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1944 - Butler Act
Compulsory Education for Ages 5-15, as well as raising the school leaving age to 16 once the Educational Minister (R.A. Butler) was satisfied with the results of the compulsory education.
Also, this created LEAs, local governance of the schools within their jurisdiction. The impact on me was the fact school was easy to get into, no fees were necessary for my parents. All I needed was for my parents to sign some forms and buy me a uniform. I wouldn't leave compulsory education till I was 16. -
1967 - Education Act - Selection
Schools were now no longer able to select pupils based on any parameter to be allowed to be enrolled into them. -
1973 - Education Act - Work Experience
Enabled schools to arrange work experience for students, preparing them for the world they'll walk into post-education. Allowed experience to be gained more easily, a very important aspect of employability. Due to this (as well as my high school's policy on this being a compulsory part of education in Y10), I spent a week getting retail experience in Sue Ryder Care, Quinton. Sadly it is no longer there. -
1978 - Warnock Report (Handicapped Students)
A review of how schools treated and catered for handicapped students, including how they can best be prepared for employment post-education. This helped evolve the requirements of TAs, and would help me in Harborne Primary. -
1980 - Education Act - Power to the Parents
Enabled parents to have more say in their children's education. They could choose from a list of acceptable schools in their area, and appeal the decision should they be rejected. My first real school was Harborne Primary School in 2000, and the freedom to choose (as well as catchment areas and oversubscription) meant that I couldn't go to Chad Vale Primary School. Also I went to what was lovingly called World's End Primary School, for nursery only, as Harborne did not have one. -
1986 - Education Act No.2 - The Sequel
This act compelled schools to give parents copies/information about what they were teaching their students. This allowed for the parents to take a more active role in their child's education. For me, it entailed a swathe of book purchasing about history and science, and I was encouraged and helped to make projects about Space, the Egyptians, The Tudors and many more, extracurricularly. All because my parents knew what I was going to be taught. Furthermore, it brought law to education. -
1986 - Education Law No. 2 - Complaints Galore
The act also introduced Educational Law, in which parents could complain and when necessary, take teachers to court over the treatment of their child in an educational sense. While not all that common, it 'gave parents pegs on which to hang their disenchantments'. (Gillard, 2011). While my parents haven't ever taken anyone to court, let alone a teacher, it allowed them to tell certain teachers things that would allow them to treat me in a way I'd better respond to. -
1988 - Baker Act - Education Reform Act
Among other aspects, this act initialised the National Curriculum, paving the way for a national standard; and began classification of age groups into Key Stages. Allowed a more rounded education for me, allowing me to find my own interests and follow them through my education and into the working world. -
1994 - My Birth
I wasn't there for my birth, but I was told it was a quite spiffing party.
It's all downhill from here... -
1994 - Dearing & Warwick Reports - National Curricucan't
These reports expressed misgivings about the intensity of the NC, and moved for weight to be lost by making Art, Geography, History and Music optional at KS4. I chose Geography and History for my KS4 options. Gaining a B in both at GCSE. -
1997 - White's Paper on Excellence in Schools
This made compulsory that 1 hour each per day were set aside for the study of Maths and English, among other things such as how classes were grouped and teacher training. -
1998 - One Man, One Bouncy Castle, Lots of Insight.
During a birthday party for a friend I broke my leg dismounting a bouncy castle. The spiral fracture meant I was wheelchair bound for some 4 weeks, and after I had a zimmer frame for some months. This coincided with my time at Harborne Primary, where, while during my time using the zimmer, I fell and broke the same leg again. During this time, my parents were in constant contact with the school, and my mother brought me home for lunch due to an inaccessible cafeteria. I was assigned a TA. -
1998 - Preschool - World's End Junior School & Visually Impaired Resource Base
Due to the catchment area, where I was living at the time and the fact that my parents' desired school for me had no preschool facilities, I was drafted into World's End Junior School for 1 Year, in Mrs. Amos' class. Once this year was over, I then moved to my next school, as my parents' also moved house. -
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1999 - 2003 - Harborne Primary School
My first taste of a primary school was Harborne Primary. Here I learned a lot, particularly about reading. Anyone remember those Biff, Chip and Kipper books? I had a lot of experiences here, and was taken for a lot of extracurricular activities teaching me advanced (for KS1) Maths and English. I made my first friends here, my mother was a TA for 6 months, and I lost a lot of teeth on their school dinners. -
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2003 - 2006 - Hagley Primary School
During the Easter term break, my parents and I moved to Hagley, a small village by Stourbridge. My time at Hagley Primary was great. The teachers were amazing. I remember I had a breakdown in the transition to this school, not because of people, but because they expected me to use joined up handwriting, so the teacher gave me a book to practise in. In Year 6, I had the CATs and the end KS2 tests. And more importantly, I made friends that would follow me into High School. -
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2006 - 2012 - Haybridge High School & Sixth Form
Haybridge was a big school, but sheltered. It wasn't a rough school, not due to strict teachers, there just wasn't any rough students. For this reason I don't feel this place allowed me to grow much as a person. Here I studied the NC, as well as Graphics, Geography and History. However, personal issues and sub-expectation A-level results made me not want to go to University straight away. Some teachers here embodied why and who I want to be as a teacher. I'd say this is where I began. -
2010 - Cameron's Ministry and the Student's Hate Figure Nick Clegg - Tuition Fees
Due to promises not being kept, when I went into University, the tuition fees were large, and will leave us with debt. However, I don't think you can put a price on good education, and this didn't factor into my choice to go to University. -
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2012 - 2013 - Halesowen College - Media Studies
After my disillusionment following my A-levels, I decided to take a year out and do a Sub-Diploma on Media Studies, eventually coming out with a Distinction. Halesowen was different to Haybridge, and I feel this is where I grew most as a person before University.
