Telly chef Jamie Oliver’s wife Jools has been stirring things up... with a blast at “exam-obsessed” schools.
The mum of five panned the current system, saying it heaps pressure on children unless they are academically gifted.
And while Jamie famously got Turkey Twizzlers replaced with healthier school grub, Jools, 47, would love a system that is a “better fit” for kids.
She cites her own daughter Poppy, 19, who benefited when A-levels were based on course work and teacher assessment because of Covid.
Jools said: “Education is so wrong. The only good that came out of coronavirus was my daughter didn’t have to sit her A-level... she did, but in a different way, a constructive way and it saved her. The stress of school is so unnecessary.
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“I don’t get school myself. I don’t get how they teach. I don’t understand the subjects they teach still. Jamie and I once wanted to open a school.
"Years ago we had this idea... the dream school – which I’m sure most parents would love – that fits your child completely, but not be so focused on the way it is now, this academic pressure, these pointless exams. I could just go mad – it drives me mad.”
Of the current system, she says: “What a shame we have to just get them through it, mentally. It’s quite a lot of years to get them through, so you’ve got to find the right school.
“There's no perfect school but you do your best, hope there’s lots of outdoor space. Have you done any sport?
“Anything that gets them out of this education. They’ll be what they’ll be, it is what it is, and they’ll try as hard as they can. It’s great if you’re academically gifted – it’s amazing. But if not it’s a bloody hard slog.”
Speaking on the Spinning Plates podcast, she also said she would like a sixth child, saying: “I don’t feel done... but I’m going to have to live with that I think.”
