Those swedish schools

Beware, this is a long post. It may even turn into a series of posts. Or should that be rants?

David Cameron is really enamoured of those swedish schools. They’re in his green paper:

Fifteen years ago, the Swedish government introduced choice into the national school system, with great success. Money follows the pupil so that parents can send their child to any school of their choosing.

He goes on about them some more:

So we will open up the system to provide all parents with the sort of choice currently only the rich enjoy. The country that provides the closest model for what we wish to do is Sweden. Over the past fifteen years, Sweden has introduced a new system that has allowed the creation of many new high quality state schools that are independent from political control. All parents have the power to take their child out of a state school and apply to a new independent state school. The money that went to the failing state school is transferred to the new independent school. All the new independent schools are free. They are not allowed to be selective.

The results? Hundreds of new schools have been started. Thousands of children have been saved from failing schools and given a chance in life. In particular, thousands of children from the poorest areas have been able to escape failing state schools. And, crucially, standards have risen across all state schools because failing state schools have been forced to reform. These are the basic dynamics we will introduce into the British school system.

And there is evidence already that what has worked in Sweden can work here.

Shame that he didn’t read on about them (here for example) to find out:

“Municipalities are obligated to provide a place in a preschool class for all children beginning the fall term of the year the child turns 6. The preschool class program shall comprise a minimum of 525 hours per year and stimulate the learning and development of each child, as well as lay the foundations for continued schooling.

… The 9-year compulsory school program is for all children between the ages of 7-16 years. Upon the request of the parents, a child may begin school one year earlier, at the age of 6. ”

(I found this on Wikipedia as well.)

Which makes it unlikely in any of those schools, that children are being tested to find out whether they can read at age 6. Ooh, sorry, we’re not talking about that yet, are we? Getting ahead of myself.

But come on, we’re going to be able to set up our own schools!

Allow educational charities, philanthropists, livery companies, existing school federations, not for profit trusts, co operatives and groups of parents to set up new schools in the state sector and access equivalent public funding to existing state schools.

Even:

Allow smaller schools and more intimate learning environments to be established to respond to parental demands.

You’d better hope one of those parental demands isn’t for a more sensible starting age to formal learning, or to be able to use a wide range of techniques in learning to read because:

A systematic analysis of the evidence has underlined which tried and tested methods work when it comes to reading, and has revealed the way in which ideological fads have held our children back.

Given that:

It is crucial for the sake of a child’s future development that we are able to diagnose reading failure before a child reaches the age of seven.

(Better let all those schools in sweden know that, wonder how they are coping?)

We will also ask Ofsted to report on the extent to which individual schools are using the synthetic phonics method and the effectiveness of the school’s approach to teaching children to read.

So let me get this straight. Parents are going to be able to club together to start their own small schools, which must teach reading by the age of 6 using synthetic phonics, although possibly in more intimate learning environments. All children will be diagnosed as success or failures accordingly by the age of 7 using externally run tests.

I can’t wait! Where do I sign up?

(Or alternatively, pass me the brick wall now. :wall: )

I may be back later. If I can make the headache go away.