[OT] The three Rs

[Graeme]

From the BBC:

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: "Today's results show sustained progress in reading, writing and maths and are a testament to the hard work of teachers and pupils across England.

Thanks to their commitment and our new knowledge-rich curriculum, thousands more children will arrive at secondary school having mastered the fundamentals of reading, writing and maths, giving them the best start in life."

What is going on? Surely anyone reading this, or at least the over 50s, arrived at secondary school already having mastered the fundamentals of reading, writing and maths? Are we really trying to improve, just to get back to where we were 50+ years ago?

[Huge]

Yes.

And some of us arrived at junior school already able to read.

[JoeJoe]

Yes. Also worth remembering is that with current level of immigration to this country reading and writing in ENGLISH could well be an issue for their children.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yup. It's that Gimmegration.

Reading is not required, only memorising the Koran.

[Broadback]

I blame "progressive ideas. Many years ago I attended my daughters open night, to be told that they no longer taught the alphabet by rote. How will they look up words in a dictionary then? Silence! these were "educated" university graduates!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Quite. And that was *all* the class of 40 or so. With just the one teacher, apart from PE, etc.

Even the least able still managed to read and write OK by then.

In my particular year, just over half passed the 11 plus. So not all super bright.

[Jethro_uk]

Doubtless to the disgust of teachers ...

[Tim Streater]

It's not maths, anyway. It's sums.

[Tim Streater]

Far as I know, everyone did, back in the day.

[Jethro_uk]

Not in 1971 ...

I was sent to play in the sandpit while (some) others learned to read.

[spuorgelgoog]

All the immigrants I know are working really hard on improving their English - even the ones who never learned to read or write in any of their other languages.

Owain

[spuorgelgoog]

And 50 years ago kids did sums in £ s d, none of this decimal nonsense .

In last year of Junior School (7-11) we moved on to fountain pens -- biros were not allowed (but Berol rollerballs were).

We were expected to read, write, do sums, etc on arrival at Junior School, not secondary.

Owain

[Tim Streater]

Wasn't an issue in 1954. Then, when I joined the junior school a bit after the others, I had to go straight from writing single letters in pencil to joined up writing in ink - with inkwells in the desk.

[Tim Streater]

And if Our Dave gets his way, we'll all be learning Uglification.

[whisky-dave]

That's the way it should be but who is teaching them and who is paying. If it's like wot it was like when I was a skool then during the English classes was when they (the immigrants of the time) were learning English, while the British kids played with pens or just got bored as they had learnt that English a year or so before.

[Jethro_uk]

We were the first class to switch to ball points, and the first class to be taught exclusively metric from day one of school. I can still remember our form teacher saying how lucky we were, as older kids had to learn metric alongside imperial.

Which is why I refuse to listen to anyone younger than me lamenting metrication.

[Bill Wright]

The percentage 'passing the 11+' (ie selected for the grammar) depended on the availability of grammar school places. When I was assessed as an

11+ failure the pass rate was 18%. I was failed, incidentally, because I was 'disruptive'. I know all this because I had two aunts who were teachers and they played hell.

Bill

[Jeff Layman]

Should we be blaming Phoneyetics?

[Graeme]

In message , Tim Streater writes

Well, yes. I sometimes lament my parents not playing with me as a child, in the sense of getting down on the floor with Dinky Toys, train set etc. However, I do remember my mother spending a lot of time helping me with jigsaws, reading and the like. Rupert, Noddy. Anything to get me reading before school.

[tabbypurr]

s were not allowed (but Berol rollerballs were).

, not secondary.

Quite. I learnt fractions pre-school.

NT