Learn from Singapore

Working in a state school, i was interested to read about the ‘very humbling lesson’ some British pupils discovered in the Singapore way of teaching (Mail).

our school has tried to adopt similar methods with the aim of raising standards in maths, but the glaringly obvious difference between schools in Singapore and the Uk is the discipline exerted in that country.

Parents of our pupils would never allow that level of discipline and the teaching staff don’t receive that level of respect. Try as we might to get to grips with this way of teaching, there are many obstacles.

Children in Singapore want to learn and their parents expect them to learn. So teachers are supported by parents.

We have children who can’t engage in the lesson being taught by the staff. Teachers in Singapore don’t have to put up with mixed-age classes, children who are unable to find the correct page in the text book or even the next clean page in their exercise books.

They don’t allow constant toilet trips or claims that ‘i’m thirsty’ in the classroom. Multiply that by the 30 children and you can imagine the disruption in every lesson.

in each class, there are seven levels of work to be set: top, middle and bottom of both year groups and then a small work group of the less able.

Above all, children in Singapore know there will be consequences if they don’t perform well. That would never be tolerated in our country. Children in Singapore have long days at school and are more or less ‘hothoused’ with little time outside school or fun things to do.

Meanwhile, constant interfering and curriculum changing by the authorities makes teaching in Britain a challenging and highly stressful job.

Name and address supplied.