The UK government is planning a free school policy which will allow communities to set up their own schools, people attending those schools will be gifted the required fees. Private schools are already lining up to convert to free school status. One of them is the Maharishi school in Lancashire. The school has a curriculum inspired by the teachings of former Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and every day starts off with a meditation session. Head teacher of the school Derek Cassels would like as many people as possible and from all backgrounds to be able to benefit from their system of education.
Opposition to the plan comes from advocates of state schools and parents of children attending them. They fear their schools will be devastated by the new plan as a result of people transferring to newly created free schools.
State schools that do well and are valued by pupils and their parents should in my opinion receive support when they need it. Yet if their problem is that people are planning to transfer to free schools the best advice might be (in the words of Bob Dylan) “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times, they are a-changing”.
So instead of looking at the government hoping for (more) support it might be an idea for state schools to look for ways to adapt to the changes in policy by improving their system and making it more up to date. If people are going to transfer from state schools to free schools, state schools might have to merge in order to still make use of all the school building capacity. Teachers made redundant on state schools might have to search for jobs on free schools that are looking for the capacity to take in all the people wishing to transfer.
Personally I would be very much in favour if the school I attend were to decide to experimenting with new methods and alternative curriculums. One reason being that I have always had grave difficulty with concentration and I can imagine meditation sessions just might help.
Opposition to the plan comes from advocates of state schools and parents of children attending them. They fear their schools will be devastated by the new plan as a result of people transferring to newly created free schools.
State schools that do well and are valued by pupils and their parents should in my opinion receive support when they need it. Yet if their problem is that people are planning to transfer to free schools the best advice might be (in the words of Bob Dylan) “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times, they are a-changing”.
So instead of looking at the government hoping for (more) support it might be an idea for state schools to look for ways to adapt to the changes in policy by improving their system and making it more up to date. If people are going to transfer from state schools to free schools, state schools might have to merge in order to still make use of all the school building capacity. Teachers made redundant on state schools might have to search for jobs on free schools that are looking for the capacity to take in all the people wishing to transfer.
Personally I would be very much in favour if the school I attend were to decide to experimenting with new methods and alternative curriculums. One reason being that I have always had grave difficulty with concentration and I can imagine meditation sessions just might help.
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