Prince Charles to fight Government plans to kill off traditional lessons

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229241/Prince-Charles-mounts-fight-save-traditional-subjects-primary-schools-government-plans-new-themed-lessons.html#comments


Traditional subjects such as history and geography will be sidelined in favour of teaching across themes and topics in the biggest shake-up of primary education for 20 years. Ed Balls vowed to press ahead with the controversial reforms despite widespread concern about the themed lessons approach, including opposition from Prince Charles. Under Mr Balls' plans, 13 stand-alone subjects will be merged into six 'areas of learning'.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/19/article-1229241-02B3A98E0000044D-471_468x374.jpg


For example, history, geography and citizenship will be rolled together into 'historical, geographical and social understanding'. Teachers will no longer have to cover certain periods of history such as the Tudors, or choose between the Victorians or the Second World War. They will have to ensure they cover some British history but Government curriculum advisers concluded subject content 'simply has to be reduced'. Schools will also be told to devote more time to themed lessons, for example on social issues such as global warming. Minister said they could teach history and science together, or history and art.

There will also be a greater emphasis on technology in lessons, with youngsters learning about geography through Google Earth and studying blogging in English. Schools will have to teach sex education for children as young as five, when they will learn to label body parts. Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said: 'We are moving from the subject-based national curriculum approach that exists within primary schools at the moment, to...the six areas of learning.
I'm glad Prince Charles is standing up for the common sense in this country, the silent majortity. He will make a good King I think.

[Nixt]

That's simply ridiculous. They're destroying the education system. They're going to turn the country into vegetables. Dear, dear God. I've always been an avid fan of labour recently I'm finding myself increasingly supporting the conservatives.

[Pyroka]

Good, teach them something which is happening now like climate change. Sex ed for kids is a great idea, theyll think its a joke but hey... I think as young as 5 is a bit extreme, but meh whatever. :S

[-:Undertaker:-]

Good, teach them something which is happening now like climate change. Sex ed for kids is a great idea, theyll think its a joke but hey... I think as young as 5 is a bit extreme, but meh whatever. :S

It is highly debatable whether climate change is actually occuring with most scientists who say it is happening being in the payrolls of governments and Al Gore-linked agencies. It could be seen, especially in my view as pure propaganda which doesn't include all the facts and just appears to go by greenpeace videos of melting ice caps (which incidently are filmed in the summer because thats when ice melts and has done for millions of years).

Children have little idea of world war II, world war I or any other period now, do we want a nation full of Ed Balls?

[Black_Apalachi]

It is highly debatable whether climate change is actually occuring with most scientists who say it is happening being in the payrolls of governments and Al Gore-linked agencies. It could be seen, especially in my view as pure propaganda which doesn't include all the facts and just appears to go by greenpeace videos of melting ice caps (which incidently are filmed in the summer because thats when ice melts and has done for millions of years). ...

Exactly. I don't think it's right to focus on teaching something that isn't even certain. It would be like if all schools taught religious education, but obviously it's only Christian ones that do so. If Greenpeace wanna open a school and teach about global warming, then go ahead, but it shouldn't be enforced on the entire population.

Sex education at that age sounds outrageous but when you think about all the cases you hear of younger and younger girls getting pregnant, it's probably necessary at a very young age. Maybe a few years older than 5 would be adequate however.

Also, the traditional history subjects simply can not be ignored.

[Jamesy]

For example, history, geography and citizenship will be rolled together into 'historical, geographical and social understanding'. Teachers will no longer have to cover certain periods of history such as the Tudors, or choose between the Victorians or the Second World War. They will have to ensure they cover some British history but Government curriculum advisers concluded subject content 'simply has to be reduced'. Schools will also be told to devote more time to themed lessons, for example on social issues such as global warming. Minister said they could teach history and science together, or history and art.

What?! Why?! Thats absolutely stupid. History is probably one of the most important subjects after maths and english... why are they lumping it with art.

And themed lessons... boy does that make me die a little inside.

[LoveToStack]

This seems like a terrible idea. Lumping subjects together would take away from either subject, it seems obvious that people learn more focusing on one topic rather than blurring the lines between them. It's also common sense to apply knowledge from one subject to another without a merging of lessons.

