[Ammi]

Schoolchildren in England are among the most unhappy in the world, faring worse than those in Ethiopia, Algeria and Romania, a charity has warned.

English children ranked 14th out of 15 countries for overall life satisfaction, just ahead of South Korea, and scored low for aspects related to their "self" and school, according to research by the University of York in partnership with The Children's Society.

Romania came top, with just one in 100 (1.1%) of 10 and 12-year-olds saying they were unhappy with their "life as a whole", followed by Colombia, where it was one in 50 (2%). In England, one in 14 (7.1%) were unhappy.

The Good Childhood Report 2015, which examined 53,000 children's "subjective well-being" across 15 diverse countries, found levels of unhappiness at school increased with age, with less than half (43%) of year eights in England saying they enjoyed school compared to six out of 10 ( 61%) year six students .

The report also found worrying levels of bullying in English schools, with more than a third of students (38%) aged 10 and 12 reporting that they had been physically bullied in the past month. Half (50%) said they had felt excluded at school.

English girls ranked second lowest for happiness with their body confidence, self-confidence and appearance, rating their satisfaction as 7.3 out of 10 on average. This places them just above South Korea, with a mean score of 7.1. Colombian girls topped the table for body confidence, with an average rating of 9.6, followed by Romania with 9.4.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of the charity, said English schools should be legally required to provide counselling and government funding for children's mental health should be increased.

He said: "It is deeply worrying that children in this country are so unhappy at school compared to other countries and it is truly shocking that thousands of children are being physically and emotionally bullied, damaging their happiness.

"School should be a safe haven, not a battleground."

Whilst the findings do not indicate why children in England feel more unhappy than others, Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers blamed poor mental health on the "narrow curriculum" and "exam factories" culture in schools.

Mr Courtney called on the Government to "consider seriously the impact of their policies on children's well-being".

He said: " Children can now expect to be branded 'failures' when barely into primary education, and many of those who undergo high-stakes tests and examinations at all stages of school life experience serious stress-related anxiety."

But a Department for Education spokeswoman said the Government was working hard to tackle the issue of mental health.

She said: "Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and all schools must have measures in place to tackle it. That is why we are providing more than £7 million to help schools tackle bullying head on.

"We are also promoting greater use of counselling in schools, improving teaching about mental health, and supporting joint working between mental health services and schools. This will ensure children can thrive both inside and out the classroom."


http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews...cid=spartandhp

[arista]

They have never had so good

[Ammi]

..there are more families struggling and in need than ever but the help/care is not always available because of cut backs, there is a growing amount of primary school children who are being deemed as 'suicidal', there is exposure to social sites/internet which expands bullying beyond the schools, there is more concerned parents because of dangers so less freedom, there are exams (data/statistic exams etc..) from the first school year after Reception...so yeah, never really had it so good and no worry or pressure at all... miserable young people...

[arista]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..there are more families struggling and in need than ever but the help/care is not always available because of cut backs, there is a growing amount of primary school children who are being deemed as 'suicidal', there is exposure to social sites/internet which expands bullying beyond the schools, there is more concerned parents because of dangers so less freedom, there are exams (data/statistic exams etc..) from the first school year after Reception...so yeah, never really had it so good and no worry or pressure at all... miserable young people...

Yes there are some that go the wrong way.


For example
In Japan some Children Kill themselves
as they are not getting the High Grade

[Ammi]

The report also found worrying levels of bullying in English schools, with more than a third of students (38%) aged 10 and 12 reporting that they had been physically bullied in the past month. Half (50%) said they had felt excluded at school.



..'as they are not getting the high grade' just completely ignores and dismisses the issues though...children need to feel safe/secure/confident and have self belief to be able to 'achieve' and if they feel they're underachieving then it's the root cause of that, that is the issue and what needs to be looked at/invested in more...

[user104658]

Confident kids are shot down from the word go in primary schools so it's entirely unsurprising. They CLAIM to encourage "leadership skills" etc. but it's a straight up lie. They cater to the "average kid" so strongly that the majority end up being totally out of place; brighter kids who could forge ahead are stuck with uninspiring work that bores them, kids at the other end of the scale who are struggling to keep up feel like they are the ones holding everyone back and are embarrassed, and even kids who do fall in the "middle ground" - if they happen to be a bit too chatty or easily distracted then they're punished for that too.

