Popular schools are allowed to let in more pupils

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8529935/Popular-schools-to-be-allowed-to-let-in-more-pupils.html

Summary

There used to be restrictions for popular state schools to expand and take on more pupils however these restrictions will be lifted. This is to allow more pupils to go to their first choice of school. This will probably mean that financial problems will increase for less popular schools because the financial support a school gets is determined by the number of pupils they have. The Government suspects that local authorities sometimes put a stop to popular schools taking on more pupils because it would be harder to support weaker schools when they don’t have enough pupils.

Reaction

It seems like a good idea and I think it is fair that every pupil gets to go to the school of their choice. On the other hand I think schools should have the same standards and therefore there should not be a major difference between schools. “Good” schools should be available everywhere and for everyone.  If there are only a couple of good schools it would mean some students and teachers will have to travel further in the future. And I wonder if a bigger school would not create a less personal environment where students become numbers and there is less personal attention.

Teachers don’t want to be teachers anymore because of the high level of stress.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/25/stress-drives-teachers-out-of-schools

Summary:

Due to the increase of stress many teachers do not want to be teachers anymore. This high level of stress has developed because of the target demands made by the government, especially the enhancing of form-filling has driven up the amount of work.  Health and Safety Executive found that the teaching profession is the most stress full profession, 41.5% of the teachers say they are highly stressed. For a small group of teachers this is even a reason to think about suicide.

Reaction:

Obviously things are not going as they should go. The fact that there are teachers who are thinking about suicide makes it clear that this is a real problem and that it already has gone too far. I think we should cherish teachers because we and our children benefit from their education. Therefore I feel the government should take better care of them and find a solution for this increasing problem. Because if this goes on nobody wants to be a teacher anymore and then what?