[Technologic]

"Hey guys, a brand new day, lets think of another way we can ruin labour"

[Alkaz]

No matter how barmy some of the royals seems they always make sense, glad to hear it this time :).

[Misawa]

I've always liked Charles.

[GommeInc]

Climate change? Biggest load of crap talked about this side of the century :/ Children should be taught useful things and factual information, not mindless theories to the degree where teaching them may come across as factual information (teaching the theories is okay, but suggesting it to be a certainty isn't). Sex Education at 5 is a bit extreme, but it depends what part of subject they're focusing on. Teaching children about sexual intercourse is just going to make them want to do it, children don't care about consequences :P

[hah]

take their powers and burn them at the stake

[ifuseekamy]

So basically more of Labour's plans to dumb down education in order to obtain the national statistics they desire. Of course the anti-British republicans will also use this opportunity to attack the royals for daring to have an opinion on political affairs.

[alexxxxx]

isn't this an initiative asked for by teachers to liberise and give them the power to teach them what's nessasary rather than curriculum forged somewhere else. It might be easier for people in York to learn about local history (like the vikings etc) because of their proximity to places for school trips etc and kids in Bath to learn about the Romans, as bath is an ancient town. History and Geography is already mixed in some schools under the banner of 'Humanities' so I guess that isn't really a change.

Teachers know best how to teach children, not some opinionated fool trying to win support for ill-thought populist ideas.

[LuketheDuke]

So climate change doesnt exist now all of a sudden? And scientists are being paid off by nobel prize winner Al Gore? Climate change is no longer classified as a theory, 99% of people who have researched the subject show amountable evidence that shows its occuring. I think itd be a good idea if children knew about it.

[GommeInc]

So climate change doesnt exist now all of a sudden? And scientists are being paid off by nobel prize winner Al Gore? Climate change is no longer classified as a theory, 99% of people who have researched the subject show amountable evidence that shows its occuring. I think itd be a good idea if children knew about it.
Not when it's suggested man is to blame. Perhaps saying climate change doesn't exist is the wrong way to say it...

The way climate change is usually advertised (CO2 emitting from cars, homes and carbon footprint etc) is aload of crap, the planet would heat up anyway, it doesn't and cannot possibly sit at a certain temperature like some surrealists are suggesting. Teaching climate change will only be acceptable if they apply basic environmental science to it, in other words - why it heats up due to natural causes, and that a few places are completely uneffected and why. Apply fear mongering tactics to children that having a bonfire is a bad idea as it kills polar bears is a terrible idea - if it were true, it couldn't be stopped or slowed down anyway :/

EDIT: Speaking of climate change... Prince Charles is/was a strong believer in climate issues :S

[Black_Apalachi]

... EDIT: Speaking of climate change... Prince Charles is/was a strong believer in climate issues :S

But like you said, the way it is marketed is false. The planet naturally heats up and cools down over periods of thousands of years regardless of how many light bulbs our race uses per day.

[Bailey]

Terrible idea, but the current Year 7's in my school have already had History, Geography and Religious Studies rolled into 1 lesson (taught by a teacher that only has expertise in one area).

[GommeInc]

Terrible idea, but the current Year 7's in my school have already had History, Geography and Religious Studies rolled into 1 lesson (taught by a teacher that only has expertise in one area).
That's an interesting point, are teachers expected to know three subjects now? It seems like it could put pressure on the teachers as well as the school finding things to teach e.g. local history and important national history :/

[Dinosaurawrr]

sex education at the age of 5 dear god what are they thinking?
that is the most stupidest idea iver heard.
"/ there way to young.

[alexxxxx]

they aren't going to learn about sex at 5 years old... they'll learn about health and maybe something to do with relationships.

[-:Undertaker:-]

So basically more of Labour's plans to dumb down education in order to obtain the national statistics they desire. Of course the anti-British republicans will also use this opportunity to attack the royals for daring to have an opinion on political affairs.

Thank you, hit the nail exactly on the head on both points.


isn't this an initiative asked for by teachers to liberise and give them the power to teach them what's nessasary rather than curriculum forged somewhere else. It might be easier for people in York to learn about local history (like the vikings etc) because of their proximity to places for school trips etc and kids in Bath to learn about the Romans, as bath is an ancient town. History and Geography is already mixed in some schools under the banner of 'Humanities' so I guess that isn't really a change.

