(not satire – it’s the Tories!)
A group of 100 education specialists has criticised Education Secretary Michael Gove’s policy of forcing children to be formally taught and tested at school from the age of 4.
In a letter to the Education Secretary, the experts point out that current research “does not support an early start to testing and quasi-formal teaching, but provides considerable evidence to challenge it”.
But in what can only be described as a completely potty response, Michael Gove’s department insisted 4-year-olds needed to start preparing to solve calculus:
We need a system that aims to prepare pupils to solve hard problems in calculus or be a poet or engineer ….
And even more bizarrely, the official Twitter account of the Tory Party on education matters, Tory Education News, said 4-year-olds needed formal testing so they can meet the expectations of universities and employers:
Are the Tories serious? 4-year-olds being prepared for university, employment and calculus?
Is it just me, or have the Tories finally gone completely stark raving bonkers?
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Related articles by Tom Pride:
Plans to test 5-year-olds is not the coalition’s worst policy – but it’s definitely their stupidest
Gove announces plan to phase out teaching in schools
EXCLUSIVE – leaked sample questions from Michael Gove’s new GCSE Mathematics examination
How The Gove Stole Summer (with apologies to Dr. Suess)
Gove – children to start learning to hate school from age of 5
Gove unveils new GCSEs with emphasis on cold baths and six of the best from a well-oiled cane
Toby Young – disabled children should be excluded from schools
Johnson – let’s have more schools with lashings of junk food and no disabled children
BBFC – Michael Gove ‘too scary’ for under-12s
New English Bacchanalian exam to focus on core subjects of drinking, swearing and fighting
Gove – free bibles to boost nutritional standards on school menus
Government Baffled By Surprise 10% Fall In University Applications After Tripling Of Fees
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A few years ago my wife, among others, went to South Africa to research whether a less formal early curriculum benefited children. The conclusion was that it did. This report is no doubt gathering dust somewhere until some minister who knows nothing about education has a great idea.
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Don’t think they have gone suddenly bonkers. Many seem to have jumped off the deep end some years ago.
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Do they do testing on 4 year old’s in public schools, or is it the money not the brains that give them the top jobs when they finally graduate.
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Given that everything these heartless bastards do has some motive in benefitting them and their chums in some way, preferably whilst stamping on us proles, what’s their angle on this? What do they get out of it?
Is it going to boost the private schools in some way? Allow rigged school fund redirections? I’m curious.
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Geoff
It will be to prove how middle class children teach their youngsters before they start education and the low life working class don’t care about their kids enough to do so, except that middle class kids are put in nurseries from 2 weeks old so both parents can take advantage of middle class incomes.
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correction: it will be to prove how middle class PARENTS not children…………
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