Olibeneli

Hi there.

Well most folks will know that my family spent 2 1/2 years in the Illawarra but recently returned to the UK. My 3 boys had a great time in Australia and really made great friends, grew in confidence and enjoyed lots of sport. Their schooling on the other hand....well I am not so sure.

Anyway. Their new secondary school here in west sussex has something that amazed me and I wondered if it existed in any Oz school........I am talking about school meals which is a HOT topic what with Jamie Oliver on TV every 3 minutes.

Anyway, their new UK school has a cashless canteen. Kids can still have packed lunch if the want but the cashless canteen works like this:

• parents put an amount of money on to student canteen account for the term or month or just an amount in ££ as a top up
• students go to canteen and choose their food/drink
• checkout is by fingerprint recognition - no cash - so amount of purchase is then deducted from the students account
• students can't checkout unhealthy food combinations - like a big plate of chips
• each month report emailed to parent on the students purchases and cost so parent can see what their child is buying AND includes a calorie report so parent can see how healthy they are eating
• daily limit prevents student overspending or overeating
• food purchased must have a healthy combination which is reported on each month
• the canteen operator also only produces menus that have healthy combinations - not all fried food, smiley faces and burgers.

It's a great way to operate a canteen and prevents kids walking about with money that can be a target for bullies. The parents rave about it and it is one of only 6 schools operating such a system.

Someone on here posted something akin to why do we need technology improvements to me - well I think this little idea is great as it is prevents 100's of kids carrying cash for bullies to prey on. If I had the money I'd take this idea down under - unless it is there now ?......I need to go on the Dragons Den.

PS:
The UK school also operates an accelerated learning program for those capable of advanced learning beyond their years - that was something I never heard of at any school in the area of Oz we lived in. All kids did their year 10 and year 12 exams at the same time regardless of if they were capable of achieving higher results at an earlier age.

Katehn

that sounds like a really good idea. i think there are cashless canteens here but not to the degree you are talking. sounds really good. I don't like sending money into school, so far no bullying ( that i know of).
i'm trying not to compare the education systems as we have made a permanent move here!

Olibeneli

good luck with eveything!

Kapri

The cashless canteen is a great idea.

I used to spend my dinner money on fags

Hard to believe now as it's been a long time since I smoked

quoll

What a great idea! Sounds like a very progressive school you have encountered there!

roamer25

This is great in theory, but in practice can develop into a nightmare. they';ve done this at my UK school recently (I'm a teacher).
Feedback was thus:

*Results for the younger pupils were on par with kids older than them.
*Parents felt great about it, felt their kids were being recognised
*The kids felt awful about it. Even after they got good results, they felt it was too much too soon. Extreme anxiety.
*The kids who weren't accelerated felt they were 'remedial' on some way.
*The accelerated pupils did much more mixing with older kids. Not necessarily a good thing at that age (older boys for eg wanting more from the girls than boys their own age)
*These kids a now rather listless as they have to stay in school, but have their exams done. What was that about idle hands?
*As a result of the 'success' of this in terms of results (which is all they care about), the council now want everyone to be accelerated, therefore making it mainstream accelaration and putting all of the bad and none of the good onto all of the kids, whether they can cope or not.



I don't see why we can't let kids just learn without testing them every 5 mins? Weighing a baby doesn't make it heavier.
For me a good education system allows for children to be accelerated in ways which round them out, rather than always pushes them towards tests, which are a very narrow interpretation of what intelligence is.

Sandra

A form of this is available in many Sydney schools - because I checked it out before arrival and my son was part of this programme.

It is Called Gifted and Talented - GAT classes, they stream the kids into working groups for some lessons and have different opportunities for the kids they believe have higher academic opportunities. They also balance this with project fun work for the GAT classes so not all viewed as work or stress.

Many of schools also have entrance exams that need to be passed at primary to attend (public and private) The primary classes are streamed to wether you will be going for the exam.

Admittedly there is a little feeling from the kids that they may be viewed as geeky but that depends on their circle of friends as much as anything.

HSC main subjects are streamed in Maths and many other subjects with different UAI rankings for the different levels and results.

I was very disappointed when I first arrived here in Aus in what I perceived as educational differences (lower than the UK). Now having seen my son through high school and now doing a diploma in Business before attending University (will reduce Uni by 18months) I am convinced the two systems are on a par and it is the parents and children to make the best of the opportunities.

