Schools Crisis.

[Webbo]

Well I'm in favour of shrinking the state so am I stupid or lazy(or both)?

[Sharpe's Fox]

Well I'm in favour of shrinking the state so am I stupid or lazy(or both)?

Stupid.

[Webbo]

Why do people who claim to believe in equality always think they're better than everyone else?

[Sharpe's Fox]

Why do people who claim to believe in equality always think they're better than everyone else?

Whatever. You asked the question because you were trying to dumb down the debate and I answered it with the options you gave me, if you don't like the answer don't ask the question. I notice you haven't critiqued and responded to the brief political argument I made.

[Guest MattP]

Stupid voters (who obviously never work in the public sector), enlarge the state (like all the great freedom loving nations), right wing media blame (free markets eh?)

We're just a mention of Katie Hopkins and the evils of Capitalism away from a full blown tin foil hat Corbynista rant here.

[Sharpe's Fox]

I've barely started. Wait till you hear my views on Zionists, Rupert Murdoch and how jet fuel doesn't melt steel beams.

[Guest MattP]

I can imagine!

[Webbo]

Whatever. You asked the question because you were trying to dumb down the debate and I answered it with the options you gave me, if you don't like the answer don't ask the question. I notice you haven't critiqued and responded to the brief political argument I made.

What argument was that, everybody that disagrees with me is stupid? Wasn't really worth a reply.

[The Doctor]

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/mar/29/teachers-abroad-packing-recruitment-crisis-losing-staff 

 

Teacher shortage, missing recruitment targets for years and trainees leaving in droves, schools looking overseas to fill the gaps - better deport those teachers for not earning enough... what an absolute state.

[Guest MattP]

Perhaps if we didn't have constant political interference (and I don't just mean from the Tories - all political parties are guilty of it), and let Teachers have more freedom to teach, then our education system wouldn't be as bad.

 

'Back in the day', when the education in this country was a lot better, as you say so yourself, Teachers were a lot more free to teach what and how they liked. Is it any surprise then, that education standards have slipped the more that Governments, and other people who really don't have the slightest iota on what education should actually entail, have begun meddling increasingly in making education more prescriptive, and dictating how and what should be taught?

 

You seem to contradict yourself. Do you want better education, or do you want the Government to call all the shots and make ideologically-based choices?

 

It's not me saying back in the day was better, it's pretty much every form of table or body that judges whether it is or not saying that. From my very small conversation with the head of the Harris academy I mentioned earlier this is exactly the idea of them, give the headteachers, parents and teachers more freedom and more input into what they think should be taught and what style to do it.

 

The teachers complaining about this don't even appear to work in acadamies, it's almost like a lot refuse to even entertain the thought of any reform or change whatsoever because of which political party is in government.

[davieG]

Why do they have to change to academies in order to give head teachers etc more control? 

 

Couldn't  they just realign the influence and control the LEAs have without all this turmoil.

[David Guiza]

Giving the head teachers more control is somewhat absurd in my opinion for a variety of reasons, but my main gripe is with the plans to allow them to basically decide who and who isn't good enough to become a teacher rather than the qualification and work experience that the PGCE/placement/Teach First grants. Apparently the positives of which are to allow people to basically fast track the qualifications, which apparently is to keep it in line with other industries such as law (I work in law and that isn't the case at all), if the head teacher believes said pupil is ready.

 

There is not a chance that if I were succeeding midway through my LPC (Legal Practise Course) the senior partner of the firm that I work for could just say that was that and I was now a qualified solicitor, and rightly so. The same goes for pretty much any other industry. It is too much power and responsibility for one single person to have, and that's not me living in a farcical lefty world it's reality and the problems it could cause are worrying.

 

Yet again the Government are just looking to throw the baby out with the bath water rather than address why teachers are actually looking to leave the profession in the first place.

[Guest MattP]

Why do they have to change to academies in order to give head teachers etc more control? 

 

Couldn't  they just realign the influence and control the LEAs have without all this turmoil.

 

I wasn't saying they do, just mentioning the point of view the head of the Harris academies was saying.

 

As I've said before, I'm not convinced this is good policy and still don't see why every school should become an academy, something does need to change though and the drop in standards has to be addressed. If a school is already performing well it would seem daft to change it's status.

[davieG]

I wasn't saying they do, just mentioning the point of view the head of the Harris academies was saying.

