The Failing State: Schools

[For some reason, this post disappeared! So I have reposted under a different name (was 'Emigration & Schools')]

I must apologise, having decided to blog I've been rather light in the past fortnight! This is owing to a job offer in Hong Kong, which I have accepted. I start in late January and, if the first few months are successful, I shall relocate with the family to follow in the summer.

However, I shall continue on my journey for my truth and still plan to to progress to submit an affidavit to pursue a freeman existence and also explore lawful rebellion further. Many of you reading will be like me, in that we are waiting for those to go before us and to provide a path / examples that we may follow. That is one of the raison d'etre of this site - to provide such a record and reference for others.

One of the major drivers for me leaving is the continued falling of education standards in the UK. A number of years ago (4?) an independent report* that stated that by the age of 7 the 'slowest' children of average intellectual range in private schools were more advanced than the most advanced children of average intellectual age within the state schools.

Compounding this is the curriculum within the state schools and focus on subjects that are just not necessary - for example in my child's local school they teach Punjab, which is a very likely waste of his educational time at such an important age and reinforces division within the local community. My father is Spanish and the Spanish community of London never expected the schools to teach the other children their language; they took responsibility for that at home. What they wanted for their children was to learn English well.

So it is with great timing that the OECD's international school standards comparison survey (PISA - Programme for International School Assessment) is released today, demonstrating that the UK has slipped overall from 9th (in 2000) to 25th (2009) in the rankings. There's a telling table within the report:

OECD Average / UK / HK:
Reading: 493 / 494 / 533
Maths: 496 / 492 / 555
Science: 501 / 514 / 549
Source: Figure 1, P8,  Programme for International School Assessment 2010, OECD, 07, December, 2010

With all the money wasted spent on education over the last decade, it is clear that major reform is needed for it to have an effect - and whilst I believe that Gove's reforms IF implemented in full would be a positive change, with a 5 year old and a 3 year old, I cannot wait for that to happen, nor to see if it is successful.

So, whilst the state continues to fail our children, (hopefully) I'm off. In the meantime, I shall progress my truth.

Cheers,

FAV

*if you know where I can find copy, please leave me a comment.

P.S. If you know how to insert / create a table that would be good too!

UPDATE 08 DEC: Burning Our Money has an excellent post on this - great table as well.