How Important Is Primary School Education?
Children need primary education to develop critical foundational literacy and numeracy skills. – The near universalization of primary schooling is one of the great global achievements of past decades. In the early 1950s, some 50 per cent of primary school-aged children worldwide were out of school.
- Today, that figure stands at 11 per cent.
- Still, the most marginalized children remain cut off from primary education – deprived of their right to develop foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills.
- An estimated 70 per cent of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries are now unable to understand a simple written text.
In low-income countries, only two thirds of children are estimated to complete primary school. Inequitable access exists across other divides: Children living in emergency and fragile settings, including refugee children, have fewer chances to complete primary school.
Gender also plays a role, as girls who grow up in poor households are more likely than their male peers to have never attended or to have dropped out of primary school. Even for students in school, far too many are not learning the critical foundational skills (literacy and numeracy, but also digital and transferrable skills) they need to thrive.
Primary education forms the bedrock of development. It is in primary school that children learn foundational skills that prepare them for life, work and active citizenship. Quality education empowers children and young people, safeguards their health and well-being, and breaks cycles of poverty.
It also empowers countries, ushering in economic prosperity and social cohesion. These benefits come not just from getting children in school, but from getting them learning to their full potential. The Sustainable Development Goals call for all children to complete free, equitable and quality primary education, leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes, by 2030.
Foundational literacy and numeracy are essential for these outcomes. To ensure every primary-aged child is in school and learning, global efforts must be concentrated on the “last-mile” challenge of reaching the most marginalized children, while enhancing the quality of primary education.
This requires political commitment and targeted strategies to strengthen education systems with equitable financing and resource distribution. Improving the quality of primary education will require strategic reforms across the education system. This includes developmentally appropriate curricula and pedagogy, effective teacher training and development programmes, better parental engagement, and robust quality assurance and data systems.
To support countries’ agendas for primary education, UNICEF’s Reimagine Education Initiative seeks to close the gap in access, enrich learning experiences, and improve learning outcomes through digital means. The future of learning lies both within the formal education system and outside of the classroom: Children and adolescents must have the opportunity to excel in both.
Build political commitment for quality primary education that leads to effective learning outcomes through evidence generation, advocacy and communication Advocate for better, equitable financing and distribution of education resources for primary education Support access to quality, formal primary education for those currently in primary education – as well as those who never attended primary school but are still age-eligible to enter primary – focusing on the most marginalized Strengthen non-formal education and alternative delivery models (like catch-up classes, bridging and accelerated education, and skills development training), including the recognition, validation and accreditation of non-formal learning outcomes Strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and implement quality education at scale, including through evidence-based interventions that contribute to foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes Champion and leverage innovations, including digital learning modalities, as platforms to support access to quality primary education
Contents
Why is primary level important?
Throughout the pandemic the focus of many educational ministers and headteachers has been the secondary pupils and particularly those children in heir examination years. While it has been important to focus on these children and ensure they received the help they needed to remain on track for their external examinations, I cannot help worry about the lack of interest in primary children and their progress.
- This concern has been exacerbated recently when talking to examination boards and a group of parents who said they were not worried about primary children and that they could ‘catch up’.
- This is not only short sighted, but also fundamentally flawed.
- If you are going to build a house, you don’t forget about the foundations and just hope that they miraculously materialise by the time the bricks and mortar are being put into place.
At Kings Monkton School, I fundamentally believe that the primary years are the most important in a child’s education. Primary schools teach foundational literacy and numeracy skills which are used across all subject areas. Without these basic abilities, all subject areas become inaccessible to the child.
Gaps appear which can affect a child’s learning in multiple subjects, such as English, history, geography, science, maths and IT. It is simply too late to catch up at secondary school and the child’s learning will never reach its full potential. The Institute of Education study found that the quality of teaching children receive is more important than their gender or family income.
