<![CDATA[&quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot;]]>In the 1990s, as an education correspondent for the Financial Times newspaper and then as an adviser to Tony Blair, Lord Andrew Adonis says he systematically visited schools - and was \"shocked and horrified at how bad many comprehensives* were\".


\"Not just that they were providing a poor standard of education, but that they were unsafe for children, bullying was rife, there could be very little proper control, teachers who had virtually no interest in the classroom, let alone outside.\"

He recalls that on one school visit he was locked in an office because the staff wouldn't allow him to walk around when the pupils were there.

...

And he argues that progress has been held back by the lack of direct personal investment in state education by those making the decisions.

\"One of the biggest problems in education for the past two generations is that so many ministers making decisions about state education have not themselves either been to state schools or sent their children to them.

\"I think it's frankly thoroughly undesirable to have ministers of education who don't send their own children to state schools because they don't feel a sense of personal or moral responsibility for the decisions they're making.\"


Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19577559
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62843000/jpg/_62843345_001493208.jpg\">

P.S. *A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude.
Let not our schools end up like state schools in Britain please!!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/40837/quot-shocked-and-horrified-at-how-bad-many-state-schools-were-quotRSS for NodeSat, 25 Apr 2026 05:17:58 GMTWed, 19 Sep 2012 02:07:40 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:56:45 GMT]]>Understand what you mean. I also prefer to sit next to my kids when they do their work so that mistakes can be immediately rectified. Save time from correction and I get a better sense of where and what they are weak at.


So far, none of the teachers at my children ever request the parents to provide tuition for the kids. Perhaps this is because the socioeconomic background of the kids in the school does not allow such an arrangement. Hence the teachers are really committed towards helping the kids. Am very appreciative for that.

If any of the teachers were to speak to me in the same manner as those highlighted here, I will tell them that it only proves that they cannot do their job properly and they should not be taking up the space. Have not told off a teacher in this manner but did it for a member of the school over some other matter. :rant:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/859357https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/859357Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:56:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:18:24 GMT]]>probably because i hv 3 kids at home, and i always hv to mark their assmt and test papers… when they were younger, i rmb i hv really alot to mark especially when i assign different work to each of them… and its not like the teacher, i mark tens of hw of the same… i need to read, chk if the answer sheet is correct and this and that… takes me so much time to mark…!!


and the advantage of marking beside them is that, i will still hv a fresh memory of what to ask them to "take note" especially with a certain kind of question or any careless mistake made… but if i mark the books while they were in sch, by the time they come hm and bathe, i would hv forgotten what i want to tell them…

for those parents who follow your kids’ studies closely like me, i’m sure u faced this problem before… so i tend to understand why the teacher marks in class, and i also understand the teacher will also call upon students to her desk to take back their books and give them feedback or comments, as mentioned by my dd and ds…

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/859102https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/859102Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:18:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:11:35 GMT]]>marking books, i must say, is of cos not recommended during curriculum time…


but if the students are asked to do compo, or for example, a test, i think the teacher should be given the choice to mark some books in class…

not that i’m siding with the teachers… if the teacher teaches well, i’m not that mean to ask her not to mark a single book in class… but if the teacher purposely marks books in class, of cos i’ll be mad like other parents…

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/859096https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/859096Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:11:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 06:23:48 GMT]]>

lim72:
I complained to his last year ft that this teacher didn't teach with a heart and children can feel it.
Wow !!! I really salute your bravery to stand up for this nonsense.
Asked my son if his teacher taught them how to write an email (situational writing). Well, the answer given to me is similiar like yours.
For prelims, this email thing was tested in Paper 1.

It's not just one parent having to put up with such teachers. If there are several cases like this happening in our schools, surely something should be done to address it ASAP !!!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858866https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858866Tue, 25 Sep 2012 06:23:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:42:18 GMT]]>I complained to his last year ft that this teacher didn’t teach with a heart and children can feel it. She didn’t teach compo and just threw the titles to them attached with a similar model compo and asked them to write and she just sat there marking her other works.


I told the ft that I will not let my son to be taught by her, even if the class is a.top class. I had rather to take a chance with a different teacher in a second class.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858718https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858718Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:42:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:54:14 GMT]]>EVEN if it is revision, the teachers should AT LEAST show concern to the students like walking around and asking if there is anything they are not sure…NOT MARKING BOOKS. Why bring books to class to mark ?


The state of some of our POPULAR schools, and the TEACHERS teaching there. Some of them are poisonous vipers.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858670https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858670Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:54:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:05:27 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
The attitude of some teachers in our schools are atrocious.

Yesterday, a popular SAP school gave students 2012 prelim papers to do !!!
A teacher at another school told students not to sit for PSLE. Wow, it's amazing to have such teachers in our popular schools.
Bringing books to classroom to mark during curriculum time.
Sorry if I repeated, but seriously this is no joking matter.
That was what happened in my ds last year cl teacher. Everytime I asked my ds what was the teacher doing, marking exercise books. She didn't even bother to chit chat with them after exam but scolded the class that those who scored below 18/20 for cl compo didn't study AT ALL!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858631https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858631Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:05:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:47:51 GMT]]>

Nebbermind:
janet_lee88:

My friend just called me.

