The Politics Thread 2020

[davieG]

 

 

A Leicester university will offer places to students regardless of whether they decide to appeal their published results or not.

University of Leicester vice-chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah said he wanted A-level results day to be "as stress-free as possible".

It comes after the education secretary's announcement on Tuesday that A-level results will now be based on the highest out of students' estimated grades, their mock exams or an optional exam in the autumn.

Prof Canagarajah felt that the pandemic had "already taken away so much" from students and said "we don't want the class of 2020 to feel any more worry about how decisions are made about their future".

Before the change to A-level results was made, students, teachers and worried parents raised concerns about the way predicted results would be moderated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) - which would use a system that took into consideration colleges' and schools' past performance.

 

Prof Canagarajah said: “The pandemic has already taken so much away from A-level students around the country, we universities must do what we can to give them something back.

“We want tomorrow to be as stress-free as possible, so the University of Leicester will now offer places based on a student’s mock A-level results, as well as their published results - whichever is higher - regardless of whether they decide to appeal or to wait for appeal outcomes.

“Government policy may change, but whilst we wait for clarity around today’s announcement, the University of Leicester is driving forward its commitment to inclusivity and education for all; we will consider every student on an individual basis and be flexible in our decisions, giving everyone the opportunity to study with us in September.”

 

Students accepting or applying for a clearing place at the university will be required to validate their mock results via their school in order to secure their place. Places will be reserved until firm evidence is provided.

Now, students receiving their results tomorrow will have more decisions to make about their futures whether it's further education, employment or appeals.

The University of Leicester is offering support sessions for students and parents. Students who want to appeal their predicted grades will be expected to seek further advice through their schools or colleges.

 

The University’s clearing hotline is open from 9am until 5pm. View all hotline opening times and details for our live presentations and Q&As.

LeicestershireLive will cover results day 2020 live, bringing you all the latest news from colleges and students across the city and county. You can follow our updates throughout the day by clicking here.

We want to hear your stories and see your pictures too. Send them to [email protected], message us on our Facebook page or tweet us at @leicslive.

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

Okay that might be an exaggeration

Basically a lot of kids have got fvcked over. 

Absolutely. And I'm with you, extraordinary kids shouldn't be punished for over achieving or at the least trying to just because they go to a poor school. Hopefully most will get overturned when the appeals come through. 

 

As Leicester uni appears to be doing though, I'd expect many unis to get on board with being lenient on these results, even out of the purely selfish reasoning that they need to get bodies in to cover the lost revenue. 

 

Still important though Stan that overexageration is kept at a reasonable level, or it reduces what is a reasonable anger into something akin to just denying anythings wrong at all. It's a shit situation, but hopefully with a bit of tweaking it will become better. 

[CosbehFox]

They should have had scope for the results to be released earlier and an appeals process to be applied with more time. 
 

Receive your results say two weeks ago but the university cant confirm places until another later date 

Edited 14 August 2020 by Cardiff_Fox

[StanSP]

 

 

[Leicester_Loyal]

Can all of these students not re-take the tests this year/next year if need be?

 

Unfortunately someone is always going to miss out, even if they raised all the marks, surely universities would just raise the expectations and people would miss out again?

 

EDIT: I should say that the system is flawed itself and does seem a bit stupid.

Edited 14 August 2020 by Leicester_Loyal

[yorkie1999]

2 hours ago, StanSP said:

 

 

Might have stood a chance if he'd learned to actually write correctly.

[Finnaldo]

37 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Can all of these students not re-take the tests this year/next year if need be?

 

Unfortunately someone is always going to miss out, even if they raised all the marks, surely universities would just raise the expectations and people would miss out again?

 

EDIT: I should say that the system is flawed itself and does seem a bit stupid.

If anything they've been actively lowering expectations to get more in. The current system encourages Unis to act more like businesses than higher education facilities. They’ll want to get heads in for £9k a year and they’ll ensure they get their yearly crop as per usual. 
 

Of course that’s no comfort to the poor buggers who have been done over.

[StanSP]

47 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Can all of these students not re-take the tests this year/next year if need be?

 

Unfortunately someone is always going to miss out, even if they raised all the marks, surely universities would just raise the expectations and people would miss out again?

 

EDIT: I should say that the system is flawed itself and does seem a bit stupid.

It costs £111 (I think) to take a 'resit' of an exam they never did. That's where some of the frustration no doubt it. I think teachers are angry too as they're knowledge, so to speak, of their own students and their grades have pretty much been ignored for an algorithm which seems heavily flawed and biased/unjust. 

 

Also the resits take place in 7 weeks I've heard whereas usually they'd just happen much later in the next school year. 

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53782331

 

This isn't even subtle now. "We're going to suppress the vote because we'll lose if we don't - now what are you gonna do about it?"