In other words, to thrive in a UK school environment you have to be two things. Average, and quiet. And we wonder why we're currently world leaders in precisely **** all.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Confident kids are shot down from the word go in primary schools so it's entirely unsurprising. They CLAIM to encourage "leadership skills" etc. but it's a straight up lie. They cater to the "average kid" so strongly that the majority end up being totally out of place; brighter kids who could forge ahead are stuck with uninspiring work that bores them, kids at the other end of the scale who are struggling to keep up feel like they are the ones holding everyone back and are embarrassed, and even kids who do fall in the "middle ground" - if they happen to be a bit too chatty or easily distracted then they're punished for that too.

In other words, to thrive in a UK school environment you have to be two things. Average, and quiet. And we wonder why we're currently world leaders in precisely **** all.

...well..not a great promoter of the school system eh Ts....seriously though, you are so, so wrong in all of the schools that I have experience and knowledge of, I mean you couldn't be more wrong but I'm sorry that's been your personal experience and that of anyone you know...

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Ammi

...well..not a great promoter of the school system eh Ts....seriously though, you are so, so wrong in all of the schools that I have experience and knowledge of, I mean you couldn't be more wrong but I'm sorry that's been your personal experience and that of anyone you know...

If you don't actually have young children in school, I think it's probably hard to see it from an outside perspective. The schools / teachers themselves don't seem to see it at all.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

If you don't actually have young children in school, I think it's probably hard to see it from an outside perspective. The schools / teachers themselves don't seem to see it at all.

..I've had young children in school and all through the school system and school is where I spend my school days/work days so really do also see a good perspective from the children/parents/families and school staff...

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..I've had young children in school and all through the school system and school is where I spend my school days/work days so really do also see a good perspective from the children/parents/families and school staff...

Like I said, I don't think the staff actually see it at all... or maybe your school is better than most.

The basic purpose of the UK school system (as the finding of your OP would suggest, with all of the misery) is to create compliant, hard-working cogs for the economy who will essentially do what they are told (by the teachers, by their bosses, by the government) without too much fuss. Schools are not set up to create innovative, creative, free-thinking and happy individuals. If they are, then they are clearly failing badly, because frankly there aren't very many of those around.

[user104658]

I also feel like it's getting worse. When I was a littl'un in ye olde days of the late 80's / early 90's, yes I was bored out of my tits, but there were far fewer tests and exams to worry about, and more importantly, whilst there was discipline there was none of this punitive pavlovian structured shaming that seems to be so common now, with their bull**** "traffic light systems" and "reward time" for the timid kids who successfully go unnoticed all week.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Like I said, I don't think the staff actually see it at all... or maybe your school is better than most.

The basic purpose of the UK school system (as the finding of your OP suggest, with all of the misery) is to create compliant, hard-working cogs for the economy who will essentially do what they are told (by the teachers, by their bosses, by the government) without too much fuss. Schools are not set up to create innovative, creative, free-thinking and happy individuals. If they are, then they are clearly failing badly, because frankly there aren't very many of those around.

..they are though, that's exactly what their aim...obviously the success differs in schools as well as their are many factors involved in how successful it can be but it's not a 'few and far between'/type success either..right from Reception age, children are involved for much or their day in imaginative play/creative tasks/circle and discussion times/philosophy and yes, definitely free thinking ...obviously free thinking is not rule breaking though so there will always be structure and children need that...

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I also feel like it's getting worse. When I was a littl'un in ye olde days of the late 80's / early 90's, yes I was bored out of my tits, but there were far fewer tests and exams to worry about, and more importantly, whilst there was discipline there was none of this punitive pavlovian structured shaming that seems to be so common now, with their bull**** "traffic light systems" and "reward time" for the timid kids who successfully go unnoticed all week.

..you'll have to explain that a bit more..?..

