What schools are for

[Baron von Lotsov]

Yes I agree eventually education was free for all children,

Education has never been free in this country. The collection agency comes via a different name though.

[Churchill]

I was in school in the early 50's and 60's  no free bus pass, no free school meals , no free anything, outward bound week had to be paid for so I only went the once, most other kids did not even get that, you were very lucky

[papasmurf]

Far harder austere times than now, that is for certain,

I disagree, I had a free bus pass, and the Summer cadet camp was totally free. (late 1950s, early 1960s)

The costs now are getting towards being prohibitive.

[Churchill]

The " Education " is free you are stating the very obvious it is was the same when I started school many years ago, bit of sports kit handed down from my uncles, walking to school in all weathers, some kids on free school meals, pumps as they were called back them from jumble sales, as were jumpers coats etc.



Far harder austere times than now, that is for certain,

[papasmurf]

Yes I agree eventually education was free for all children,

I think anyone with children at a State school would disagree with that, transport to school costs in rural areas, begging letters from the head teacher for various school kit, activities  that the state is no longer funding due to cuts.

[Churchill]

What would you say was the percentage of time a child in 2019 spends at school on learning stuff which will aid him or her in productive employment?

In this day and age children need the basic building blocks the three R's at least to give them any chance of obtaining a reasonable job, the days when lots of manual work was plentiful that needed more physical strength than reading and writing are long gone.



My children did not know what they wanted to do until much later in the education system roughly 16 years of age, two of our younger grandchildren have no idea what they want to do eventually.



They do know that the more qualifications you have means you have a larger selection of types of work far more than few or no qualifications

[Churchill]

That is right. Until quite late the Church schools were believed to provide the better education, but the Board schools had the advantage that they were free.

Yes I agree eventually education was free for all children,

[Churchill]

I don't see that as bearing any relevance. Money was allocated to a lot of things in the 19th century. Being the richest nation on earth was more to do with it.



When you went to school though, what were you told about why you were there?

It may not be relevant to you but it maybe to others it is a known fact that schools of one sort or another go way back in time, as for going to school I knew why I was there no mystery , why didn't you know ?

[Baron von Lotsov]

Dunno, but I reckon that it will be greater than the amount he picks up outside school studying to be ignorant.

Why do you say that? Kids have hobbies and some hobbies can turn into professions. Also there is a this thing in economics called opportunity cost. By going to school it costs him or her time and effort, which could be employed elsewhere, so you have to take that into account as well.

[Borchester]

What would you say was the percentage of time a child in 2019 spends at school on learning stuff which will aid him or her in productive employment?

Dunno, but I reckon that it will be greater than the amount he picks up outside school studying to be ignorant.

[Baron von Lotsov]

What would you say was the percentage of time a child in 2019 spends at school on learning stuff which will aid him or her in productive employment?

[Borchester]

Schools in the UK go back to Anglo Saxon times,  in the early 1800's money was allocated by the Government to build schools for better access of all children

That is right. Until quite late the Church schools were believed to provide the better education, but the Board schools had the advantage that they were free.

[Baron von Lotsov]

I don't see that as bearing any relevance. Money was allocated to a lot of things in the 19th century. Being the richest nation on earth was more to do with it.



When you went to school though, what were you told about why you were there?

[Churchill]

Schools in the UK go back to Anglo Saxon times,  in the early 1800's money was allocated by the Government to build schools for better access of all children

[Baron von Lotsov]

Schools for the working class were originally for keeping children off of the streets whilst their parent whilst their parents worked in factories.

Yes but it is interesting to get up-to-date on this matter. The BBC is so full of history, and not full of papers published in 2019.



Bear in mind that our country has followed America (or possibly the other way around) for centuries.



We know America was first with the immigration experiment. Recall the old blues tunes about cotton fields and the like, so it was that era, especially in the south, where they had guns and were not too keen on a dash of cultural diversity. Then come the 1950s our country followed their initiative and started shipping them in to work in a rubber factory I think it was, quite near to Southall. This was the time our education system began to degenerate. It was pretty top-notch in the 50s, but under a full revolution by the 70s.