[WigstonWanderer]

8 hours ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53782331

 

This isn't even subtle now. "We're going to suppress the vote because we'll lose if we don't - now what are you gonna do about it?"

Trump’s treating the USA like some sort of banana republic.

[CosbehFox]

Government repeating the bizarre process of releasing an online blog to defend itself and criticise the media. This time on A Level results. Straight out of the Cummings playbook. Online blogs. A platform you can’t be directly challenged on 

[yorkie1999]

See public health England is to be scrapped. Probably means a new sign on the office door. Specialist Health England Department, shed for short.

[StanSP]

9 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

See public health England is to be scrapped. Probably means a new sign on the office door. Specialist Health England Department, shed for short.

Not gone too well for Dido Harding has it. Almost as if we could have seen the signs before she was hired of what she's been responsible for in the past...

[StanSP]

Eat out to Help Out scheme not working in some areas because of hostility towards staff. 

Quote

 

Some restaurants and pubs are withdrawing from the Eat Out to Help Out scheme because of "hostility towards staff".

Under the scheme the government pays half of the bill on meals served from Monday to Wednesdays throughout August.

Owners says a surge in demand on these days has led to staff being shouted at, and "physical and mental stress".

In tourist-heavy areas like the South West many say the scheme is not helping at an already busy time of year.

Some say fewer customers are dining on other weekdays as a result.

The Treasury said the scheme was working.

UK Hospitality, which represents the industry, said generally the feedback had been "very positive for businesses who were staring ruin in the face".

However, The Tavern Inn in Newquay is one venue that has pulled out of the discount scheme, which is capped at £10 per diner and does not include alcoholic drinks.

Owner Kelly Hill said: "It has brought us nothing but negativity due to the huge demand, causing long waits on food, tables over-running and hostility towards our staff.

"People are ordering big, big meals; they are not willing to wait for their food; our staff are being shouted at for having no tables, or for the service being slow. It's put an awful lot of strain on our waiting staff and kitchen staff."

The Heron Inn in Truro has also opted out, saying on Facebook: "Safety is our main priority, and with the increased amount of people visiting us, it is making it difficult for us to manage with social distancing rules in place.

"We have received unpleasant comments and general unwelcome behaviour from customers when they are unable to find a table due to us having reached capacity".

The Westleigh Inn near Bideford in Devon has also withdrawn because of the "physical and mental stress it has put us and all our staff under".

Landlady Steph Dyer said that "the idea is brilliant, but just not in August. Do it in October. Everybody I have spoken to is finding it difficult to maintain standards of service".

In Crantock near Newquay, the C-Bay bistro says the scheme has led to a loss of business because people are not booking for the days when it is not running.

Owner Nina Eyles said: "In July we were full every day, but now Mondays to Wednesdays are absolutely manic and we are much quieter than normal on the other days.

"If it was in winter we would be so grateful and it would have been amazing."

The Treasury said the scheme was designed to protect jobs.

"Sales for pubs and restaurants were up by a third for the first week of the scheme, compared with the week before," it said.

 

I think you have to be an absolute tit to aim hostility towards staff because they've booked to capacity or they can't have tables for you! 

 

Where is the patience these days for some people?

[Alf Bentley]

46 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

See public health England is to be scrapped. Probably means a new sign on the office door. Specialist Health England Department, shed for short.

 

Specialist Health & Independent Testing - Health Economics for Astronomical Profits.........or SHIT-HEAP for short? 

[Heathrow fox]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

Eat out to Help Out scheme not working in some areas because of hostility towards staff. 

I think you have to be an absolute tit to aim hostility towards staff because they've booked to capacity or they can't have tables for you! 

 

Where is the patience these days for some people?

I feel so sorry for anybody working in hospitality at the moment.It must be like pushing water uphill 

[Tuna]

The #StarmerOut hashtag on twitter needs to be seen to be beleived.

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53796435

 

The latest.

[Finnaldo]

The government now using teacher assessment-guided grade, and to be quite honest I can’t blame them, it’s the right move.

 

What I don’t understand is, only two days ago there was absolutely no change, no chance, according to Gavin Williamson. Now here we are two days later with a complete U-turn. This whole issue could have been sorted immediately with a brief apology and the use of teacher assessed grades and it would have been forgotten in a week, but for some bizarre reason the Tories insist on building up to their own capitulation; just like with Cummings, just like with free school meals. They’ve left another of their ministers out to dry for what?

I’m not even angry about it, just completely baffled as to why you’d repeatedly self-sabotage as consistently as this government has. I find it almost believable at this point that Boris is a Labour plant with the goal of making the Conservative Party look as ridiculous as possible. What do they have to gain out of this constant doubling-down and surrendering?

