No, I do agree with you queen. Obviously they wouldn't be being paid 25 today.

The Government puts heaps of money into universities/higher academic learning, they should do so equally for more vocational learning.

Yep and they CAN do it. The YTS was under the tories - they funded paying individuals cash each week, subsidising the companies who were employing them and funding day release at colleges. It only needs take a shift away from work based placements to fulltime college or centre of learning based. And they don't even have to pay the kids now they're introducing learning til aged 18.

quote:

Originally posted by Midas Touch:
How about we start them a year later (age 6) and have the kids move up to high school a year later, at age 12

What do you think

That's what happens here in Germany - and of course school finishes at lunchtime as well.

The downside is it catches up later - kids may not leave until 20 and then can meander through Uni until their late 20s.

And parents remain formally responsible for them - having to make financial contributions - for pretty much all of that period :O.

In theory I think kids starting a year later wouldn't be such a bad thing; in practice there is a large number of parents who aren't prepared to spend any time reading with their children etc. Meaning that the gulf between those who have parents who CAN be bothered and those who have parents who can't will widen even more. Even more children would be starting school with no basic grounding in literacy

I also disagree entirely with keeping kids in schools until they're 18: we're having difficulties keeping kids in education until they're 16 as it is, these issues need to be addressed first.

quote:

Originally posted by barbie86:
In theory I think kids starting a year later wouldn't be such a bad thing; in practice there is a large number of parents who aren't prepared to spend any time reading with their children etc. Meaning that the gulf between those who have parents who CAN be bothered and those who have parents who can't will widen even more. Even more children would be starting school with no basic grounding in literacy

I hear what you are saying but as another poster said earlier, these parents exist whether they start school at 5 or 6, so really how much difference would it make.

I know that my own started at 4.5, now wherein I know he was ready academically he wasn't emotionally, imo. I think that's the case for a lot of kids.

Put everything back 1 year

But a year in terms of a child's academic development is quite a long time; my concern would be that the gap would get even bigger, making it harder for teachers and the less able students