Schools are failing the education test | Letter

Pupil exclusions and focus on exam results are marginalising and disengaging children from learning, says Chris Pratt

The rise in school exclusions (Report, theguardian.com, 25 October) is further evidence of the increasing numbers of children being marginalised and disengaging from learning. You can add to this the “off-loading” of tens of thousands of pupils from schools to improve examination results and the increasing difficulties in meeting the needs of children with special needs. The confidence of many children is continually being sapped by constantly being on the wrong side of the pass/fail divide of the tests they are subjected to throughout their school lives. The tests also sprout a content-laden curriculum, putting pressure on teachers to go through lessons at speed, cited by young people as the principal cause of them being “left behind”. It is not surprising, therefore, that one in six pupils leave school or college without minimally acceptable GCSE grades (an increase of a third in three years). All of this places serious doubt on whether our education system is for all children or just for those who contribute to schools meeting their government-imposed attainment targets.
Chris Pratt
Author, Building a Learning Nation

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/36cr1ra