I was recently listening to a fascinating, yet quite frightening, report into the level of truancy in the UK.
During the initial Covid crisis, schools were closed in order to restrict the spread of infection, and it seems that since those days school attendance has become a matter of choice rather than obligation. Huge numbers of children in the State System now prefer to 'bunk-off' school, and hang around street corners instead.
Regardless of what one thinks about private education, the one thing one can guarantee is that truancy hardly exists. There are of course exceptions, but they are extremely rare.
It has been suggested by one Educational Advisory Group that teachers stop being cynical towards regular truants when (or if) they do turn-up at school. No more "How kind of you to honour us with your presence", instead to welcome them back with open arms.
Many children now become 'carers' at an early age, and have huge amounts of work to do at home before even thinking of school. A disabled parent to care for, siblings to dress, feed, and keep clean, washing, shopping, cooking, all can suddenly be dumped on the shoulders of a school-age child. Truancy in such cases is understandable, and the families should be helped.
But mostly the truants simply can't be bothered, they prefer to hang around with their mates and get up to all sorts of mischief. With little education, I fear what will become of them! Maybe some new form of National Service would help them back into the fold.
I believe that the new Minister for Edjukayshun, Ms Bridget Phillipson, will be looking into the matter.
Good luck!
Perhaps the truants should be rounded up and made to do hours (supervised) of community service? They would at least be some use in society.
ReplyDeleteAs I said above, some new type of (non-military) National Service might be a good idea.
DeleteThe little dears just need a rest from all that learning.
ReplyDeleteTheir brains hurt.
DeleteOne of the big differences is, if I bunked off school and my parents were told, then I was in real trouble, it's not the case these days, parenting is softer, it should not be up to the school to get them in the class room, that's the parents role.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the parents don't care either. As long as they leave the house in the morning, all is OK.
DeleteWith regard to truancy, nobody ever seems to consider the teachers at the frontline. Subject courses tend to be cumulative with lessons building upon each other. But if classroom attendance is a merry-go-round of changing faces, how are teachers meant to fill the gaps? It's like reading a good novel but missing out chapters. I am proud that my son, Ian, did not miss a single day during his five years at secondary school.
ReplyDeleteI never had truancy when I was teaching, but teachers should carry on as usual as if the truants were there. Here in France each level of class throughout the whole of the country would be studying the same things at the same time. No time to go back if someone missed a few days.
DeleteRe courses being cumulative, I missed one week a month into my first year at my girls' grammar. There were subjects in which I never caught up, science in particular.
DeleteI decided to 'bunk off' school just once. My mum, whilst driving to work, spotted me hiding in a side road, stopped her car, grabbed me, slapped me silly, threw me (none too gently) into her car and drove me to school, where I was humiliated by the deputy head (our head teacher was useless) in front of the entire school. I never attempted truancy again!
ReplyDeleteMy son, never attempted truancy either, he loved school, and he knew what his Dad and I would do to him if we found out!
Well, I think your Mum taught you a good lesson. Bunking-off does no-one any good.
DeleteI wasn't remotely afraid of what trouble I'd be in at school, but Mum terrified me at times!
DeleteThat's probably the way it should be!
DeleteOne teacher I knew described his job as being in the front line without gun.
ReplyDeleteI've known several people who have quit teaching because of the violence.
DeleteNational Service won't replace the grounding in the basics of understanding the world that a education should bring.
ReplyDeleteI think it could be designed to educate, and also provide a future trade. They might also be able to teach some discipline too.
DeleteModern armies/military technology and lack of education probably don't go together.
DeleteI don't think it should be 'military' training. There's plenty they could do and learn.
DeleteToday, my "Economist" magazine says: In rich countries, the pandemic had an impact; students are 6 months behind in reading and 9 months behind in math. Policymakers bear the blame for stagnant curriculum standards. In the US, the right obsesses over culture-war-trivia and then there is the problem of low expectations. Fadish thinking is also a factor; such as: schools should nurture problem-solvers, critical thinkers and teamwork. Teaching to vaguely defined criteria is a problem. Teaching and testing hard skills should be key. Teaching the fundamentals would improve the entire system. Good teaching/instruction needs more focus and people need to be held accountable. (Unions might prefer it when good teaching is seen as too mysterious to measure, but children suffer.) The article does not analyze truancy stats but fixing the schools would encourage attendance.
ReplyDeleteFor far too long schools have concentrated on fadish subjects. All children should be taught the basics. English, maths, one foreign language, history, and geography. After that the pupils could have options. We still have children who can neither read nor write.
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