NaBloPoMo #21: Starting School

This was taken by the Head Teacher of Baby Angel's first school in the UK. She walked around and took every child's photo for inclusion on their annual school report. I think it is one of the best pictures ever. It is also one of the only things about her early schooling of which I actually approved.

I'm not sure if she was quite 5 when this was taken. They start school in this part of England at the ridiculously early age of 4. And I mean, if you turn 4 on August 30th, you can start school in the first week of September. Oh well, alright, they may take you in the second intake, in the 3rd week, but that's it. AND after 2 weeks of either mornings or afternoons, you're IN full time.

In your class of course, there may be children who turned 4 the previous December. They're almost 5 and you're only just 4. Now I'm sure I don't have to tell you what a HUGE difference in maturity THAT age gap is, especially if you're a boy!

Of course, you don't HAVE to start them in school that year. You could hold them back a year, after all schooling is not compulsory at 4. But when they start the following year, they go straight into Year 1 with their cohort. That means no Reception class, skip a whole grade, because the funding for Reception comes from a different funding body and you are only funded by them for the year that you are 4. Have you ever heard anything MORE ridiculous in your life?

So let me see, my precious young boy (shall we say for example), has only just turned 4. He can't sit still for 5 minutes and his main occupation is roaring around being a Jedi knight or a train and hitting anything he comes in contact with, with a sword. He hates anything like craft or drawing and is still struggling somewhat with the concept of sharing his favourite toys. Occasionally in the afternoon he still likes a nap. He snacks throughout the day. Birthday parties are stressful for him, especially his own, and usually bring on a melt down as he cannot control the large numbers of children in his house. On the other hand he is loving, affectionate, bright and has excellent language skills. But he is only 4.

Do I start him in Reception with his friends with whom he has played from birth? Even though he will be entering the hard old environment of S-K-O-O-L with it's Phonics and writing programs, 'sit on the mat and listen' time and enforced play (and eating) breaks? At least there is 'free time' in the afternoon where he can choose his activity....unless it involves running around being a Jedi Knight or a train because that would be too dangerous for the classroom. Or do I keep him at pre-school for another year and then at five pop him straight from that wonderfully understanding, individualised and specialist environment into Grade1 where they sit in chairs ALL DAY and there is NO play corner and the only other activity you can do when you have finished WORK is read a book?????????????????????

Do not start me on the Southampton LEA (Local Education Authority) and Portswood Primary School (circa 1999) in particular. Although the above experience did not apply to the Baby Angel as she was that little bit older (4 years and 4 months), was a girl which helps with the whole 'sit on the mat' thing, and was inclined to a bit of drawing and painting anyway (unlike our friend's son), many parents were faced with this kind of choice. Of course, you start them at 4, there's really NO choice, but what a terrible way for their school experience to begin.

The Baby Angel fared pretty well through her first year, although our friend's son did not. He was a lovely little boy, he was just not ready for school and he was on a Special Education plan for behaviour >:-( by the end of Reception. He was also not physically ready for the skill of writing and, being bright, was painfully aware that other children were way ahead of him.
"I am the only one in the class," he sobbed,"Who can't do an S and it's in my NAME!!!!" Fortunately he picked up reading really quickly so his self esteem was not completely shredded. No, that happened to our OTHER friend's son!

Baby Angel on the other hand had another journey. Her first year was ok. In Year 1 however I would ask whether she had done any painting (for example) at school today.
"Oh, Mum," she exclaimed (aged 5), "We don't do painting...we're in Year 1! We do WORK."
Now this may sound amusing until you realise that she was not under any 5 year old impression that cut and paste and making junk model animals for the class zoo was 'work'. No, she meant WORK. In your book or on your worksheet, with a pencil, and get a tick or cross at the end. Oh and what can I do when I've finished? Puzzles? Plasticene? Construction materials? Drawing or craft? Ah yes, read a book. (But I've read them all!!!!)

