good are exams anyway" rather than the opposite way around. In fact, I would argue that the kids that feel under pressure are mostly creating that pressure for themselves - because some of these kids really really care about their futures. And, that is no bad thing.
That is really sad to hear, and I hope he comes out the other end with the results he is working towards. Unfortunately, he is likely to experience anxiety and stress post exams (whether that be A levels, degree, or just in work) but that is a whole other topic. Good luck to him.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bloop
Unfortunately teachers do not decide what happens in schools. That is down to the government, Head and Governors.Quote:
Originally Posted by Badly Ironed Shirt
I was talking to a Finnish couple last year. Their system seems great.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1066527
True enough, and part of my reasoning should have been that mechanisms exist that allow kids to move from academic paths into vocational ones. It would relieve pressure on those teachers who are finding a lot of time is spent on kids who have neither the aptitude nor the interest to do well (sorry if that sounds harsh).Quote:
Originally Posted by Forest Green Bluebird
The counselling will help. My lad was in a very dark place three years ago. Now he is settled at Uni has been in a loving relationship for the past two years with a really nice girl. All is good. Just encourage your lad to talk and not keep his feelings pent up.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bloop
He will come through.
I have to say though kids have had it tough these days. They are growing up in a very demanding world.
There are, you choose your subjects at GCSE level and at A LevelQuote:
Originally Posted by Badly Ironed Shirt
About 75% of the kids who sit A Levels are driven/motivated and the additional pressure from teachers & parents (in some cases) alongside the strain of continual homework/mocks/coursework leads to the stresses and anxieties many feel at this time of year
Not harsh at all. I've taught maths to those who have the aptitude for it and those who don't. To be fair, many of the kids who were not confident reached levels that they nor their parents would have expected. We just don't know for certain whether pupils will 'punch above their weight' when it comes to sitting their final GCSE exam.Quote:
Originally Posted by Badly Ironed Shirt
The academic / vocational pathway scenario is something that numerous governments have tried and failed to master.
I might come into that bracket recently, as i said above, Eng Lit does nothing for me, i would prefer her to get a better grade in Spanish rather that Eng Lit, i have certainly played it down, but that is due to the fact i do not want her to feel pressure from me, of course i know she will put it on herself, she really doesnt need anymore from her mum and dadQuote:
Originally Posted by Badly Ironed Shirt
This " expected grade " doesnt help imho either
But you have compulsory subjects at GCSE level.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
English, Maths, Foundation Science & PE (maybe Welsh dependent on area) are the core compulsory subjects, which I see as fairly reasonable, you then get options ranging from Triple Science to TourismQuote:
Originally Posted by Badly Ironed Shirt
Half of the stuff they teach in school is worthless. In fact, the state should keep out of education entirely.
Maybe someone can go through each syllabus and decide which half of the topics taught are worthless.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wales-Bales
Then the teachers can work a 2.5 day week.
(BTW 2.5 is the same as two and a half)
:popcorn:
I told Mr Rhys I will never have to use algebra in my life and so far I have been right
You may think you have never used it, but the logical thought processes you rely upon have been the result of understanding algebra.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lee
If you buy a few pints and some crisps in a pub, take a tenner out of your pocket and try your work out if that's enough, then you're using algebra.Quote:
Originally Posted by chris lee
Exactly!Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bloop