Primary education in England and why we love it

When we started to consider moving back to Poland and thought about various pros and cons, one of the big arguments against it was the education our daughter was getting in England, which we were big fans of.

Lenka started primary school in England when she was four years old. At first, we were a bit concerned about this early age, but seeing how her school worked and how it was prepared for teaching such young kids, we quickly changed our minds. Bare in mind, we talk about an ordinary primary school in an ordinary (but very diverse!) neighbourhood, not a private or a posh one.

Here is what we learnt about English primary education based on 2.5 years that our daughter spent at St. Anne’s Catholic Primary, ‘A Friendship School’.

• Social and emotional development of your child is as important as their academic skills. Our daughter was very shy when she started school and her teachers, as well as other staff, supported her a lot (but so that she couldn’t tell) towards overcoming this shyness and building self-confidence. Thanks to their efforts, she finished her first year with a group of good friends and great relationships with teachers and school staff, and started a second year as a fully confident and cheerful pupil. 
  There was a big emphasis on building relationships with many peers, respecting and being a good friend to everyone in class and school. Young kids get older ‘buddies’, whose task is to make them feel welcome in a new environment. In the classroom, kids sit at tables for 8, which supports group work and getting to know more friends. 
  
  
• A 6-year old writing their own stories? Yes! Creative writing was one of their subjects at school. Kids get a notebook and a topic and write their own stories – the way they can, with spelling errors, of course, but it doesn’t matter. Instead of spending hours on practising calligraphy, they focus on WHAT they write, not HOW they write, and every story is good, because it’s their own. This is the importance of creativity and imagination development in an English school. 
  
  
• The ability to present opinions and discuss various topics is an important element of education, and so is public speaking. It really struck me at work, that I didn’t meet a British colleague who would be afraid of public speaking, and I quickly discovered why. Polish school didn’t teach me any of these and I don’t think much has changed since then. 
  
  
• It was a catholic school, but the kids represented all faiths, ethnic, cultural and national backgrounds, which were all equally respected and celebrated. Diversity was a face and heart of St. Anne’s. Kids naturally learned that we are all equal humans, no matter where we or our parents come from and what skin colour we have. Our daughter understands some people celebrate Christmas, some Eid, some Chinese New Year, because they celebrated them all together at school. She knows some people eat halal food and why. It’s all not at all surprising to her. I am so happy we gave her this experience, which will stay with her regardless of where she is now or in the future.
  
  
• Kids in England wear uniforms, which again we very much liked. At young age, it’s part of building their group identity and it supports equality between all children, who can’t tell who is rich or poor, because they all wear identical clothes. 
  
  
• I quite focused here on the emotional and social side of kids’ learning. How about their academic skills? Lenka started to learn reading and writing at school at the age of 4. At the age of 5 she could read and write simple stories, like most of her peers (some did better, some struggled, like everywhere). Maths at the age of 5-6 already included some simple multiplications and divisions. Quite impressive, given that kids in Poland don’t start primary school before the age of 6-7. 
  I liked that children learned in umbrella thematic blocks spread across several weeks. If there was a topic of space, they did various activities related to it, e.g. visited a planetarium, learned about the first man on the Moon, built their own paper rockets, and learned to sing Starman by David Bowie 😊.
  
  
• I’m sure English teachers are swamped with bureaucracy, like anywhere else. However, their communication with kids and parents, as well as any formal reports, were not just dry documents, but always had a personal touch.  Have a look at this end of year report that my daughter received:  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Everyone in school knew my child, and I mean literally everyone, from the head teacher to a dinner lady. They genuinely cared and established a relationship with every single child. It did feel like a big family, which I still miss.
  
    
  
  Was there anything we didn’t like? I must admit, when it comes to primary education, we cannot name one single thing we didn’t like or would change. I wish we could just pack it and take home with us 😉.