Being a part time worker at the time, and because she was keen for me to 'help', I volunteered for the classroom one afternoon a week. Woah. What an eyeopener. Baby Angel's teacher was the most delightful, conscientious, caring first year out teacher you can imagine. Her supervisor, the Head of the Infant School (Junior School...ages 4-7) was on the fast track to professional success and hand in glove with the LEA's (and as a direct flow down, the Government's) new drive for Standards in Education. She ran the show.

To put it in context: education in the UK had undergone a radical change. OFSTED, the dreaded Office for Standards in Education and The National Curriculum had replaced the 'touchy, feely', 'warm, fuzzy' school based curriculum of the 70s and 80s. Lessons were to be 'objectives driven' and every child, no matter what age, was to know the purpose of the lesson they were undertaking. This led to stories of OFSTED Inspectors asking Nursery School children what the 'objective' of their digging in the sandpit was!!!!!!!!!!!! (True story..at my Mum's pre-school...child looked at the aging gentleman as if he was an idiot and replied " I'm DIGGING.")

The Literacy and Numeracy hour were imposed. Fifteen, fifteen, twenty, ten, went the chant. Fifteen minutes of whole class text based activity, fifteen minutes of whole class word or sentence based teaching, twenty minutes of independent group work and a ten minute plenary (mustn't forget the plenary.....woe betide you if you forgot the plenary). OFSTED descended on schools for a full week every three years and everyone was put through the wringer from Boss to lowliest Dinner Lady. At the end the school was given a rating and the 'findings' were published in the local press for all to see. Schools were ranked on their OFSTED results and the yearly statistics from their SATS tests (Standardised Assessment Tests??? I can't even remember what it stood for) which were given to every child of a certain age between the hours of x and y on a certain day every year all over the country.

SATS were another nightmare. For 6 weeks before the SATS tests, all curriculum halted while we underwent revision and BOOSTER groups!!! These were designed to get those kids who were not quite up to scratch, over the line for their target level at their age. Talk in the playground, amongst Mums was not of the lovely story Johnny had written but of his predicted SATS level. ("Baby Angel is predicted to get a Level 2C in maths which is just fine although most of her class should get 3A.") In Year 2 my daughter was trained in how to undertake standardised tests. It makes me sick to think of it.

As a teacher, I was dragged into the whirling torrent myself. I celebrated when my half my Special Ed group scored age appropriate results for their SATS. I bought SATS based practice books for my mathematically challenged daughter. I wept with stress and anxiety to my Head Teacher when OFSTED were about to arrive on our doorstep and I glowed with pride when being one of the top 2% of teachers in the country who achieved a Level 1 for their observed lessons. (If I taught at that pace with that much preparation for every lesson...I'd be dead in a year).

My greatest sorrow is that my daughter missed out on her Infant Education. There was no daily art or craft activity (Art...one lesson per week....objective? making tints...children paint in a series of little square boxes adding a bit more white to the basic colour each time.......I kid you not...I was THERE for THAT lesson in Year 1), there was no literature based themes, no conversion of the classroom to a jungle or the barnyard from 'Charlotte's Web'. No classroom pets, no growing sprouts from the top of an egg shell, no dress ups, no cellophane stained glass windows and every week for 40 minutes the children were let out to play on the wooden "Pirate Ship" which was off limits during normal Recess and Lunch for Health and Safety reasons.

I miss many things about the UK. I miss my family. I miss my wonderful friends. I miss the TV and radio! I miss the history all around you at every turn. I do NOT miss the education system for young children. Maybe it has changed? Has it eased up at all? Has the pendulum swung back to a more moderate position? Do let me know any UK readers.

Just to offset this I must add that there was an accountability to the system which was admirable and is often sadly lacking here in Aus. In particular the UK were miles ahead in the priority and expertise they applied to Special Ed. Many of the curriculum materials released to support the Literacy and Numeracy Hours are excellent and I still use them here in Aus. But the day I am told by a Head of Infants that, "If you want sand trays in Year 1 you'll have to go to a Steiner school," I throw up my hands in despair for the loss of our children's childhood and its replacement by government statistics.