Should children go to school

INTRODUCTION

In 1870 the Elementary School law was passed out in Parliament. It was the first major education law. This was the birth of the modern state whereby tax was raised so that the state could provide schools. Such laws have been made which compel children in the UK to go to school, and it is genuinely believed that the school experience is ‘for their good’. Indeed, schools are needed and even more nowadays. Schools are seen as a resource for the larger society (Giroux 1981) however, there is a question that must be asked and considered critically: Is a school experience really a positive asset for children in the UK?

In this essay I will briefly examine how my experience in school formed my opinion on the schooling system and how I learned from it. I will examine the pros and contras of schooling for the young in the UK, exploring the relationships between education and society, and how teachers and teaching are central to the process and outcomes of education. Teac...