My views on my school in the UK

[englishdude]

Hey all,
I just thought I would express some of my views/opinions on my school and see what is similiar/different between my school in England and your schools elsewhere in the world.

The first issue I have is that there is a lot of paper work and admin stuff at my school. We have school planners to record our homework, merits and detentions and with school rules and stuff that our parents need to sign. The school has different types of timetables and systems on paper, which look great, but in effect don't work and are purely for show and additional funding.

The school is very disorganised and forms and letters are always going missing, aswell as exercise books and homeworks.

The school produces very cheesy newsletters which say how great everything is at the school, it conveniantly forgets the bad things.

As soon as it comes for the school to be inspected everything is pulled into shape and even more paperwork is produced for our parents to sign.

The school is also very hypocritical. We have a chart telling us what homework we should recieve on each day. However the teachers never stick to this, giving us loads of homework on different days, so we have unmanagable amounts. Nothing happens to them for this, but if we ever forget our homework we are in trouble.

The school also puts it's focus on the 'traditional' 'popular' sports like football(soccer), rugby and tennis, and it doesn't cater for sports outside the norm, despite having the facilities for this.

My school recently started advertising within its premises. Posters are in the eating areas advertising the latest book or film. Morally I think this is wrong, as it sends the message that the school endorses this.

The school also lies to us. It lies to us about teacher scandals, things we know are true, they know we know are true but they still deny; and they lie to us about education. They tell us one thing in Yr7 and then in Yr8 tell us they actually didn't tell us the hole truth, by the time your in yr11 you realises how many lies they tell you because your not ready to understand the hole truth.



Well this turned into more of a rant than a proper factual thing but oh well. Reading through I haven't really said anything new that hasn't been mentioned in other threads and I guess most schools are the same.


Here a few things about schools in England. (This is a generalisation, I'm sure some schools are exceptions)

The year groups go from Year 7 to Year 11, then Sixth Form.

Years 10 and 11 do qualifications called GCSE and Sixth form do A -Levels.

Pupils have the choice when they are 16 and have finished year 11 whether they want to go to sixth form, college, apprenticeships or whatever.


I'll add more later, my mum wants to use the computer.

[Will]

Posting the exact same problems with school as someone else previously did on this forum actually produces an amazingly interesting and useful post. In most forums you would be encouraged to use the search function to find the answer to your question instead of posting without doing any research yourself, but that's just because having the exact same technical question answered again doesn't add anything to the forum. Posting the same rant that someone else already posted adds something to the forum because people like to read that other people feel the exact same way about school.

Quote:They tell us one thing in Yr7 and then in Yr8 tell us they actually didn't tell us the hole truth, by the time your in yr11 you realises how many lies they tell you because your not ready to understand the hole truth.

I absolutely hate how they do this. It's actually not too bad in history and the sciences because they just present earlier, flawed but easier models instead of the accepted models. While these models aren't so accurate, it is useful to know that they exist and were once accepted. (This is part of the reason why I hate the idea of having a "history" class: Everything is history, including the old, flawed scientific models, and history is useful. Because of time constraints, (I assume,) we avoid studying history in the other classes, but doesn't a chemistry or mathematics history class make much more sense and sound much more interesting than a "world" or "European" history class?)

And I have an amazing story about English grammar. There is no English Academy, so we have no official definition of an English language, but you'd assume that teachers in the same school district--well, at least in the same school--would teach the same English. They don't.

I studied English grammar on my own a lot during seventh grade, and all of the grammar that my seventh grade English teacher taught was correct standard English grammar. My eighth grade teacher taught wrong grammar and encouraged the use of various stylistic elements that sound horrible and look wrong.

Then I went to high school. When I tried using all of the grammar and style that my eighth grade teacher had taught me in my papers in ninth grade, my teacher told me told me that they were wrong or bad. (I thought so too, so I gladly stopped using them.) He also taught correct grammar. Then my tenth grade teacher sort of watered down the grammar lessons such that most of what she taught was right just because it was so basic and difficult to mess-up. She did incorrect my correct grammar on a paper at least one time, though, so I don't think she really understood the accepted grammar. I wonder what'll happen this year.

[SoulRiser]

What is "Sixth Form"... and why do they call it that if it comes after year 11?

[englishdude]

I think it's because its the sixth year at secondary school. It doesn't make much sense, considering what I term as a 'form' is the 30 or so classmates who share the same form tutor/form room. Sixth form is where you take your A Levels. At my school they are treated quite well, they get to wear non uniform, they have a Common Room with a mini football table/fridge/computers etc..

Thankyou Wsgosset. I had noticed several very similair posts to mine, but as you said it is nice to know that around the world people are facing the same problems as us.

[aaaaaaasd]

I'm a brit too (obv) and it's just like that at my school. Execpt there is more hype about learing the curriculum and memorizing. If they lose the book, it's our fault. Hooray for democracy!

[thewake]

I hate the UK.
They have a board of Censorship. They censor lots of things the US has in it's borders.
At least we still have free speech. What do you have? A freeloading Queen and a funny accent.

Oh, that wasn't meant to offend anyone except the British government and the Queen.

Also, I don't know what half of the jargon in your post means, but I'm sure that your school is as bad as any.

[Jamie99]

Yeah well I wished I lived in England atleast you don't have compulsory welsh I mean come on its a dead language why bother?
Also believe it or not in the UK some of us think Americans have funny accents what with all the R's and all.
Suppose I can't talk about funny accents being welsh and all isn't it?
BTW not trying to offend Americans i just posted it for the LULZ!

[random_name]

Jamie99 Wrote:Yeah well I wished I lived in England atleast you don't have compulsory welsh I mean come on its a dead language why bother?
Also believe it or not in the UK some of us think Americans have funny accents what with all the R's and all.
Suppose I can't talk about funny accents being welsh and all isn't it?
BTW not trying to offend Americans i just posted it for the LULZ!

so, when shall we steal you over here in a small rowing boat as part of a not well thought out plan?