[the truth]

feminism is yet again to blame for all this....no male teachers at juniors and infants, bias in favour of female kids, a feminist teaching programme based on revisionist history....boys falling miles behind and male suicide at record highs. inadditioon the break up of the family home and no fathers in over 50% of homes makes it even harder for kids to succeed and especially for young boys...hence they fall by the wayside , start boozing , taking drugs, get onto welfare young , its a downward spiral and no one cares and im the sexist bad guy for talking about it, pathetic

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..they are though, that's exactly what their aim...obviously the success differs in schools as well as their are many factors involved in how successful it can be but it's not a 'few and far between'/type success either..right from Reception age, children are involved for much or their day in imaginative play/creative tasks/circle and discussion times/philosophy and yes, definitely free thinking ...obviously free thinking is not rule breaking though so there will always be structure and children need that...

If that is their actual aim then why is it failing so badly? Why are kids getting to their teens / 20's, and even some before they leave primary school, with unprecedented levels of despression, so suppressed and miserable as to make us one of the worst in the world?

[the truth]

peer pressure is greater than ever too....twitter facebook designer gear all adds enormous pressure, if you haven't got the right stuff youre out in the cold and alienated and bullied too

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..you'll have to explain that a bit more..?..

Well, the school here (and every school in the district) employs a system whereby each child starts the day on "green", moves to "orange" for minor infractions (such as chatting, fidgeting, moaning, not paying attention) or "red" for more serious things (i.e. not the petty stuff aforementioned, things like hitting or bullying). At the end of the week there's "Golden Time" which is basically free play time with lots of equipment / toys. Any day that a child was on Orange means they have to sit out for 10 mins - a Red means they miss the whole thing.

The names are all up on the wall on the coloured backgrounds for everyone to see, and it's also mainly used as a threat ("if you don't do [blah], you'll have to move your name"). Oh yes, forgot to mention, they are forced to move their own name.

The Punitive Pavlovian Structured Shaming System for the Gradual Destruction of Self-Esteem - that would be a better name, and a more succinct summing up of how it works and the effect that it has on children.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

If that is their actual aim then why is it failing so badly? Why are kids getting to their teens / 20's, and even some before they leave primary school, with unprecedented levels of despression, so suppressed and miserable as to make us one of the worst in the world?

...I guess it's a bland thing to say and obviously a deeper discussion...but part of it is funding really and wheher a school is given sufficient funding for individual pupil needs/one to one etc..there is obviously some but always, always needing more but it can only happen with the funding for it and it's something that many heads are constantly 'fighting' for...also, it's parents working with schools and knowing schools are very always 'in their child's interest' and that often doesn't happen but some parents don't take on any responsibility themselves for any behavioural issues in schools, when often behavioural issues or lack of concentration etc are things that are 'brought into the school' from the start of the day..it's always, always a 'joint partnership' between family and school and that's the only way that success will happen more...

[user104658]

Originally Posted by the truth

feminism is yet again to blame for all this....no male teachers at juniors and infants, bias in favour of female kids, a feminist teaching programme based on revisionist history....boys falling miles behind and male suicide at record highs. inadditioon the break up of the family home and no fathers in over 50% of homes makes it even harder for kids to succeed and especially for young boys...hence they fall by the wayside , start boozing , taking drugs, get onto welfare young , its a downward spiral and no one cares and im the sexist bad guy for talking about it, pathetic

I think there is an issue here in High Schools but I'm not convinced there's an actual selective bias amoungst teachers, rather that the system (the school system, and the entire wider system to be honest) is completely failing to accept that girls and boys learn in different ways. The learning style is the same for all, completely arbitrary, when it's just biological fact that male and female brains are wired differently and benefit from different methods of learning. Men and Women are different. The quest for equality seems to have forgotten that equality does not necessitate homogeny.

[Ammi]

..I'll come back to this a bit later if that's ok as I have somewhere to be...

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Ammi

...I guess it's a bland thing to say and obviously a deeper discussion...but part of it is funding really and wheher a school is given sufficient funding for individual pupil needs/one to one etc..there is obviously some but always, always needing more but it can only happen with the funding for it and it's something that many heads are constantly 'fighting' for...also, it's parents working with schools and knowing schools are very always 'in their child's interest' and that often doesn't happen but some parents don't take on any responsibility themselves for any behavioural issues in schools, when often behavioural issues or lack of concentration etc are things that are 'brought into the school' from the start of the day..it's always, always a 'joint partnership' between family and school and that's the only way that success will happen more...

