Interesting News Snippets

I have my personal experience and those of my politically neutral colleagues in teaching, upon which to draw. I have the collective reports on the subject from so many media sources that comprises an almost non stop flow of information.

I’m more than sure that you are as aware as I am of this matter. Your declared political affiliations intervene.

Have you any evidence yourself? Please give examples to support your position. If not,how can you make the assertion in #265?

Regarding #260 I do not take ‘evidence’ in Newspapers at face value without supporting information. They can so often get things wrong. Whichever paper it is in. Have you seen the Mail’s reporting of the Omaka airshow?
In this particular case, the the NUT conference, the reporting appeared consistant in a number of different sources, although the emphasis and ‘moral outrage’ that developed from the reports differed considerably in them.

Perhaps it’s ‘mission accomplished’ at the schools you have visited. You’d only know if you questioned the students on what they’ve learned. See 260. Your NUT has called for a positive influence. That then, is not an example of social engineering ? The empirical evidence you appear to value will be thin on the ground as you well know. What will remain? Teacher’s notes; student notes as evidence of empiricism?

I have seen no empirical evidence of social engineering or political indictrination from any source left or right or anything inbetween in any of the schools I have been in or heard about.
I believe this is another of the conspiracy theories mentioned in the other ‘simple question’ thread.

Schools are not an arena for social engineering or experimentation. The left wing indoctrination of students at our State schools proceeds apace.

No longer is it sufficient to teach our children to properly read and write, they now have to be forcibly politicised.

Perhaps this is why the teaching of children at home is seen to be the more desirable. At the very least children remain children for a lot longer.

I am quite sure you are right. That’s the problem! Chicken and eggs and scenarii shouldn’t come into it.

And yet another nail in the coffin of parental responsibility. This and many other elements of social education should not be within the remit of the school at all.

Is it any wonder the modern parent has such a low perception of his responsibilites when they are taken on by schools?

In my experience some parents expect the schools to do their parenting for them. It is a chicken/egg scenario

Having read reports in a variety of papers, some more balanced than others, I agree that the wording of the motion was very unfortunate.

The delegates supported the notion ‘there is little doubt that despite recent gains, many schools still remain hostile places for lesbian and gay teachers and pupils, while same-sex marriage remained an uncomfortable subject in spite of its improved legal status’ That is the issue, that current legistlation is not being acknowledged in some schools.

If they had instead passed a motion that demanded that all schools, including private schools, academies and free schools, had a properly formed PSE curriculum that would encourage teachers to tackle what Christine Blower called ‘equality of opportunity and fair treatment for all students and staff regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation’ it would have beenmore difficult to object to (as this is effectively what anti-discrimination laws support)

unfortunately, the Government’s insistance in the wake of the problems in some Birmingham schools that all institutions should be ” Teaching about the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and tolerance and respect for others as part of our promotion of British values, and is at the heart of what every school has to deliver for children” ( quote from a Conservative spokesman) does not sit well with some religious schools. Hence the flack the NUT motion has received. It would indeed put some teachers in those schools in a very difficult position under current governance systems.

Ofsted have already been exploring schools attitudes to homophobia and how schools were preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. Indeed, it was partly for this reason that Durham Free School was closed. That and the pupil behavior, the bullying and the apparent financial mismanagement.

As regards the tackling of difficult issues in schools, the same (unnamed) Conservative spokesman today said
“Our guidance makes it clear that no teacher or school leader should feel unable to talk about difficult or sensitive issues – indeed teaching about fundamental British values actively encourages such discussions – but no-one should be using a school to promote views, opinions or beliefs that discriminate against other people on the basis of their background.”

And yet another nail in the coffin of parental responsibility. This and many other elements of social education should not be within the remit of the school at all.

Is it any wonder the modern parent has such a low perception of his responsibilites when they are taken on by schools?

My newspaper reports that the NUT – bless their busy little bodies – are entering the minefield that is social engineering with their demand that schools teach a positive slant on homosexual and same sex union.

So they are not content with improving their members wealth prospects but now feel impelled to influence the social views of the their captive clientele on this extremely touchy and divisive subject.

Hmm ! Economical with the truth. Bit like the Socialists then ? Ed, with a cheeky body swerve and a dummy, avoided mentioning the deficit and immigration !

Politicians; ain’t they adorable ?

It seems that on the first day of electioneering, the tories have been a bit fast and loose with their claims, at least according to the IFS
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-camerons-claim-that-labour-would-raise-taxes-by-3000-is-not-sensible-says-the-ifs-10144367.html

But then, when has telling the truth ever been a priority for Mr. Shapps. Apparently when challenged on the figure of £3000 he admitted it was a guess “because Labour hadn’t been specific about their plans'”!

This latter point was also picked up by the IFS report which said they, and to a lesser extent the Tories, are not clear in explaining how they would achieve their stated aims.

http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/7678

The D. Tel. (report, 30th inst.) informs us that at least 700 foreign students, intent on coming to Britsin to study science and engineering, have been refused admission.

