To really really hate the SNP.

[Twooter]

Got that off my chest.

I'm watching closely. I know nothing about nat 5s, just what I've heard, but we need to make a decision about schools in a year or so and from what I've heard about CfE that decision may be to go private. I'm not a fan of private schools though.

And they are cutting, cutting, cutting. But, in Highland, they have money to pay for 6 teachers to be paid for a full year to take a year off to study Gaelic. And this is a nationwide scheme - across 32 local authorities that is a fuck of a lot of text books and jobs being spent. A teacher = approx 30k x 6 per authority x 32 (if all do it) = a fuck of a lot.

Rose that makes me so friggin mad. Kids taught in classes far too high in numbers, reductions in pupil support assistants, less support for helping pupils with ASN and a multitude of other challenges for schools and teachers.

And they're spending money on fannying about with promoting Gaelic to teachers!!!!!! What they actual fuck.....

My DS1 did 8 N5's last year (Fife) but the current S4's had to drop one subject at the end of S3 so will be sitting a maximum of 7. DD is S3 and sitting 7 N5's next year. Bulk standard comprehensive produced some ace folk like myself many moons ago

That would be me, and yes, as far as I am aware, the other private schools in the area offer 8 Nat 5s. There are some state schools offering 8 as well, so it's not a strict private/state divide. It is one of the many reasons we went private, though.

Schools/councils were given flexibility on how to introduce it shenanagins

technically if they follow the structure to the letter they cannot offer any ore than 6 nat 5s in S4 due to the number of hours of study each course should take. However, lots of schools are taking time out of s3 (or the whole of S3) in order to offer up to 8 Nat 5s. It isn't only private schools. I think a lot of Glasgow schools offer 8 and pupils start studying for them in S3 rather than S4. Our school is offering 7 by starting at Easter. I think Grampian schools have all been told to offer 6 but in other areas each school has autonomy to offer whatever they want.

Number of national 5s depends on the local authority and in some cases is down to individual schools. Look up what happened at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh.

Do any of the private schools offer GCSEs and a levels?

And while I'm in a bad mood, I saw a quote the other day from Nicola Sturgeon about the possibility of an hour long Scottish news programme to replace the national news at six.
Dear god save us from that. Will it be partly broadcast in Gaelic?

Apparently it will mean that we don't have to watch reports about things that don't concern is like English education and English health.

Well excuse me Nicola, but I actually quite like to hear about what's going on elsewhere. Having a knowledge and good understanding of what's going on outside our wee country stops us becoming inward looking, parochial, isolated and narrow minded. Who the fuck wants to live in a country like that???
Ladies and gentleman - I give you Donald Trump.

The cynic in me would suggest that some schools are limiting the number in order to increase success rates not so much for the pupils but so they can get further up the league table. On a related note for example, Jordanhill occupies the top spot for their Higher results interestingly if you look behind the figures they have a lower than average presentation for Maths in S5. They actively discourage pupils form taking Maths in S5 so that there is a greater chance they will get 5As, maybe this is for the pupils benefit, maybe...

I hate them, hate them, hate them. Wee Alex and Wee Nic are parochial, arrogant, irritating, power-hungry, self-obsessed, dishonest, ugly little trolls whom I could smack all day without getting tired. Their tribe of numpty MSPs and their voters, are downright stupid, uneducated, illiterate keyboard warriors. I am embarrassed to be Scottish. If they ever get their way I am will be contributing to the brain drain by moving south.

On the basis of the quality of political insight and expression shown in this quote, this particular PP wouldn't really be contributing much to the brain drain... Just saying...

trixy Depending on where you are, yes some offer A levels. Around Edinburgh it's mostly the boarding schools that also take day pupils.

Mint - that's what I said earlier. A parochial wee back water indeed. All speaking a language that our ancestors never spoke and passing on news by writing songs and stories about it and sending our storyteller to the next village along to spread the news....lovely.

Mind you, DHs gaelic is coming along a treat since the only station that has the Rugby on (Glasgow and Edinburgh competing) is BBC Alba.

Jeez Magnum
Why aren't more people seeing it??

Thanks for clarifying on education but it now seems even more depressing especially after looking up hermitage academy.

I actually quite like watching highlights of the Belladrim Festival on BBC Alba at least three times a day.
Always seems to Deacon Blue or Roddy Woomble when I tune in.

The enforced Gaelic also annoys me, the part of Scotland I'm from never spoke it, its not my language and never will be, why is it such a priority?

Well mint, an unusual quote from an atheist, but "there are none so blind as those who will not see..."

or to be completely accurate: Jeremiah 5:21 ‘Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not’

I should clarify, I really have no problem with Gaelic, the language or the people. My son even has a gaelic spelling of his name. I also have no problem at all with Gaelic provision within education. I worked for a guy that didn't speak english until he started school and he'll only be in his 40s now.