 

As I've said before, I'm not convinced this is good policy and still don't see why every school should become an academy, something does need to change though and the drop in standards has to be addressed. If a school is already performing well it would seem daft to change it's status.

Wasn't really aimed at you just a general query.

[Jon the Hat]

I wasn't saying they do, just mentioning the point of view the head of the Harris academies was saying.

 

As I've said before, I'm not convinced this is good policy and still don't see why every school should become an academy, something does need to change though and the drop in standards has to be addressed. If a school is already performing well it would seem daft to change it's status.

 

Presumably If half of them become academies and half remain with the LEA you end up with a very expensive LEA overhead for those which remain.

 

I cant see why a school wouldn't want to be an academy to be honest.  I like the concept of successful schools taking on nearby schools which are less successful.

[Rincewind]

I see nothing has been resolved yet. I am undecided what is best.

[MONreborn]

The tories are destroying our public services - academisation is the same as privatisation. These schools will be taken over by their rich friends - with little or no accountability. Similar to what the tories are doing to the NHS.

I cannot fathom that 1 in 4 people able to vote actually voted for these scumbags.

It was once said that the moral test of a government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the poor and the disabled.

It is also true that moral test of a governent is how it treats the professionals who look after the above.

The governent has failed both moral tests.

I pray to God that they never get in to power again.

[Guest MattP]

If you don't want them to get into power again I'd suggest finding an opposition, Labour have decided to become a protest group rather than a potential party of government, UKIP are decided to tear themselves to shreds from the inside, the SNP are proven themselves completely incapable of managing any sort of finances and the Liberal Democrats now seem to be concerned about nothing except young Syrian boys.

 

Maybe start your own political party? Show us something that will treat everyone with care, pay everyone what they deserve, fund the NHS properly, have nothing taken over by the rich - people will vote for it providing you can explain how you'll be able to pay for it.

[Buce]

If you don't want them to get into power again I'd suggest finding an opposition, Labour have decided to become a protest group rather than a potential party of government, UKIP are decided to tear themselves to shreds from the inside, the SNP are proven themselves completely incapable of managing any sort of finances and the Liberal Democrats now seem to be concerned about nothing except young Syrian boys.

Maybe start your own political party? Show us something that will treat everyone with care, pay everyone what they deserve, fund the NHS properly, have nothing taken over by the rich - people will vote for it providing you can explain how you'll be able to pay for it.

That sounds like more of a Tory kind of thing..

[davieG]

A quote from a reader of the merc not sure how true it is.

I note that seven schools in the county are rated by Ofsted as requiring improvement and that all but one are academies.

[Alf Bentley]

A quote from a reader of the merc not sure how true it is.

I note that seven schools in the county are rated by Ofsted as requiring improvement and that all but one are academies.

 

 

I haven't got the time to look for comparative stats now, Davie, but have seen them before. Can't remember details, but think that ratings for academies and LEA-run schools were pretty comparable.

Certainly, there were quite a few good academy schools & LEA schools, but quite a few bad examples of both, too.....and, of course, those academies are schools that have actively CHOSEN to adopt that status.

If the government plan goes ahead, they will be ordering schools to become academies even where the head and teachers don't want that and the parents don't want that. Not a recipe for improved success, I'd have thought!

 

Even Conservative local authority leaders are up in arms about this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35905260

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35897430

[Strokes]

My children go to a school that is run by the LEA, its very well ran as far as i can tell. I dont really understand why this would require a change, it just seems unnecessary.

[Thracian]

The tories are destroying our public services - academisation is the same as privatisation. These schools will be taken over by their rich friends - with little or no accountability. Similar to what the tories are doing to the NHS.

I cannot fathom that 1 in 4 people able to vote actually voted for these scumbags.

It was once said that the moral test of a government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the poor and the disabled.

It is also true that moral test of a governent is how it treats the professionals who look after the above.

The governent has failed both moral tests.

I pray to God that they never get in to power again.

 

 

 

Are you Rincey's broher?  . 

[Rincewind]

Are you Rincey's brother?  . 

TBF I have no opinion on this. I will leave it to others.  Although I thought the first priority would be to reduce classroom sizes and ensure that all kids have a decent education regardless of background. If academies can achieve this then fine, but I agree with Strokes,  if a school is running OK as it is then why change it?

[Alf Bentley]

I thought the first priority would be to reduce classroom sizes and ensure that all kids have a decent education regardless of background.

 

 

But if they reduce classroom sizes, there might not be enough room for all the kids.