UK teaching system the pride of the globe?

I don't like to think of myself as a working boy, however I am aware of the uncomfortable juxtaposition between being a national marker and being a teacher. On the one hand I see close up how the stress of exams has a direct effect on childen, how those results can end up with an uncomfortable and unfair judgement being made on schools and how individuals can be scapegoated on the back of such results. We all know however that schools do not sing with one voice, the boycott of SATS last year was affirmed by mostly schools who were going to do poorly, and ignored by those schools who knew they were going to do well or had a strong parent delegation who believe in exams at all costs. Well as a national marker I must believe in the assessments? WEll apart from the fact it eeks out an extra 1400 quid income I think that I do. We need to be careful in this country that exams don't go down the same road as sports day. (everyone passes them as we reach out to the bottom and ignore the top) This state of affairs would not be tolerated in the best (or even moderate) international schools and these schools are filling up more of our Universities as the current system in the UK is producing, same, unmotivated and ordinary students. No greater example of this is evidenced when gifted and talented came out. (now able and gifted) at the time schools had to do a register of 25% and this was the G+T register. Sad thing was that the top 25% of children in one state school wouldn't make the top 90% of children at a top fee paying school. So what you had in essence was talented for a failing state school and almost special needs were the intake was more able. This whole system was bound for failure, it would be admitted as a failure, but in the dwindling state sector failure is still a word that we haven't yet come to terms with so we say it is developing. Yeah right I am developing my language in Mandarin, I can't speak a word but I haven't failed as I am simply developing. Anyway the system has been left behind by many nations and by the International sector. Our education system in the UK was once held up as a beacon for the rest of the world and is now an ancient relic and a reminder of what can happen when you park your big fat backside and rest on your laurels.

John Bell