One chuffed Parent ...

[Robert_Brenchley]

I actually think kids have it a lot harder at school these days. I had the 11-plus, which was a stupid thing, and at least they accepted that it was damaging and got rid of it. Then I had no exams that mattered till I did my 'O'-Levels. Then there was nothing till the end of the 6th Form. So there was no pressure for the first couple of years at secondary school, and not a lot till I got to the 5th Form (they call it Year 11 these days). Then we had a year when we could do charitable work, help on archaeological digs or nature reserves, run school magazines, put on plays, do loads of stuff which may not have been strictly academic, but did something to help us grow up. The pressure was back on for the last year, but then if we went on to university, the first year was pretty easy by comparison; 'A'-levels were the hardest exams I ever did.

These days it's all SATS, which contribute nothing to the kids' education, coursework, which puts loads of pressure on the kids and encourages cheating, GCSE's, then AS levels, then A2's. It never lets up, there's never a chance to relax and do all the stuff we did. the result is, the kids are all stressed out, and I feel an important dimension of education has been lost.

[Robert_Brenchley]

[Tulipa]

Robert you have said all I feel, I have children of 12, 15 and 18 so have been through it all now and really feel a lot of the exams are unneccesary. 

The SATs are a waste of time as the teachers know what mark the children will get and could just give them the mark without all the stress, especially the stress that some parents put on their kids, it is amazing, even coaching 4 year olds for the baseline assesment in the reception class. And no seven year olds should know they are being tested.

And it goes right up to AS levels, as soon as the pressure of GCSEs are over they start back at school/sixth form college and it is there again!  What are we breeding for the future, people who are so used to being stressed they find it harder to relax?  And feel their lives should always be under pressure, I hope not.

I'm sorry, this should be in a place where people who make the decisions on education can read it, but living with youngsters doing these exams makes me much more aware of them.   I spend a lot of time telling mine that they mustn't worry and 'they are testing the school not you, that's why the teachers are stressed'.

I will stop - I can't change anything............. :(

T.

[busy_lizzie]

Yes, Well done all those hard working students who got good results.  You are right to point out how much support the parents give too. It always annoys me when I hear about how they are making the exams easier.  Why can't they give the accolades without trying to downgrade people. I do feel sorry for students nowadays also as they reckon a degree can cost up to £20,000 pounds in debt - quite a weight to carry when you finally manage to get a job and have to think about paying it back. busy_lizzie