greepo: Newsflash, schools exist in the real world. Walk around your local community and you might even see a real one for yourself, full of real kids, being dropped off by real parents in real cars.

I think you misinterpreted my meaning of "real world." Yes there are schools & other things out in the real world. (physically) What I was trying to get across was that a lot of what is being taught in schools bears little or no relation to what is actually being used by the Corporate World today. (real world) That is only for the Clerical side of Business which most schools push nowadays. When a student leaves school & works for a Business they have to learn a completely new set of skills not taught in school.

Unfortunately nowadays Trades seem to be thought of as a poor second to Clerical skills.

I did say that trade skills taught in schools do have a direct use in any trade orientated job the student on leaving school may employed in.

Perhaps you really haven't understood my comment.

This argument that teachers haven't experienced the "real world" because they've never been outside a school is used by those who think that a teacher's job is solely to prepare students for the workforce.

Yes, students should emerge from school with good literacy skills and the ability to perhaps go on to university where they can learn a profession or into a trade where they can be taught on the job.

It's not the job of schools to provide business with ready-made employees. Such an approach would be counter-productive anyway; we'd end up with a workforce full of people that can't think critically or creatively. I can hear the sheep baa-ing already.

Perhaps business people should go and teach in a school for a year before they enter the private sector, then they might repress the urge to teacher bash

Creepo you sound angry & agitated. Calm down old mate. You can get up me for my views, I really don't care.

What I do care about is kids leaving school with all straight "A's" or whatever passes for a passing grade nowadays. They can't spell or read, No-one can read their writing, they can't do times tables in their head or tell the time on an analogue clock. They can tell me that it's illegal for anyone to tell them to do anything & get stuffed. They can tell me that they have rights. The teachers told them so.(but no responsibilities)

You are obviously a teacher & by the sound of it one of the radical PC type that have caused all the problems with the wayward kids. Now someone else (like me) has got to clean up the mess you have created.

Go....