Sunday 24 April 2016

'Parent Power' campaign to withdraw children from school on May 3rd for a day of 'fun learning' gathers support





Let Kids be Kids is a social media campaign by parents who intend to withdraw their children from  school on May 3rd in protest against the SATs and the impact that the new tests are having on their children, as well as a more general protest against the government's White Paper on education.

At this point it is impossible to say how much support the strike call will have but it is certainly a concern shared by many parents as well as teachers.

22,000 have signed their petition to Nicky Morgan LINK
We want an end to SATs... we want our kids to be kids again.
We're encouraging parents to show Parent Power by keeping their children off school IN SUPPORT of a SATs boycott on TUESDAY 3RD MAY.

Why is this important?

We're a group of Year 2 parents who've had enough... enough of endless testing, enough of teachers not being trusted to teach, enough of an Ofsted driven, dull, dry curriculum aimed solely at passing National Curriculum Tests (SATs).
We want our kids to be kids again and enjoy learning for learning's sake not for Ofsted results or league table figures. Bring back the creativity and the fun - say goodbye to repetition and boredom!
In May, children in Year 2 sit a whole week's worth of exams.. these children are 6 or 7 years old!!! All year their curriculum has been centred around comprehension and arithmetic in order to pass these tests. Outdoor learning has decreased, childhood anxiety has increased, games have been replaced with grammar, playing with punctuation.
Parents all over the country are joining forces on 3rd May for a day of fun learning out of school to show support for a SATS boycott and a return to teacher led assessments which value individuality and creativity in the school setting.
The video above was recorded at yesterday's Parents Defending Education launch

https://letthekidsbekids.wordpress.com/let-kids-be-kids-events-happening-on-3rd-may/

https://www.facebook.com/parentssupportteachers/?fref=ts

3 comments:

Barkingside 21 said...

Cross posted - hope you don't mind.

Martin Francis said...

You are welcome - anytime.

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group said...

The devisers of the SATS clearly do not envision play as a learner's work. I would say that there are strong parallels between
a) the forcefeeding of SATS to school children and the bullying involved, and
b) how benefit claimants are treated at the jobcentre under 'claimant conditionality'.
See http://www.katebelgrave.com/2016/04/getting-older-and-getting-sanctioned-you-think-being-young-sucks/ on the latter.

I would argue that the bullying involved aims to create a compliant, robotised workforce regardless of the human consequences.

As a lifelong learner I believe in play as a learner's work. Re a recently 90th birthday celebrant's 'endless stamina', some experiences are more energy-sapping than others. And re advertising claims on the minting of a commemoratory coin, it has been stated that she "inspired a whole generation."

"Inspired a whole generation to do what?" I wonder. I find the Parent Power Campaign more inspiring myself. Who asks the questions?

Dude Swheatie of the Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group