It is thought that what they were taught could have been used in the preparation of weapons of mass destruction.

I would have thought that the Internet was more than capable of supplying information on how to make explosives or how to obtain the correct ingredients for the making and distribution of bacterial or other toxic agents ?

A majority, if not all of the schoolboys of my generation certainly knew how to make explosives. We made them in small amounts, put them into suitable containers and using simple percussion, with huge delight, frightened ourselves witless by detonating them in convenient places. No one thought anything of it.

To be pedantic (again, sorry) you should really have said ‘as with everything else in my opinion you have it completely wrong’.
If I were to counter ‘but I know I am right’ would be to fall into the position of Gove, IDS et al. who insist something it true ‘ because I believe it to be so’ even in the face of considered scientific or factual evidence presented to them. How one interprets evidence is a very personal thing of course, that is why we are all different, but to ignore it because it is inconvenient is not intellectually sound ( although we all do it to a certain extent- mea culpa)

Pob may have ‘made every effort to separate State Education from left wing political control’ but he, like you, assumed most of those in the education establishment are left wing. My local education Authority has been run by Tories for decades, they were proud to advertise that their spend per pupil was below the national average for those decades, but I would think that they would be most aggrieved to be called left wing. I know that they did not like the destruction of local democratic control over schools in their county because of the enforced acadamisation of secondaries and primaries.

Personally I believe that Gove was pushed by Dave because he could see that he was becoming an election liability.

Oh really, why is it that more young people are attending university and completing apprenticeships than ever before. This would not occur if they were “largely innumerate and illiterate” as this suggests that the majority are effectively innumerate and illiterate which is not true.

I would agree that the current system does not encourage independent thought and good study skills as it is so target led which discourages deviation from rigid pathways which means that teaching away from the specifications set by the exam boards in state secondary schools is a luxury that rarely happens. The Gove ‘reforms’ actually make this situation worse.

The failure in the system is that failure is not an option.

No my friend. As with everything else you have it completely wrong. As with teaching so with the NHS. When it was decided that nurses required a degree to do their work, nursing, as it had been for the last one hundred years changed completely. As part consequence, we now have nurses that do not or cannot nurse, and we now require the services of the Care Quality people to oversee and maintain standards formerly associated with nursing as it was.

Teaching ? Much the same. It was decided that teachers should have some uniform formal teaching diploma thus removing teaching from a vocation incorporating the ability to communicate knowledge of one’s subject, to the forced – if you wanted a job teaching – indoctrination of acres of pyschobabble theory mostly concerned with the now discredited student centered learning.

How do I know? I went thru’ the process. Michael Gove, the Michael Gove you pillory, made every effort to separate State Education from left wing political control. I believe his political demise was a consequence of political racketeering by the Lib Dems.

Yes, I do take your point, the rabble are still in place and predictably still, our young people leave State education largely innumerate and illiterate.

I should know.

Oh really, why is it that more young people are attending university and completing apprenticeships than ever before. This would not occur if they were “largely innumerate and illiterate” as this suggests that the majority are effectively innumerate and illiterate which is not true.

I would agree that the current system does not encourage independent thought and good study skills as it is so target led which discourages deviation from rigid pathways which means that teaching away from the specifications set by the exam boards in state secondary schools is a luxury that rarely happens. The Gove ‘reforms’ actually make this situation worse.

The failure in the system is that failure is not an option.

But he did not win those battles, the ‘rabble’ are still in place, he is not, thank goodness. The Blob prevailed.

Yes, I do take your point, the rabble are still in place and predictably still, our young people leave State education largely innumerate and illiterate.

I should know.

Gove ? Quite probably the best Education Minister we’ve had in recent years. He certainly took the battle to the heavily politicised, left wing union rabble that presently control our State education system.

But he did not win those battles, the ‘rabble’ are still in place, he is not, thank goodness. The Blob prevailed.

No, his policies will be shown to be taking the education system up a dead end in most cases. His shake up of the post 16 exams system is not supported by the universities. This government has wasted many millions on ideologically based Free Schools that have been shown to be no better than existing schools in the main, and worse in a number of cases. A ‘light touch’ approach to their governance has allowed corruption and bigotry to flourish. He was a disaster waiting to happen, hence is removal by his friend Cameron as a liability. To have an idealogue who would not recognise when he was wrong even in the light of overwhelming evidence was not the right person to be education minister. He has shown similar ability as a whip. Undoubtedly a cultured and personable man, but not a good minister and poorly advised by his Spads.

Poor Mr.Gove, Downing Street have said that Cameron has “full confidence” in him as Chief Whip. Watch this space…

Gove ? Quite probably the best Education Minister we’ve had in recent years. He certainly took the battle to the heavily politicised, left wing union rabble that presently control our State education system.