ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by CaptainPlume

With independent schools it's more that they will dispense with the requirement for a PGCE. That way they can take on highly intelligent & motivated subject matter experts who haven't wasted a year being brainwashed with politically correct drivel.

A quick glance at TES's Independent Sector jobs site shows that most of the job specifications look either explicitly or implicitly for formal teaching qualifications, either PGCE/PGDE or BEd. Phrases like "experienced" or "proven track record" don't automatically mean the same as "formally qualified", but the vast majority of 'experienced' teachers with a 'proven track record' will have gained these through formal qualifications these days.

Incidentally, while searching for that site I came upon a 2008 speculation that the lower achievements of state school pupils isn't the result of PC-gorn-mad in the state education sector, but the ruthless predation of staff from the private schools - at least according to that bastion of leftiness, the Torygraph.

Originally Posted by Ancient_Mariner

It could work but you'd require:-

A strict uniform policy
Teachers unafraid to impose the strictest of discipline
Ambitious individuals with a vision that is unconstrained by society's norms.
Staff who are undaunted by speaking in front of large crowds



Having said that, some squaddies just can't face the thought of life outside the military.

Sirrah you have jut made an unworthy connection. The Children pictured had no choice in the matter and were conditioned and many of them died. Other countries treated german children very badly just after the war. But I was taught history at boarding school by an ex marine and I still remember him with great affection. For all his gruff ways with us he gave many of us an abiding interest in the subject and a unique way of looking at it. I was not aware that he had any specific quals though that was back in the 50's

I think that perhaps fully ex- military schools are a little unnecessary; but i do think that some leaving the forces have qualities paramount to teaching but perhaps no degree so cannot train the conventional way. Perhaps a scheme of which was subsidised financially and a course formulated for those who have served could be a more viable option, with qts being awarded so integration in 'normal' schools would be possible. On teaching practise i a few years back i met an ex soldier who came in to teach pe (he was a volunteer), and although he was amazing at getting the children enthused and bought his confidence, organisation etc to the school, he could not become a teacher unless he wanted to regress and go back to uni for 4 years. Scitt programmes could be an answer maybe.

Silly question, but instead of wondering whether ex-services could or should be teaching a-level subjects, why not consider them teaching the primary-age children (5 to 11 year-olds) which would give the kids a sound base of discipline and respect for elders before they head off to the senior schools? Senior school core subjects (Maths, English etc) could still be handled by those qualified to teach the exam-level subjects, but you could utilise certain skills, such as the regimental tailors, the chefs, mechanics and so on to teach basic skills such as sewing on buttons, cooking a basic meal, changing a spark plug... All necessary things that kids don't learn.

Originally Posted by DeltaDog

Wasn't this a batty idea of the Conservative variety?
...

About 90% of Labor's ideas are stolen from the Tories.

Originally Posted by MagratM

Silly question, but instead of wondering whether ex-services could or should be teaching a-level subjects, why not consider them teaching the primary-age children (5 to 11 year-olds) which would give the kids a sound base of discipline and respect for elders before they head off to the senior schools? Senior school core subjects (Maths, English etc) could still be handled by those qualified to teach the exam-level subjects, but you could utilise certain skills, such as the regimental tailors, the chefs, mechanics and so on to teach basic skills such as sewing on buttons, cooking a basic meal, changing a spark plug... All necessary things that kids don't learn.

Schools don't really teach tat stuff any more as it is hard to do an exam in sawing so it the govenment can't slap a number on it, grade it, write league tables based on it and then determin which schools they can screw over because of it.

The fact that this stuff needs to be taught in schools at all is a crying arse shame. Shouldn't the family unit be responsible for doing this stuff. HMG already thinks that broken Britain means that we are all feckless morons who just produce masses of ASBO kids. Lets not give them more ammo by completely abdicating responsability for raising our own kids.

Originally Posted by smartascarrots

A quick glance at TES's Independent Sector jobs site shows that most of the job specifications look either explicitly or implicitly for formal teaching qualifications, either PGCE/PGDE or BEd.

Fair enough, smartascarrots, I retract my comment as you are plainly more knowledgeable being in the business & all that.

I left my Public School in 1990, and back then, at least, the Head Beak could appoint who he liked to teach regardless of PGCE qualification or not. This seemd to be common with the experiences of my friends at other Public Schools.

Originally Posted by MacStab

Schools don't really teach tat stuff any more as it is hard to do an exam in sawing so it the govenment can't slap a number on it, grade it, write league tables based on it and then determin which schools they can screw over because of it.

The fact that this stuff needs to be taught in schools at all is a crying arse shame. Shouldn't the family unit be responsible for doing this stuff. HMG already thinks that broken Britain means that we are all feckless morons who just produce masses of ASBO kids. Lets not give them more ammo by completely abdicating responsability for raising our own kids.

When I went to senior school, we had Home Economics as a class for the first two years. We learned basic sewing, basic cookery and other useful things. After the first two years, we took our options for exam subjects, and Home Ec went by the board. I still learned things at home, but additional things at school didn't hurt, and it was never seen as parents abdicating the responsibility.

If sewing is difficult to grade, how come my other half has city and guilds in it? (Ex-Regimental Tailor for the Scots Guards). Kids don't need to be able to turn out perfect mess dress or a completely hand-sewn kilt, but would it kill them to find out what a needle and thread are used for?

Society now would rather buy a new pair of trousers than mend a hem, or throw out a once-worn shirt because it's lost a button. It's not abdicating responsibility for raising the kids if the parents were never taught how to sew on a button or change the fuse in a plug. The number of people the OH had to sew buttons on for when he worked in the tailors' shop, or the number of people I have worked with over the years who couldn't even produce a simple evening meal without the aid of a packet and a microwave would make you cry.

The reason we have a large number of misbehaved kids is because no one bothers with discipline any more. Actually, I'll change that to no one is allowed to discipline children any more in case the precious little kiddies get a complex from having been smacked for doing wrong...

Get them young, in an ex-services run school environment, and there should be a lot less problems with vicious, promiscuous, law-breaking little bastards than we do now.