If I were the Prime Minister....(Education Manefesto part 1)

Have you ever been bored or stressed as a result of 'school'? If the answer is yes, then you're not alone- I am always discovering scribbled table messages stating 'tick if bored', not to mention the never ending ticks it recieves on a regular basis. Although i  realise education is nessasary for my future,but I just cannot stand my school. The lessons, the bitching popular people, the peer pressure. I sometimes find school good fun, as long as my friends are there with me. But,I do also occasionaly leave lessons thinking 'I didn't learn anything' or 'That lesson was pointless'.  Admitedly, alot of students will also have this atitude- but the truth is, most of the lessons ARE, no use to us. Design and Technology-Not intrested whatsoever, absoloutely useless at it. Don't get me started on my attempts of acting in Drama. The point is, we children have no freedom whatsoever about what lessons we attend- we are forced to turn up to all kinds of lessons that we feel are pointless,useless, meaningless. Its a prison to us. You're probably thinking- 'These subjects are beneficial and you just don't realise it. You will have to chose your GCSE subjects soon'. Having attended a state (attended a private school for a while) school for the last decade or so, I believe in a handful of logical soloutions to this aspect of what you're thinking, which could be considered a far superior way of controlling the education system within the UK.

Do you want to know the real reason why children hate school? Theres no freedom, students are forced to stay within classrooms for 6 hours a day. I've been researching about a Summerhill school in Sullfork, established in 1921 and an independant british boarding school. It was made to fit the child rather than the other way round. In other words, It's whats described as a democratic school which gives the children the opertunity to choose the lessons they want to go to. If a child wanted, they could sit around doing nothing all day, however most of these children are aware of the consequences of doing so. As a result, the vast majority of the pupils have enough maturity to attend the lessons at their own accord, and lead on to sucsessful lifestyles. The daily mail had claimed this school to be 'one of the most progressive schools on the planet'. Argubly, In state schools you could say that alot of the children could take advantage of optional lessons and not go to any, but one way round this is if schools had regular meetings once a week. 'Meetings' are also the technique used in Summerhill school,just like assemblies in state schools but less formal. If we made these meetings an essential part of the school timetable, we could encourage the children on a daily basis about how the more lessons they attend,the better their job,the better their future, the better their life. Their lesson options are chosen by them, as an induvidual. Independant learning. Therefore, i believe this will certinaly benefit them for when they have to make choices themselves in the long run/future. In addition, the meetings I mentioned previously could be a wakeup call to all unmotivated students, it will offer them the chance to see the light in education. It will make them see school in a different perspective, and not something they are forced in to doing. They will now see 'school' as a term defined as small steps to towards a career and way of meeting with their friends at their own pace! As stated in my introduction, I see this as a much better way of treating youngsters; by giving them the independence, it can only leave them with the maturity to make their own decisions. They need this maturity in advance, so life isn't a shock to them in when they see the real world. I know tons of teenagers assume they will marry someone rich, or automatically become a lawyer when they don't even bother doing the work to required to reach their ambitions. They need this maturity, we need independence and democracy amongst schools.

Futhermore, Before I decide on this change i would send a referendum system to all secondry school pupils, as well as their parents.  I would only allow this practice to take place on the understanding that the child is under supervision in school, and only in secondry schools. Parents can also have the opertunity between choosing their child to attend the free school, or going for the more traditional schooling. All education facilities will be equal and at no expense whatsoever. Private school teachers who are made redundant will automatically have the opertunity to be a teacher in one of our newer schools. Children want to see school in a better light, instead of a forced requirment by the goverment.