Teachers know best how to teach children, not some opinionated fool trying to win support for ill-thought populist ideas.

Actually humanities is the department they all fall in, as they are smaller departments they are often grouped together for school/staff purposes, but the lessons rarely are, only for maybe the lower sets.

Teachers do know best, just like how my old Geography teacher a few years ago told me how over the past 10 years the stuff the lower school were doing 10 years ago, the A-level students are now doing. Labour can boast about how its got the highest education records ever, but we're not stupid - we know its fiddled everything to suit its own needs.


So climate change doesnt exist now all of a sudden? And scientists are being paid off by nobel prize winner Al Gore? Climate change is no longer classified as a theory, 99% of people who have researched the subject show amountable evidence that shows its occuring. I think itd be a good idea if children knew about it.

No it doesn't exist at all, mainly because the temperatures have hardly changed (infact a year ago a government scientists openly admitted on NewsNight that global temperatures had stayed the same for the last 100 years) - it is merely a money making machine that people are now starting to wake up from.

You may swallow everything the left throws out but some of us have more common sense and history on our side when we look at these issues.

[GommeInc]

they aren't going to learn about sex at 5 years old... they'll learn about health and maybe something to do with relationships.
Surely that's something taught at any moment in any class and a "life skill/lesson"? Chucking it into "sex education" is a waste of time :/ Did they get rid of PSHE/PSE/Citizenship/RSS? Relationships have always been discussed, and when thinking about it more... Relationships weren't needed to be discussed. Why do they need to learn about relationships? Seems like dumbing down to me :/ And these children are 5, talking about health will confuse them. Again, another topic pointless to be discussed at 5, and it kinda suggests children just appear from no where and lack parents or homes. This isn't a school matter, it's a life and family "school" matter :/

[pg.security]

How is prince charles ???? Um confuesedm o wait nvm I forgot this is a uk site :)

[alexxxxx]

Actually humanities is the department they all fall in, as they are smaller departments they are often grouped together for school/staff purposes, but the lessons rarely are, only for maybe the lower sets.

Teachers do know best, just like how my old Geography teacher a few years ago told me how over the past 10 years the stuff the lower school were doing 10 years ago, the A-level students are now doing. Labour can boast about how its got the highest education records ever, but we're not stupid - we know its fiddled everything to suit its own needs.

Humanities was taught as a subject in a middle school that i was once at. I think it is quite popular to do this in smaller schools.

This has nothing to do with A-Levels or GCSEs though, this is to do with primary education. Teachers do know best how to teach and therefore more senior teachers should be taking roles in setting the curriculum for that particular school, whilst maintaining national standards of quality and depth.

IB should be taught instead of A-Levels.

[Black_Apalachi]

On the news yesterday they said 5-year-olds would be taught about how to behave in a relationship. They didn't mention sex education.

[GommeInc]

On the news yesterday they said 5-year-olds would be taught about how to behave in a relationship. They didn't mention sex education.
That's stupid... How to behave in a relationship? What things will they be discussing? A relationship follows the same codes of conduct as talking to any other human being - respect, manners and compassion. A relationship works on the same lines :/

[Black_Apalachi]

That's stupid... How to behave in a relationship? What things will they be discussing? A relationship follows the same codes of conduct as talking to any other human being - respect, manners and compassion. A relationship works on the same lines :/

It's in relation to domestic abuse. Agreed, though.

[kk.]

I thought the Royals wernt meant to interfer with government policy and not be bias towards any party?

[GommeInc]

It's in relation to domestic abuse. Agreed, though.
Watching a parent go through abuse, or stopping themselves from abusing? At 5 years old, the latter won't go through to them and the former is something teachers should be looking for in a child's behaviour, not the other way round :P Then again, they could teach children basic law and emergency services, so steering away from sex education or relationships and focusing on a bigger picture might be better - instead of focusing on just the child/parent abuse, why not teach them the importance of law?

It seems like a "half-arsed" attempt at re-writing the school classroom agenda :/ But at school, I remember some lessons being a bit on the pointless side, so the revamp on geography, history and so forth might be a welcome change to some. You can only do so much without getting boring or complicated.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I thought the Royals wernt meant to interfer with government policy and not be bias towards any party?

..maybe now like the rest of us they are sick of this government and its policies that will harm this country well after its gone from office.