Her son was told this by his teacher, 'If you believe so much in tutors, no need to attend school. No need to attend PSLE'.

It's this kinda teachers that I'm really pissed!!

I ever revised tingxie with my girl. Last time we not so particular abt which stroke is longer/shorter unlike now...so I highlighted to her that one of the stroke is longer according to the printed listed.

Think my girl must have unintentionally said that the stroke is longer in class...and then the teacher remarked \"Am I your teacher or your father is the teacher!\"
:siao:

This is not siao. This is very rude.
If we teach our kids to show respect to teachers, it should be vice versa.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858615https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858615Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:47:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:28:12 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
My friend just called me.

Her son was told this by his teacher, 'If you believe so much in tutors, no need to attend school. No need to attend PSLE'.
The boy is studying in a popular school.
It's this kinda teachers that I'm really pissed!!

I ever revised tingxie with my girl. Last time we not so particular abt which stroke is longer/shorter unlike now...so I highlighted to her that one of the stroke is longer according to the printed listed.

Think my girl must have unintentionally said that the stroke is longer in class...and then the teacher remarked \"Am I your teacher or your father is the teacher!\"
:siao:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858609https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858609Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:28:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:22:19 GMT]]>The attitude of some teachers in our schools are atrocious.

Yesterday, a popular SAP school gave students 2012 prelim papers to do !!!
A teacher at another school told students not to sit for PSLE. Wow, it's amazing to have such teachers in our popular schools.
Bringing books to classroom to mark during curriculum time.
Sorry if I repeated, but seriously this is no joking matter.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858602https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858602Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:22:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:49:34 GMT]]>

august24:
Dd has a teacher who gave the entire class model ans to copy for their CL activity book homework, a week prior to CA2 exam. Reason, some students are slower, not able to follow up (look more like easier marking to do & no corrections needed). The same teacher did not give 听写 for a whole term & let the class copy a whole list of 'books read, time, author' for their reading records. During lesson time, she edit PowerPoint slides of the students, supposedly for some competition, while the whole class looks on. No lesson for that whole week.

I'm keeping my fingers cross this teacher won't take her for MT again next year. Good or bad teacher is really a hit & miss. My kids have their fair share of very dedicated teachers too.
Hahaha.... i heard of many such teachers.

Model ans to copy - easy to mark, just close eyes.
Spelling - no need, just copy book, \"chao xie\"

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858532https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858532Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:49:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:53:14 GMT]]>What about nurturing their interests and creativity?


By the time our kids graduate, most of the things they learnt would probably be obsolete.

Parents in China is far more ks than any of us here. Many kids are academically excellent but they lack EQs, are risk adverse and not creative because they have been drilled since young and can’t think out of the box.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858515https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858515Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:53:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:47:23 GMT]]>

verykiasumummy:
Lynn2010:

[quote=\"phtthp\"]

i heard in some schools, British students speak poor English.

I know of quite a few who can't spell. Worse, thinking they are superior just because they are from the UK

they speak poorer eng and spelling is weak cos their parents not as ks as us... hahaha...[/quote]Tut, Tut, Tut! Lynn2010, verykiasumummy :censored:

We are a 60M population. Based on ratios we will have more illiteracy and innumeracy levels.

On a different note, you may find we English become Kiasu soon; down to a pushy middle-class. Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Education) has had an epiphany and the country is slowly reverting to a 50's style education whilst retaining a 21st Century outlook; as a corrollary this will result in our regaining our historical pre-eminent educational standing (the same is happening in the USA too). Singapore be warned that your focus on rote-learning instead of cogntive development will see you behind us, within a generation.

Our Primary curriculum is comparable to yours up to P5 (your P6 is our Y7). However, in secondary (starting in Y7) we start it all over again. I have not quite worked out why that is. There is now more emphasis on grammar - wow!

Additionally,, our GCSEs will return back to the rigour of 40 years ago, and so will comparable to your O'Levels (after all they are written in England). The same will occur with A 'Levels too. Pre-U's are being taken up at a quick rate - as there is a pent-up demand for more rigour.

Singapore is cited as a good example, and your assessment books are superbly wonderful - but a lot of your success is down to copious out-of-school tuition; not sure what it says about your state schools. Our state school spending has tripled, stupidly, with more emphasis on new buildings spend and consultants but nothing on raising salaries of teachers and certainly not (in the last 20 years) on raising international-level benchmarked attainment.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858473https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858473Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:47:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:13:39 GMT]]>Dd has a teacher who gave the entire class model ans to copy for their CL activity book homework, a week prior to CA2 exam. Reason, some students are slower, not able to follow up (look more like easier marking to do & no corrections needed). The same teacher did not give 听写 for a whole term & let the class copy a whole list of ‘books read, time, author’ for their reading records. During lesson time, she edit PowerPoint slides of the students, supposedly for some competition, while the whole class looks on. No lesson for that whole week.

