to think that Toby Young is a complete arse?

[Rosebud05]

Rose, I'd agree with what SWC says, after a lengthy career in SEN.
A more representative sample than you children's centre I think.

Possibly a more representative sample, but not enough to say that all SN provision is shite.

Not all, no.
But most.

Verified by most of the reviews and papers that have come out in recent years.
(Lamb Review, Bercow Report to name but two.)

Which is a different point. I used to work in SEN and saw some fantastic provision and some shite and lots in between.

The thing is, it is piss easy to get a good education delivered, irrespective of need.

One of the major issues is the involvemen of too many people , all generating reports noone reads, feeling important, attending pointless meetings, and mistaking ill informed opinion for fact.

When I hear of budgets and jobs being 'slashed' I think Great!. Get rid of all these non jobs done by peopel with nothing useful to offer.

I had no idea who he was until now.

Very true SWC. They genuinely know no better. I know, I was one of them.

The point is though, that it's ok to be clueless. Just admit it! What I can't abide is the whole Emporers' New Clothes thing where people talk out of their arse and know they are doing so but are so intoxicated by their perception of themselves as caring people who 'support' (hated word) the 'vulnerable' (even more hated word) that this becomes their raison d'etre.

'it's almost like they are feeding off my difficulties to feel good about themselves'

It is creepy because it is true.
It really is.
I know.I've spent enough time with many of them.And then, if you take issue with their approach, you are labelled with 'issues' or 'difficulty coming to terms with the situation.'

Nowt about you taking issue because what is on offer isn't worth wiping your arse on.

I'm glad DD1 doesn't go to the area ASN unit. They're already earmarked them as unable to achieve much of anything.

I focus on what she can do, the possibilities, and that her disability is not an excuse to avoid anything hard/difficult academically.

I still have to fight for the help she needs to achieve good literacy. They seem to just be willing to pass her along sometimes to not dent her confidence (which was never good to begin with).

That's not good enough for her, it's a disservice to her, she deserves to read fluenty at the least.

I don't care how much she cries or gets upset, it's not doing her any favours to do all the hard stuff for her or not challenge her. Bullshit!

I'm not sure why you think cuts to education aren't happening moondog-

My local authority (conservative/libdem run) has just axed

The music service
The outdoor ed service
The ed welfare service
the health education service
and the schools and governor support services

They weren't all crap by any means.

We actually have some halfway decent special schools round here too

Toby Young's free school is a lot about him and not so much about the needs of the local community.

The original proposal was for a school in Ealing (where TY lives and there is a real shortage of places). No site could be found. By this time TY had become the media face of free schools. He is friendly with Michael Gove who needs free schools to work as he has staked his career on them. Gove leant on the Tory led Hammersmith council to find a site. A site was found. The site is v near a state of the art new build academy due to open in Sept. There is therefore no great need for places in the area. The academy will likely suffer as the free school will cream off some of the ambitious families in the area.

The free school will select 10% of it's pupils on musical abilities following a test. Quite a clever may of helping out the middle classes who've paid for classes.

The separate application route (for the first couple of years) means parents have to be bothered to make the effort to apply. That ensures kids from very unengaged parents won't apply. What a bonus if you need your school to be a success for your own reputation. Not such a bonus if you want everyone to have equal chances.

A lot of people in the free school movement resent TY. Most free school founders are passionate about education and willing to listen and learn about what it takes to make a successful school. TY never listens, he is not interested in learning, he has his views and his headline grabbing approach and he steams ahead.

I fear his involvement in the West London Free School will prove it's biggest problem.

Artichokes- there is no shortage of high school places in Ealing and there isn't projected to be until around 2015/6. There is however, a massive shortage of primary places.

If TY had proposed a free primary school he might have been met with more enthusiasm. However, a primary school didn't, of course, meet his own particular needs...

Yes he is an arse. Part of the problem with the idea of amateur schools though...Can you imagine the spokesperson or Chair of Govenors of any school, state or private, sounding off like this about a group of potential parents? It's just unproffessional.

Is anyone going to apply to one? I dont know anyone who is applying to our local one and, my friends could be classed as involved with their child's education.

SWC - how could he judge the quality of the new academy his school is right next to? He could not because it doesn't open til Sept. It may well have been the answer to our local lack of decent state secondary spaces. Toby's school will only divert kids from the academy risking it being seen as a second choice school.

The primary problem is they are both having loads of public money spent on them and it is a waste as we only need one.

The secondary problem is that the Free School will not attract or cater for the most needy in the area. The academy will but now it will not have as many ambitious students to balance things out. It's more likely to start being viewed as a ghetto school and that is harmful to the kids who go there.