Edited 17 August 2020 by Finnaldo

[davieG]

25 minutes ago, Finnaldo said:

The government now using teacher assessment-guided grade, and to be quite honest I can’t blame them, it’s the right move.

 

What I don’t understand is, only two days ago there was absolutely no change, no chance, according to Gavin Williamson. Now here we are two days later with a complete U-turn. This whole issue could have been sorted immediately with a brief apology and the use of teacher assessed grades and it would have been forgotten in a week, but for some bizarre reason the Tories insist on building up to their own capitulation; just like with Cummings, just like with free school meals. They’ve left another of their ministers out to dry for what?

I’m not even angry about it, just completely baffled as to why you’d repeatedly self-sabotage as consistently as this government has. I find it almost believable at this point that Boris is a Labour plant with the goal of making the Conservative Party look as ridiculous as possible. What do they have to gain out of this constant doubling-down and surrendering?

Maybe they just keep under rating the power of the internet protest.

[rachhere]

This government  

 

Still no clarity on how this will practically work in terms of university places. This is only the start of resolving the mess.

[StanSP]

41 minutes ago, Finnaldo said:

The government now using teacher assessment-guided grade, and to be quite honest I can’t blame them, it’s the right move.

 

What I don’t understand is, only two days ago there was absolutely no change, no chance, according to Gavin Williamson. Now here we are two days later with a complete U-turn. This whole issue could have been sorted immediately with a brief apology and the use of teacher assessed grades and it would have been forgotten in a week, but for some bizarre reason the Tories insist on building up to their own capitulation; just like with Cummings, just like with free school meals. They’ve left another of their ministers out to dry for what?

I’m not even angry about it, just completely baffled as to why you’d repeatedly self-sabotage as consistently as this government has. I find it almost believable at this point that Boris is a Labour plant with the goal of making the Conservative Party look as ridiculous as possible. What do they have to gain out of this constant doubling-down and surrendering?

No doubt the government will get praise for overturning their original horrific decision but ultimately it's just another one in a long list of poor decisions that fvck over so many people.

[Bellend Sebastian]

13 minutes ago, Finnaldo said:

The government now using teacher assessment-guided grade, and to be quite honest I can’t blame them, it’s the right move.

 

What I don’t understand is, only two days ago there was absolutely no change, no chance, according to Gavin Williamson. Now here we are two days later with a complete U-turn. This whole issue could have been sorted immediately with a brief apology and the use of teacher assessed grades and it would have been forgotten in a week, but for some bizarre reason the Tories insist on building up to their own capitulation; just like with Cummings, just like with free school meals. They’ve left another of their ministers out to dry for what?

I’m not even angry about it, just completely baffled as to why you’d repeatedly self-sabotage as consistently as this government has. I find it almost believable at this point that Boris is a Labour plant with the goal of making the Conservative Party look as ridiculous as possible. What do they have to gain out of this constant doubling-down and surrendering?

My guess is they feel they've used up their supply of "get away with it largely unscathed" cards on the incidents you've listed above, and others.

 

They're pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable in government and a lot of stuff seems to be going under the radar, but this is an example of literally nobody agreeing with what's been done except possibly Toby Young, and even they know when they've crossed the line into self sabotage

[RowlattsFox]

I don't know enough about the educational system but I assume there is something to stop schools over estimating graded for better overall results? For every kid who got their grades reduced they'll be plenty who will be thinking they've had a result getting s decent predicted grade without having to go through with the exams  my results would have been better 15 years ago anyway.

 

There is no easy solution but this is the right way, better to give opportunities to some rather than take opportunities away. 

 

I don't know if more could have been done to ensure students took their exams and/or any coursework that wasn't completed. Must be annoying for last years or next year's students who will have to go through the pressure of exams but it's the way it is. 

[rachhere]

9 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

I don't know enough about the educational system but I assume there is something to stop schools over estimating graded for better overall results? For every kid who got their grades reduced they'll be plenty who will be thinking they've had a result getting s decent predicted grade without having to go through with the exams  my results would have been better 15 years ago anyway.

 

There is no easy solution but this is the right way, better to give opportunities to some rather than take opportunities away. 

 

I don't know if more could have been done to ensure students took their exams and/or any coursework that wasn't completed. Must be annoying for last years or next year's students who will have to go through the pressure of exams but it's the way it is. 

I think we have to trust the integrity of the teachers here. The problem is that teachers were asked to make predictions based on all things being equal how their students would do. However, unfortunately life isn't like that. If the exams had gone ahead some students would have revised more effectively than others, the question paper would have worked out better for some that others, and some would have been impacted by personal circumstances that affected their grades. Others might have had parents who paid for them to have a tutor which boosted their performance, whilst some might not have had the money needed to buy the revision guides they needed to help them prepare for the exams effectively. It was inevitable that there was going to be this discrepancy, and that's not the teachers fault.