Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, should resign

[noblegiraffe]

Let's judge him on his record. His two stated priorities:

1. Students smoothly get the exam results they deserve

2. Schools re-open in a way that is safe for your children

Target 1: Not met. The exams fiasco will go down in education history as the biggest shambles ever, including the time Y9 SATs paper were lost by the company paid to mark them.

Target 2: Not met. Latest data shows that 55% of state secondary schools had children isolating due to contact with a positive case at school on 22nd October. 39% of secondary children in Knowsley were out of school - an area with one of the highest deprivation rates in the country.

In addition:
Universities return - turns out having massive movement of young people around the country led to massive outbreaks of covid. To be fair, that was impossible to predict.

Free School Meals: Gavin tried to blame Rishi for not giving him any money. Rishi countered with the fact that Gav hadn't asked for any money. Gav himself voted to let children go hungry so clearly wasn't going to fight for it.

Laptops for the disadvantaged: In the best DfE tradition of dropping shit on headteacher's laps just as they break up for a holiday, the number of laptops allocated for disadvantaged kids was slashed just as it became a legal requirement for schools to provide remote education for isolating pupils. How can they fulfil that requirement without the resources, Gav?

Throughout this, Gavin has been basically invisible, except for a photoshoot with a whip.

YABU: Gav has met his targets and deserves a pay rise
YANBU: Gav should resign

just waiting for the statement "It turns out schools with high numbers in classes and no masks leads to massive community transmission. To be fair this was impossible to predict."

Dimwits..

Him and Priti Patel. Both getting away with being utterly absent throughout the pandemic.

Actually the uni sector was telling Gav all summer that one. So entirely predictable.

Oh no, titchy I was hoping the sarcasm was obvious! Clearly it was going to be an issue and only a man whose most relevant work experience was ‘philandering fireplace salesman’ would plough ahead anyway.

Perhaps more worrying is his PPS is none other than Scott Mann, the MP who suggested fitting GPS to all knives in the UK to combat the rise in stabbings.

Seems the only requirement to get on in a Johnson cabinet is ones belief in Brexit, competence is secondary.

@noblegiraffe my preference is Robert Halfon. Chair of the Education Committee so has some idea of education, decent bloke (is my Step Sister’s MP and has been very helpful) and understands the needs of those with disabilities.
Since he voted against the government I guess there’s not a chance.

I keep hoping that Hancock's "success" will mean people won't vote for him next time round...
want to hazard a guess who (a) I didn't vote for & (b) who is our mp?

He's a knob. He tried to libel someone I know on behalf of one of his constituents who was a complete lunatic. He did no due diligence on her. Vile specimen

noblegiraffe
Robert Halfon.
A decent, intelligent guy.
Incidentally he’s also disabled and more representation in the cabinet wouldn’t go amiss.

Sorry queen cross posted with you. X

If it's any consolation (which it isn't) my Y10 and Y12 teens (along with their friends) will not be forgetting the schools' shambles in a hurry. And they will be old enough to vote in the next election. That's an awful lot of disillusioned young people.

Who the heck thinks YABU, is his mum on here!

He’s completely out of his depth but in terms of actual Covid spread, unless they had kept schools and universities closed (which was terrible for disadvantaged kids) I’m not really sure what could have been done.
A lot of it is down to individual heads and the systems they have (or haven’t) put in place.
Obviously a working test and trace system would have helped a lot too....

Shatner’sWig I’m a Tory but I feel that way about both sides of the house tbh.
People like Thatcher but also many of Blair’s ministers had principles and gravitas. You might not have agreed with them but you could respect them.

@mumsneedwine

In the words of my articulate, bright 18 year old. He's a knob.

I like your son.

Ooh I thought I’d heard of Robert Halfon, Chair of the Education Select Committee is excellent experience for the role.

Better than Gav’s ‘I got sacked for leaking state secrets’.

@iwantmysay

Perhaps more worrying is his PPS is none other than Scott Mann, the MP who suggested fitting GPS to all knives in the UK to combat the rise in stabbings.

I thought you were taking the piss until I Googled that...

Good god. There is worse than Gav

Halfon gets my vote. But BoJo wouldn't give it to anyone teachers would want.

@Smileyaxolotl1 (love the name!) good to x post on this one!

I keep coming back to this photoshoot. The exams fiasco was just playing out and this is what Gav made his priority. It’s hardly subtle is it?

What is in that notebook on the whip that meant Boris didn’t sack him?

And why is his mug out of reach? Is it a hidden message?

@noblegiraffe

Actually the uni sector was telling Gav all summer that one. So entirely predictable.

Oh no, titchy I was hoping the sarcasm was obvious! Clearly it was going to be an issue and only a man whose most relevant work experience was ‘philandering fireplace salesman’ would plough ahead anyway.

Sorry - long day! Still waiting for the guidance around students coming home for Christmas which was imminent at the end of Sept...

[quote QueenofLouisiana]@noblegiraffe my preference is Robert Halfon. Chair of the Education Committee so has some idea of education, decent bloke (is my Step Sister’s MP and has been very helpful) and understands the needs of those with disabilities.
Since he voted against the government I guess there’s not a chance.[/quote]
I'd agree actually. He's a listener too, actively wants to hear from those at the coal face.

He should be sacked.

Still waiting for the guidance around students coming home for Christmas

You’ll be getting that mid December by my reckoning.

@noblegiraffe

Still waiting for the guidance around students coming home for Christmas

You’ll be getting that mid December by my reckoning.

I like your optimism!

Halfon also gets my vote for hiding his Hitler autobiography with a Sooty puppet when he's on Zoom.