To really really hate the SNP.

[Twooter]

Got that off my chest.

I actually do rate Kezia but agree that ideally she would be deputy at the moment and leader in a few years time. There wasn't a lot of choice about though.

Sorry trixy I wasn't including you when I said 'everyone' poor choice of word as I was distracted by something else I enjoyed the discussion last night about the leaders of the other parties and the direction they might go in.

I was a traditional Labour voter but Blair and the corruption in our local Labour party mean I can't see a point in the near future when I would vote for them again. I think Corbyn provides an opportunity for SLab to reinvent themselves but it doesn't seem to be one they are willing to take at present. And as a PP said last night, even if SLab suffer losses, I think they should stick with Kezia because they need some consistency and there doesn't seem to be a good alternative. I also think she could potentially develop into a good leader if she asserts herself more

My teenage son is very interested in Politics and has at age 14 just joined the Labour party. I'm hoping that his generation get fired up and sort some stuff out. That's one thing I will give indyref, it energised and engaged a lot of our young people into having an interest in the way this country is run.

OneMagnum yy I agree. In our family, two of the teenagers joined the Green party and one joined the Conservatives.

harassed you keep asking the same question, but it's up to you - like everyone else you can vote for the party that you think represents you best. I'll never ever vote for them because the same applies.

You're very lucky that you have that place in FE (I think that's what you said upthread?). Unfortunately many thousands of others have missed out due to SNPs college cuts and their decision to "focus on full time education" which has meant a loss of in excess of 35000 part time places.

My daughter will cut her school subjects down to 6 at the end of S2. So, assuming she chooses maths and English she's down to 4 other subjects after 2 years of high school. Not much of a broad education, especially if you need three sciences for your future career.

Twooter but curriculum choices were even more limited when I was at school under Labour. And my niece had to travel to a different school and attend college to study the subjects that she wanted to pursue. (Again, under majority Labour). This isn't a new restriction introduced by the SNP.

The subject choices are much less today than 20 years ago. The whole education system is a farce and you can blame that on the SNP as they introduced this new system. Yet to meet a teacher who agrees with it. Would have a bit more tolerance of the SNP if they just admitted that they made a mistake with education.

Cracks me up the way they are defended at every turn. Maybe 55% of the country wouldn't have an issue if the other 45% would say yeah they got this wrong or that.

Aplace I don't know where and when you were at school but that isn't normal and tbf what twooter describes isn't either.

When I was at school, late 70s/early 80s, we narrowed down to 8 subjects at the end of S2 and then 4 at end of S4 for Highers. It should be noted that at that point Maths and Arithmetic were separate subjects whereas now both come under Maths, meaning that effectively 7 subjects is the same as the 8 that was in place. That model was fairly universal and even after the introduction of Standard grades pretty much stayed the same. There were some exceptions and some schools that did early presentations for Standard grade Maths and English but it wasn't the norm.

The current norm is supposed to be that subjects for Nat 5 are chosen and commence at the end of S3. The length of the courses means that the timetable really only allows for 6. I have it on good authority that they hadn't worked that out until implementation was imminent. As a consequence, some school have chosen to commence the Nat 5s at the end of S2 but in the main, those school are offering up to 8. Some are sticking to the 6 at the end of S3, some are fudging a bit in between to squeeze in 7.

Limiting to 6 at the end of S2 isn't currently and never was the norm.

Never going to happen cheese. It's blind faith.

I love when SNP supporters moan about something and then don't know what to say when you tell them that the SNP have been in charge of that since they took over. They still always manage to come to their senses and blame someone else though. That's all it's about though, a blame culture.

Onemagnum I agree, at the end of s2 we were limited to 8 subjects at school however I thought we could do 6 highers not 4 but that may just be my memory playing tricks, I started secondary school in 1981.

The SNP have got stuff wrong. I could rant all day about Police Scotland. Again, I don't know these people who defend at every turn. But, luckily in RL, I also don't know people who bitch at or belittle people who vote differently from them. We have members and supporters of every political party in our family and we all manage to have reasonable discussions about politics, and those who are particularly passionate have joined parties and become active campaigners. I think that's the best way to effect change.

