I can only speak about the English school system, or rather, the school that my son attends. And even then it’s difficult to know what really goes on in school, because we cannot literally sit there and watch them all day. I do however, know that there could be more active learning especially for boys (but not excluding girls here!) and more outdoor schooling. At best, you can get free flow to an outside area but I know that doesn’t happen in my son’s school and rarely in others after reception class.
I also think there is a major problem within the relationships between teachers and parents. I would guess that you get parents who are just glad to drop their kids off at the door and parents in the opposite extreme who are tainted as ‘pushy’, overly intrusive and demanding, ”...and for goodness sake can they just not leave schooling to the teachers???!!!”. I would hope I lie somewhere in-between; I don’t profess to know a lot about teaching the curriculum, but I know a lot about teaching my child and what gets him motivated. He would benefit from some more creative learning, but this, in school, is not tailored to his strengths.
I have seen the above mentioned talk a few times, shared it and greatly endorse his views. My sister runs a nursery though and she finds it difficult even to get the parents’ backing for this kind of education. Parents frequently just want their children to be able to add up and write their name…at 3 years old forget about activating their imaginations! And I’ve frequently heard parents moan about their children coming home covered in paint, or wet through, or moaning about having to provide a change of clothes. An attitude change might not go amiss. And that goes for the education ministers, local councils, headteachers, teachers, governors and parents.
We are ultimately all responsible. Start at home and spread the word and maybe we’ll meet in the middle some time?