I also have a daughter who hated school here - now finished SC 6 months early and doing a pre year 11 course at TAFE hoping to find a school that suits her for year 11 and 12 rather than do one year HSC at TAFE.

It is a big wide open education system with lots of choice in some areas. IB is also an option if wanting to do an international qualification that has to be on a par with the rest of the world.

Hope you are having fun at home - Olibeneli - I still have major personal reservations about Aus but school is now not one of them for me.

roamer25

This is the type of practice I was talking about as being preferable to me - much more effective than setting them into exams early. It stretches them rather than stresses them!

mindblower

me.[/QUOTE]

Schooling here is niggling me I must confess.

Dorothy

My son's school has a cashless canteen system in place. We send a cheque made payable to the canteen once a month and he gets to choose what he wants within the limits set by us. The canteen ladies know what he's allowed, since they have a list of forbidden items from us. It's a state primary school that has been slated many many times here, but we're very happy with.

Our daughter also goes to the state high school, which has also been slated many times here, where they have placed her in a group of children who are academically gifted. She is challenged to do work that is interesting to her while not being constantly tested.

Petals

I always find education threads very interesting. I have two teachers in my family but that is not the reason why.

I read so many posts about this school, that school, this way to learn, that way to learn and I think to myself what were these people like when they were children and at school, were they very diligent and demanding to learn, were they lazy like me and took the easy way every time..

I sent my children to private school at high school but I was never pushy it was my children's responsibility to learn and they had to take the consequences if they didn't. My son did not get the marks he should have in year 12 and he only had himself to blame as he had a wonderful social year. Then he picked himself up and got stuck in and got a Diploma in Chemical Science and a Science Degree. If he had been spoon fed and made to learn by us and the school he would never have had the motivation because it was a shock for his system and a good one.

I do not believe there are bad schools I believe there are bad pupils out of control but if kids want to learn they will.

I always reflect on what I was like when at school, when young and don't expect any different from my lot.

ABCDiamond

Good for the Parents with the Advanced kids, but not as good for the parents with kids who are behind.

That is what we noticed at my daughters last school where they have an "accelerated learning program". 2 of the year 3 classes were normal, and one was for the clever kids.

A good idea in theory, but it creates a "them and us" situation in practice.


Like 4Margaret, I tend to think about what I was like when at school, pretty lousy, (bottom 20% in general), but I got by, with many succesfull businesses behind me.
Consequently, I feel that as long as they have a happy childhood and learn enough, which I find they learn more when happy, then things should be OK.

rabsody

I think that comes from the 'no-one must 'win' a race in the school sports day, everyone must be equal' train of thought.

Sorry, but when these kids go out in the big, wide world they are going to realise that there's always someone smarter, wealthier, better looking etc. They may as well get used to it. It's up to us all to make the best of what we have. You have demonstrated exactly that with your successful businesses etc - the smartest don't always achieve the most or become the most successful.

Kids will always find a way to create some form of "them and us" anyway (through popularity, clothes etc), whether you stream classes or not.

I don't see why the most gifted students should be penalised because of a PC mentality.

renth

I agree, but the students who need extra help who are struggling deserve just as much help as the gifted kids in my book

crystalrose

Schooling here is niggling me I must confess.[/QUOTE]

Hi Mindblower

Please may I just ask why the schools are niggling you? it is just we are hoping to move to Secret Harbour in December (when we find a house to rent that is) How do you find Secret Harbour in general? I had heard the new primary school and high school there was extremely good how do you feel about them? my eldest daughter is at this very moment in time in fact sitting her eleven plus exam, although even if she passes we willl no way be able to afford to send her to Grammar School in Australia, it is just kind of a back up plan really in that if we have to return to the UK in the future, or for some reason at the last moment we cannot go to Aus then she will attend Grammar here as it is free. Sophia my eldest daughter is on the Gifted and Talented Register at primary school here BUT that is it she is on the register, there are no special classes, just a register. I have had to pay privately to have her tutuored to help her pass her eleven plus as the primary schools in my area do not sit them or gear the children towards them.

Any Advice or help is greatly appreciated thank you so much for taking the time to read my post.