I know quite a few teachers who are not SNP supporters but do agree with their changes and don't blame them for all the faults in the education system. I'm not sure how helpful that anecdotal evidence is but thought I'd share it since you don't seem to know any teachers like that cheese

All schools in our area do 6 NAT 5s, they are also having to travel between schools to do different subjects.

I haven't RTFT as it would put my blood pressure up.

YANBU, OP.

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.

Our school is limited to 6 Nat 5s. For some inexplicable reason they start off with 8 subjects in S3 and then have to drop 2 in S4. Has caused huge arguments in this household about what 2 to drop.

I did 8 o grades in the one school and then 5 highers in the same school. Very standard experience.

I really do not understand the rationale of specialising so early. The breadth of education used to be one of the key features of a Scottish education.

A lot of my friends are teachers and they all think curriculum for excellence is utterly dreadful.

Do you think things would be better under Scottish Labour?

Aplace not sure what the PA strict through was for but I never said that there weren't teachers that didn't agree I just said I haven't yet spoke to one who does agree.

You may find it hard to believe but I have no issue with who anyone votes for I just don't like it when we are being told the SNP are the only option and why would we vote any other way when they clearly are not better in my opinion and I am entitled to have that opinion.

Anyway I wish you well as I do everyone and it will be interesting to see what happens in May.

I would have been choosing standard grade subjects around 1999/2000ish - we did 8 standard grades, and 5 subjects for S5 which could be all highers or a mix of highers/intermediate 2/intermediate 1 depending on how you'd done.

You could then do up to 5 courses again in 6th year but pretty much nobody did - most did 3 or 4. I'm pretty sure my school was a max of 3 advanced highers with some people doing an extra higher as well, or something like a 'crash' higher in a second foreign language.

In England I chose 8 GCSEs and ten 3 Alevels. I'm ok.

Ten A levels? 3Alevels.

But we are not talking about the English education system.

Most of my fellow parents think 6 Nat 5s is too narrow and we are all at a loss as to why teenagers are expected to specialise so early. It goes against the grain of a traditional broad Scottish education.

Sorry, that should have been 5 Highers, finger slipped. :)

Yes, there are schools doing 6 Nat 5s ( I believ Grampian/Aberdeen ahve done that as a blanket decision), but they are the ones that start them at the end of S3 not S2. Starting 6 at the end of S2 is extremely contrary to the BGE. I also think limiting it to 8 at the end of s2 is also contrary to te BGE but you probably still have PE/RME and some other bits as core stuff so probably isn't strictly just 8.

Having said all that, the whole system is pretty fucked up.

twooter she will have to keep maths and English iirc. And I completely agree with you - I had the same issue. It is because the timetable is full of compulsory stuff like computer studies, business management, social education, home economics, PE, Design and technology and social subjects. Look into social subjects more as it is a lot of geography and history -so she might be able to pick up History/Geography Nat5 in S4.
(And the specification makes interesting reading - things like choosing between 'Making a decision' or 'Making a decision with a Scottish context'... which if you choose with other options means you can get a Scottish Studies Award ...the specifications of a lot of the courses do feel a bit like they are trying to instil a sense of separateness, Scottish, not British, national pride - - it feels like part of a long term game plan...)

The idea was that they get a broad education up to S4 ...(apparently in computer studies and business management - oh and Design and Tech DD1 got to spend quite a lot of time watching you tube...time well spent, definitely contributing to a broad education I guess...)
but then that gives them a year to get to Nat 5 standard -and it isn't enough -which is why you get reduced choices for S3...
All really well thought through and planned... I don't think.
I think they should at least do a combined science thing so brighter children can pick up Nat 5 biology/chem/physics in S4 (my DD choose physics and hated it and moved to biology -but she had to do Nat 4 rather than Nat5 biology in S4, will do Nat5 in S5 - she could possibly have picked up NAt 5 Biology but I got the impression she would have to do a lot of the catching up independently -whilst balancing all her other subjects... )

Our school doesn't even allow 3 sciences which means if you want to be a doctor your choices are severely limited. Still they can choose something rigorous like Graphic Communication instead of Chemistry. A race to the bottom if ever I saw one.

The local schools where we live only allow 6 subjects for Nat 5. DS is at an independent school and they study 8 subjects. My personal opinion is that 6 subjects is not broad enough. DS has had a hard enough time trying to restrict it to 8!