I’m keeping my fingers cross this teacher won’t take her for MT again next year. Good or bad teacher is really a hit & miss. My kids have their fair share of very dedicated teachers too.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858446https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858446Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:13:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:56:40 GMT]]>It’s all about survival when they grow up. Yes, exams are required, but again I am saying this, there is no need to raise the stakes so high. PSLE is the first major exam at the end of 6 years. There are more to come.


There are several sticky issues. MOE really has to get to the root of urgent issues we parents are facing.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858354https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858354Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:56:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:29:58 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
Why are we parents so hyped up on grades ? It's not bcos of 5Cs...but for survival. A bowl of noodles today at coffee shops costs $3.50...$4 onwards at food courts. When our kids grow up, that bowl of noodles may cost $7 or $9. That is just for one person. Can he afford to pay for his girlfriend and subsequently his family. What about HDB ? Without good grades, can he afford to buy ? This is basic necessity.

yes definitely.. with the inflation rate and competition from FT, who knows what will happen to our next generation right?

we are just training our kids to be better survivors when they grow up... so exams are the challenges ahead to mold them thru...

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858291https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858291Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:29:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:47:19 GMT]]>Why are we parents so hyped up on grades ? It’s not bcos of 5Cs…but for survival. A bowl of noodles today at coffee shops costs $3.50…$4 onwards at food courts. When our kids grow up, that bowl of noodles may cost $7 or $9. That is just for one person. Can he afford to pay for his girlfriend and subsequently his family. What about HDB ? Without good grades, can he afford to buy ? This is basic necessity.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858176https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858176Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:47:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:29:50 GMT]]>

Lynn2010:
phtthp:



i heard in some schools, British students speak poor English.

I know of quite a few who can't spell. Worse, thinking they are superior just because they are from the UK

they speak poorer eng and spelling is weak cos their parents not as ks as us... hahaha...

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858126https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858126Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:29:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:23:59 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
This is happening and totally ridiculous !!! Since WHEN are tutors hired to teach/coach kids in school homework ???? No wonder SOME teachers do not teach lah. They pass their responsibility to students' tutors.

MOE ministers, please be informed. This is happening.
i feel that many teachers now just treat it as a job... no more passion or whatever.. but tutors, on the other hand, as what i can see from my circle of friends, are the ones with passion to teach.. those full time ones of cos, not part times.

and tutors in tuition centers are also the ones with passion i feel.. cos they made the choice to open the center, or if not those ex moe teachers who later open their centers. that, i will say, they still have passion if not they wouldnt have open centers.. for those teachers w/o passion, i'm sure they wun want to open their own teaching school if they ever quit, most will step-stone to other fields definitely...

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858105https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858105Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:23:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:15:55 GMT]]>

phtthp:


i heard in some schools, British students speak poor English.
I know of quite a few who can't spell. Worse, thinking they are superior just because they are from the UK

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858085https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858085Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:15:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:15:30 GMT]]>Playing musical chair :siao:



Can write to moe n ask what is going on in school? Why do teachers have this kind of mentality?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858083https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858083Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:15:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:14:35 GMT]]>This is happening and totally ridiculous !!! Since WHEN are tutors hired to teach/coach kids in school homework ??? No wonder SOME teachers do not teach lah. They pass their responsibility to students’ tutors.

MOE ministers, please be informed. This is happening.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858080https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858080Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:14:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:03:21 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
verykiasumummy:

[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]My friend just called me.

Her son was told this by his teacher, 'If you believe so much in tutors, no need to attend school. No need to attend PSLE'.
The boy is studying in a popular school.

his teacher is not being fair... its true that nowadays if our kids encounter any problems in their hw, they ask tutor and not teacher... just because the teachers didnt do enough, that's why parents need to look for tutors!

When my son asked teacher how to do a question, the teacher told him 'to go and think'. Die die refused to teach. This happened to neighbour's son last year too. That boy asked 3 times and teacher refused to tell until the mum got fed up and wrote in. Also told the teacher if student needs help, TEACH HIM !!!
MOE, this is happening in Singapore schools.[/quote]similar here... my neighbour's ds ask his teacher how to do, his teacher say, \"this is homework, suppose to do at home, not in school\".

another instance my dd ask her teacher, \"teacher, this one not taught yet, how to do?\" teacher say \"go home and read. i'm sure yur tuition teacher already teach u in the holidays.\"

this is totally insane!!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858049https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858049Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:03:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to &quot;shocked and horrified at how bad many [state schools] were&quot; on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:58:02 GMT]]>

verykiasumummy:
janet_lee88:

My friend just called me.

Her son was told this by his teacher, 'If you believe so much in tutors, no need to attend school. No need to attend PSLE'.
The boy is studying in a popular school.

his teacher is not being fair... its true that nowadays if our kids encounter any problems in their hw, they ask tutor and not teacher... just because the teachers didnt do enough, that's why parents need to look for tutors!

When my son asked teacher how to do a question, the teacher told him 'to go and think'. Die die refused to teach. This happened to neighbour's son last year too. That boy asked 3 times and teacher refused to tell until the mum got fed up and wrote in. Also told the teacher if student needs help, TEACH HIM !!!
MOE, this is happening in Singapore schools.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858031https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/858031Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:58:02 GMT