I completely agree with that, and maybe we've just had bad experiences, but unfortunately the impression we've gotten in practice when trying to be very actively involved is a bit of a roll of the eyes and an impression that we're pestering / stepping on the teacher's toes with our suggestions. A sort of "Thanks but we know what we're doing, go home please" atmosphere.

It's just frustrating, because we were actually fully prepared to home-school and our eldest only went to school because she's extremely social and because she wanted to go. She's made countless good friends and most days she loves it... but under the surface, so far it's just been constant work every day to undo little bits of damage that are being caused along the way.

Funnily enouigh, for our 3-year-old, who is on the Autistic spectrum, we're looking into a local specialist ASD school (one of the best in the country is very luckily right on our doorstep) and when I was reading the information - the relaxed learning structure, the personal tailoring to ability, the selective curriculums, the less rigid routine for those who need it - my immediate reaction was just "This sounds brilliant... it sounds like how ALL primary schools should be??". I guess funding levels make that impossible, though. Which is very, very sad. Systematically breaking our children because there isn't enough money.

[rubymoo]

I was talking to my daughters the other day about children of today, and i think the problem is quite complex, there a lot of factors to unhappy children in this country and we probably only have to go back 30/40 years and establish were children happier then? And maybe look at some of the other countries and establish what their lives entail to try to understand why our children are so unhappy.

Is their a big drive in these other countries to get mothers to work and children into day care centres?

Do they have everything our children have in these other countries?

Are family at the centre of these childrens lives in other countries?

Are children in other countries given more responsibility regarding family life/helping with family life?

For a child to be happy are their basic needs being met so they can move on to the next level, something as simple as mum/dad not being home when they get home from school especially if they've had a tough day can be really detrimental to a child, i think we have it all wrong in this country and i can put money on the fact that in these other countries where children are happiest they have a parent there at all times to supervise, teach, guide and support their child. This of course is only my opinion

[rubymoo]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I completely agree with that, and maybe we've just had bad experiences, but unfortunately the impression we've gotten in practice when trying to be very actively involved is a bit of a roll of the eyes and an impression that we're pestering / stepping on the teacher's toes with our suggestions. A sort of "Thanks but we know what we're doing, go home please" atmosphere.

It's just frustrating, because we were actually fully prepared to home-school and our eldest only went to school because she's extremely social and because she wanted to go. She's made countless good friends and most days she loves it... but under the surface, so far it's just been constant work every day to undo little bits of damage that are being caused along the way.

Funnily enouigh, for our 3-year-old, who is on the Autistic spectrum, we're looking into a local specialist ASD school (one of the best in the country is very luckily right on our doorstep) and when I was reading the information - the relaxed learning structure, the personal tailoring to ability, the selective curriculums, the less rigid routine for those who need it - my immediate reaction was just "This sounds brilliant... it sounds like how ALL primary schools should be??". I guess funding levels make that impossible, though. Which is very, very sad. Systematically breaking our children because there isn't enough money.

My daughter has a diagnosis of ASD, she goes to a mainstream school that has a unit attached for children with ASD, she is integrated into mainstream school and lucky for her has all the support for the ERC should she need it.

When she was 3 the head of the nursery school wanted me to choose a special school for my daughter, i was furious and dug my heels in as i wanted her to be mainstream, she had a statement of education in place and after a lot of fighting, tears (all mine!) i finally got what i wanted (and what i thought was best for my daughter) and i can say she has thrived, and doing really well, look into other schools and go with your gut.

[Kizzy]

My kids had a similar structure TS describes, 'golden time' and such. My daughter was told not to raise her hand in class to ask questions... don't ask questions... while the teacher was talking.
Quiet, subdued little proles are the order of the era.

[Kizzy]

My son has DCD ( developmental co-ordination disorder) and a dx of ADHD he was regularly offered ritalin during his primary years ( which I declined everytime) they attempted to knock the corners of him at school and it worked.... he was bullied by both students and staff all through school for being different.
I can well understand why kids hate school if they can't conform.