They went on to say attending a good pre-school and primary has more impact on children’s academic progress than their gender or family background That is why at Kings Monkton School we prioritise the learning environment of our primary children, a much as we do for our older children sitting examinations.
All our lessons ae live streamed so that children can access the class even if they are unable to physically attend school. We focus on the importance of developing a passion for reading, and every child has one-to-one daily reading sessions, as well as group and class reading activities. We encourage all types of reading and literature and work hard to develop creative writing and imagination in our young learners.
An example of this is our 500-word competition we have just launched over Easter, where children from across the primary school are invited to submit their own stories to a panel of judges, who will then choose the most creative and fun and turn it into our primary play for all the children to act in.
- The author of the story co-writes the play with our Librarian and helps out with direction and casting.
- It is important that we recognise that Secondary school is a big jump for children, with more subjects and more teachers for them to get used to.
- Gaps in their learning can make the transition to secondary school even harder, and can cause them to fall further behind, which then affects their confidence level.
At Kings Monkton we prepare our children for this transition, through offering secondary style lessons in Art, DT and cookery throughout Year 6, as well as running literacy and numeracy projects with our Heads of Core from the secondary school. By the time the children are ready to move into Year 7, they have experienced a range of secondary lessons, know the geography of the school well and have developed important relationships with our pastoral and wellbeing team.
This ensures there is no gaps in learning between Year 6 and 7, and our children’s learning needs are understood and met as they make this important move. So, as we head towards the first summer examinations for our Key Stage 4 and Post 16 pupils since 2019, it is important that we do not forget the most influential and informative years of our education and recognise the how essential a good primary education is.
With class sizes of 18 and a focus on developing the foundations of literacy and numeracy within our children, at Kings Monkton School we know our children will not be concerned about ‘catching up’ but will be leading the way as we enter a post pandemic world.
View complete answer
What is the point of primary school?
Primary Education – Primary education covers a formal span of 7 years. The preparatory year prior to standard 1 is regarded as part of primary education. In addition there are 6 years following the preparatory year, starting at standard 1 and ending at standard 6 with a terminal examination.
This span makes a total of 7 years primary education in all. These 7 years constitute the basic-education program of the Solomon Islands. A child is expected to commence at the age of 6 or 7 and continue for 7 years. The overall purpose of primary education is to develop children’s literacy and numeracy skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and computational skills) and other skills and understandings that prepare young people to take part in society.
These other skills and understandings include skills in science, social sciences, community studies, agriculture, art, music, and physical education. Generally, primary education appears to be available to the majority of children in the Solomon Islands, although 6% of the primary-school-age population do not attend school.
It is worth noting that geographical and settlement patterns in the Solomon Islands greatly affect the question of access. The islands are rugged and divided by huge stretches of sea and people live in small rural or coastal settlements. Many pupils have to walk or paddle long distances to attend school.
Transport systems too are not very good, especially in rural areas. Besides, the weather is intolerable at times. These are unavoidable factors, which hinder access to primary education in Solomon Islands. However, the government and other authorities are doing all they can to minimize these factors, which have caused negative impact on universal access to primary education.
View complete answer
What stage of education is the most important?
Having been publishing educational books for Key Stage 2 support and 11-plus preparation for over 20 years, we recognise the importance of primary education and the problems caused for a child who has gaps in their learning when they move on to secondary school.
– Over the past few months, we have read and heard parents and professionals say that they are not worried about primary school-aged children catching up when they return to school, and that the real concern is secondary school-aged children, because younger children have plenty of time to catch up.
However, do they have time to catch up? Schools across the UK have been incredible in providing work for children to do at home, and we know they have been busy re-planning the curriculum for when children return to school, but is this enough? Every build needs a strong foundation.
- This is the same for building your child’s education.
- We believe that primary school years are the most important in a child’s education.
- Primary schools teach foundational literacy and numeracy skills which are used across all subject areas.
- Without these basic abilities, all subject areas become inaccessible to the child.
