10 Major Changes Our Schools Should Make

Take opportunities to lead a class or program within your school. Set a good example and treat other students with respect. Try to be friendly to teachers and make everyone’s day a little better. You can become a team captain or just be a person that other students look up to.

Need to Improve Government School Education System

1. Improving accountability of the schools. The first proper step that needs to be taken in order to improve the education system in the government schools is to improve the levels of accountability.
2. Collaborating and partnering with private bodies.
3. Focusing on employability and skills.

• Healthier Environment. With obesity rates rising, we’ve all heard calls to make the school environment healthier.
• More Life Skills Classes.
• Tenure Reform.
• No Homework Over the Weekend or Holidays.
• Mandatory Study Hall.
• Stop Standardized Testing.
• Merit Pay for Teachers.
• Pay Students.

To reduce risks and keep confidential data as secure as possible, schools must have appropriate security measures in place. Keep devices and hardcopy data under lock and key when not in use. Check storage systems are secure. Limit access to data.

It is good practice that schools should work in partnership with parents and carers. This means that in general schools should share information with other agencies with the parents’ knowledge and consent. When schools feel that a referral should be made to social care, they should seek the consent of the parent.

Ask for consent to share information unless there is a compelling reason for not doing so. Information can be shared without consent if it is justified in the public interest or required by law. Do not delay disclosing information to obtain consent if that might put children or young people at risk of significant harm.

“The law requires schools to keep all student records for 5 years. The information held will be basic information, i.e. your name, date of birth, also your contact details, school history (junior school, dates at secondary school), and examination results.

You can also ask them for copies of your personal information, verbally or in writing by submitting a subject access request (SAR). If you have parental authority and the child is under 12 years of age, you can also request copies of their personal data.

The Headteacher may only grant leave of absence for exceptional circumstances. The death or terminal illness of a close relative, only if Headteacher is satisfied that the circumstances are truly exceptional; Out of school programmes such as music, arts or sport operating at a high standard of achievement.

Exceptional Circumstances are events or problems which you did not expect and which stop you being able to perform to the best of your abilities in your studies. For example, bereavement, unexpected personal or family problems or illness might be considered as an exceptional circumstance.

Explicitly make the connection between how the circumstances affected you, and the resulting impact on your academic performance. List specific courses which were affected. Do not leave it to the reviewer to draw conclusions or connect the dots between unfortunate circumstances and your transcript.

You should make a mitigating circumstances request no later than 7 calendar days after the assessment deadline or the date of a time-bound assessment or exam. If there are exceptional circumstances that stop you from making the request during this time frame, contact your school to let them know the circumstances.