But I do have a problem with that being the only heritage that we are meant to have. What about all the other people that made up Scotland? What about protecting Lowand Scots or Borders Scots or other scots variations of English? These are just as valuable imo and more relevant to the central belt certainly although obviously not so much to the outer hebrides.

magnum you put it far more eloquently than me!

I also know many Gaels whose first language is Gaelic and do think the language should be supported but not as a priority over others. Where I grew up a lot had been done to preserve the local dialect which I think is great but it isn't really relevant to the wider population.

I'm still smarting from Rose's information about the money being spent on training teachers in Gaelic.
Yes, let's close the massive attainment gap and falling standards in literacy and numeracy by spending money on a language spoken by a tiny percentage of the Scottish people. Brilliant! Let's give Angela Constance a medal.

I would have no objection to this policy if everything in the garden was rosy. However our kids are being taught in overcrowded, poorly equipped classrooms by teachers struggling to implement massive change.

I'd rather it was spent on learning aids that the PTA currently help to fund. Funny that.

I totally agree to supporting our heritage in all it's forms and I think it's one of things that you do have to dedicate resources to as there will never be "spare" money to do it. It's does gall me a bit when it's prioritised over making sure that people have homes and food etc though. But I also appreciate that I don't want future generations to not know where they come from and the proud history we have. Whether they can study all this on an empty tummy is another thing.

itsall my problem with the SNP is the spin.. Smoke and mirrors Unless you know what exactly is going on in eg education - have experience- it all sounds great... But actually it isn't, it is the opposite. And IME they make policies and don't think them through...or maybe they are just shit at organising things. The headlines are more important than things actually being workable as illustrated by the 600 hrs and I didn't even go into the problems for school nurseries with am and PM sessions, staff levels
Everything they touch seems to turn into a fiasco
Talking about early years... There is a shortage of places and meanwhile preschool groups (playgroups) who used to provide some places, groups that have excellent inspection reports and have been around for decades are being forced to close because they can't find a manager. The reason they can't is that the managers are now expected to have a pretty specific degree -some teachers wouldn't be qualified. These are part-time roles, there isn't the money really for them to be well paid. The main attraction is hours that fit in with school hours... Unless someone already has the degree it isn't really worth them getting it, especially if someone already has a degree as that would mean they would have to pay for it. Most of them went and did an SVQ4 as that was the qualification they needed .....before they changed the goal posts again. I can see how they are just fed up now - if they do the degree will it be a masters next year then a postgraduate... They may as well do teacher training and get better pay ...
I mentioned up thread PVG and it is a better idea than the previous disclosures that were never updated .. But the deadline for everyone to be on the scheme was last October... Which is probably the reason for them taking so long at the end of last year. Someone should have realised that only x% of people needing them had actually got them, increased the capacity or something to stop the delays - seen the chaos coming. Worse at the same time you have the care inspectorate saying that you can no longer employ someone who is waiting for their PVG update even if they already are on the scheme, have had an update for another setting the day before, has been risk assessed, they will be supervised etc (which you could do previously for someone waiting for a disclosure and I can't see why PVG should be any different -would be interested to know if anyone waiting for a disclosure in those circumstances committed any offences)
But even that would be fine if the updates were taking 2 weeks - 2 weeks waiting for a job to start is OK - even a month ...but not if it is taking 2 months or more... Just leaves places chronically short staffed. Unless you start making people give 3 months notice and forcing them to work that notice... And none of this will actually make a difference to the safe guarding of children ...
And the regulations surrounding PVG who actually needs to be on scheme and who can just be disclosed is a complicated mess and seems to keep changing. I asked them for advice once and was told it is up to you to decide... WTF? The body responsible can't even clarify the rules.

I don't know enough about the PVG thing to know whether that's an SNP problem or not, but for example, my OH has been registered for this as his job means that he comes into contact with vulnerable people - generally adults and the elderly. he had to go through it again in order to occasionally drive the minibus for High School DofE expeditions, however he should never (as is detailed in the rules given) be in a position of being alone with any pupil. Fair enough, different sector of potentially vulnerable people. Now he's had to submit another application to cover us being able to offer home hospitality for Scouts for a few days. They can't use the sign off he has for children already as it's under a different organisation or something.

YANBU to not like them but I will vote for the SNP because I want Scotland to be independent. I will probably vote for other parties after independence - never Labour, LibDem or Tory so maybe Greens. There is no other party for me until then. Scotland should be governed by who it votes for itself and that can never happen until independence.

The SNP are not perfect but they are a million miles in front of any other party in the UK at the moment for doing their best for Scotland.

Not brainwashed or a cult member and not averse to a good opposition party for Holyrood. Just my tuppence worth after reading the thread.