Gaps appear which can affect a child’s learning in multiple subjects, such as English, history, geography, science, maths and IT. It’s too late to catch up at secondary school Year 6 SATs can be used to identify gaps or problem areas in a child’s learning before they start secondary school. However, if these problem areas are not addressed before their first day in year 7, it can be even more difficult for them to fill the gaps while embarking on more complicated topics in different subjects.
- Secondary school is a big jump for children, with more subjects and more teachers for them to get used to.
- Gaps in their learning can make the transition to secondary school even harder, and can cause them to fall further behind, which then affects their confidence level.
- How you can help in lockdown (while your child is at home/off school) We understand that parents have been juggling working from home (or outside the home if a key worker), managing home schooling for children of different ages, and keeping on top of household chores.
However, keeping on top of your children’s primary school education now can make all the difference to their academic achievements and confidence when they return to the classroom. If your time is limited, we recommend that you concentrate on literacy and numeracy.
- These areas can be covered by doing the following: Literacy: Read to and with your child, practise their spellings, expand their vocabulary and encourage them to do some creative writing (e.g.
- Write stories or do research projects about things they are interested in, such as the rainforest, inventions and famous people).
Numeracy: Practise times tables, addition, subtraction and division, by giving your child short tests to do daily or a few times a week. How we can support you We know what you’re thinking; it’s all well and good us recommending what you need to be teaching your child at home, but where do you find the tools and knowledge for this? Our books are designed to support not only children, but also parents. The range covers English and maths for Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) support and 11-plus preparation (including verbal and non-verbal reasoning) in the form of workbooks, testbooks and testpacks.
- The best advice we can give you is that you help your child to practise as much as possible, and this is what our books provide.
- Our books give children the chance to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills by teaching them techniques, giving them worked examples to follow, and providing plenty of opportunities to practise what they have learnt.
Answers and progress charts are also included for you to track their progress. To find out more about our books and to place an order, visit our website: aepublications.co.uk (free delivery for orders over £15).
View complete answer
Why is primary education important in India?
Importance of Primary School in Child Development –
Moral Values
The primary school lays the foundation for children to learn moral values. Along with the regular lessons, the teachers also teach the importance of respecting others and their opinions.These things are crucial for the overall development, character building and choosing the right path.
Social Development
School is the first place where the kids learn to socialize and communicate with several new people, including their classmates and teachers. Before this, they socialize primarily with their parents, siblings, and relatives. In school, they are exposed to a whole new environment and learn the art of interacting, playing and sharing with others.
Physical Aspect
When children go to school, they get to play outdoor games and sports, like football, basketball, cricket, etc. Since they are now running and playing, their bodies become active which helps in their physical growth. Their muscles start getting matured. In addition, when they are tired at the end of the day, it becomes easier for them to fall asleep early.
Reading and Communication Skills
Primary school is where the children learn reading for the first time. Reading is considered one of the best habits for everyone, including children. It makes them visualize and imagine what they read, which improves their stimulation and memory power. Moreover, they become better at conversations and communication skills.
Becoming Confident
When the toddlers seek education at a good primary school, they get a positive environment where the teachers are trained accordingly.They grow and learn in a nurturing and positive environment and a good school helps them to become more confident about themselves.
Overall Growth
There was a time when the role of schools was only to teach only the curriculum. Children used to start learning alphabets to spellings to counting, and then move ahead to mathematical exercises and history chapters. But the scenario is different now. Good schools focus on the overall development of the children.
- Apart from basic syllabus, they also learn to think out of the box, conduct creative activities, play games to develop memory power, develop new skills and interests like sketching, drawing, dancing, singing, and much more.
- Wrapping Up: No parent should ever ignore the importance of a primary school for their kids.
School is the place where they learn new things, learn about various aspects of life, socialize with others, build communication skills, and become confident about themselves. If you are a parent, you must always look out for a school that offers quality education along with various extracurricular activities and new opportunities for your children.
View complete answer
