My two penn’orth on the exam-results debacle - What needs to happen is a complete rethink in how pupils are assessed, and before that, a thorough overhaul of education. It’s far too academic, too early. On the whole, education is wasted on the young. They should be taught the basics of English language and elementary arithmetic, basic civics and car and home maintenance, but otherwise encouraged to follow their own stars.
At the same time, there needs to be more provision for continuing education. I did A-level English at 33, and I’m sure I got a more lasting appreciation of literature than had I done it at 17.
Youngsters need to be literate, but not to be force-fed Shakespeare, unless they want to study literature- which they will do if given an opportunity by an alert teacher.
They need to be able to count their change and fill in a tax return, not solve quadratic equations, unless they want to be a mathematician - something that an alert teacher will spot and encourage.
All the science a child needs can be found by futzing around at home, in the insides of cars, or roaming the woods and fields - a tendency that a sympathetic teacher will spot.
This won’t happen, of course, because educationalists lack imagination and are cursed with poverty of ambition.
Above all, exams are a lousy way to assess a person’s potential and should be scrapped. Universities and employers should set their own tests to suit their needs - and university degrees should be reorganised on a US-style liberal arts model with a foundation year for all students.
DISCLAIMER - I speak as a former Steiner-school pupil. Waldorf education isn’t perfect, for sure - but I know from experience that it’s far better at producing happy, rounded and able citizens from mixed-ability classes than the current wasteful and misguided system. And yes, I still did GCSE’s and A-levels.
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