NUMBERS GAME: Barriers to learning
Andy Hillier
Tuesday, October 7, 2003
More than two-thirds of schoolchildren said they would have achieved more if they had not been forced to study subjects they had no interest in.
The survey, School has let me down, asked 623 NCH project users what they thought affected their performance in the classroom. Almost half cited poor relationships with teachers as an issue, while more than a third said they would have achieved more if they hadn't been bullied.
However, there was some better news for education providers. Fourth on the young people's list was more after-school clubs and activities, an area the Government is injecting more than 52m into by 2006.
John Clare, education manager at Leeds-based charity Learning Partnerships, said that while the report highlighted many of the concerns of under-performing students, it failed to address the main issue. "The survey is looking at the symptoms of the disease, not the disease itself," he said.
"If more schools were better run, problems such as bullying would not be an issue and subjects considered boring would be taught in more interesting ways."