This government still doesn't give a shit about schools or your kids

[noblegiraffe]

I've posted before about this government's catalogue of failure when it comes to our children and schools and unfortunately it's still going on.

Sir Kevan Collins, the government- appointed schools catch-up tsar has just resigned over their complete failure to accept his recommendations and their pitiful offer of a programme worth only one tenth of what he said would be necessary to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on children's education. www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-57335558

Holland are spending £2500 per child for their catch-up programme, the US £1600. How much do you think the Tories value our children? It works out at £50 per head, and some of the proposed 1.4 billion is going on teacher training rather than tutoring initiatives so won't have an impact for years.

For the much vaunted national tutoring programme, have the government hired experts to provide this? No, according to Sam Freedman, former education advisor to Michael Gove "The DfE have also ballsed up the procurement of the National Tutoring Programme by scoring quality too low vs price so it's going to be run by a Dutch outsourcing firm called Randstad. They undercut all the orgs who actually understanding tutoring. So a lot of the high quality UK charities and organisations providing support to the tutoring programme will now likely pull out. Proper shitshow."

At the same time they have been cladding new and refurbished schools in Grenfell-style cladding www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/30/dozens-of-new-school-buildings-in-england-have-combustible-insulation, and have rejected calls from fire safety experts to install sprinklers in new school buildings. www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-57335558

In January, Johnson unexpectedly announced the cancellation of exams for Y11 and Y13. There was no plan for what would replace them and the buck was passed to Ofqual. By March, Ofqual admitted that they had no idea what to do, and so it fell to teachers and individual schools to set, mark and grade GCSEs and A-levels - tasks normally done by exam boards who are still charging exam entry fees this year for doing what appears to be very little. Scotland is paying teachers £400 each for this extra work, England is, of course, paying nothing. Parents are reportedly already gearing up to appeal teacher assessed grades while the government dodges the blame for the impending fiasco.

As I have posted about before, the government have cut Pupil Premium funding by millions, so in practical terms the most disadvantaged children now receive less per pupil than in previous years when there wasn't a pandemic. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4227538-See-how-much-the-government-has-just-cut-free-school-meal-funding-by-in-your-area

And on top of everything else...GAVIN WILLIAMSON IS STILL ED SEC. It's inexplicable, he is widely regarded as completely useless and yet while others involved in education resign around him, he gets to keep his job.

YABU: This government really cares about education and children

YANBU: This government do not give a shit. Not just incompetence, they really don't care.

Mickey mouse universities?

We're discussing the Government-appointed catch-up tsar resigning in disgust at the woefully inadequate offering by the Tories to support the nation's children in their recovery from the pandemic and Clav is wittering on about a coat worn by Jeremy Corbyn.

Eh?

and the great poet Stormzy.

The Conservatives do recognise that they can afford to sideline sections of society who are costing money and contributing nothing, plus anyone on the wrong side of a situation. Even if all affected got together and voted other than Tory - unlikely, as the dispossessed tend to lack solidarity - the vote may be split and it won't make for a voting block.

This includes families with relatives in care homes, anyone on welfare, the WASPIE generation denied pensions, anyone who can't sell their flat because of the cladding scandal... Liverpool stands out as a place unlikely to go Blue because of Hillsborough but otherwise.... Anyway, the Tories have cut local authority budgets with the express purpose I understand of hitting poorer, Labour-led regions so eventually they have to turn Tory to get funding - it's a kind of protection racket, and one that has worked very well, judging by Harlepool and their success in the local elections.

With that and a 80 seat majority, the Tories can do as they please and this Cabinet is the worst I've known in living memory. As with May, the PM doesn't want colleague who may outshine him.

Didn't the research say longer school days won't work anyway?

Glad to see you are still here clav.

@noblegiraffe

We're discussing the Government-appointed catch-up tsar resigning in disgust at the woefully inadequate offering by the Tories to support the nation's children in their recovery from the pandemic and Clav is wittering on about a coat worn by Jeremy Corbyn.

Eh?

It is what Clav does. Classic oh look, a windmill.

Tes - April 2021;

Teacher training applicants soar by 17% in 2020.

Recruitment goals at secondary level were exceeded for the first time since 2012-13.

Those teachers will train, teach for a couple of years then leave when the economy picks up again.

@noblegiraffe

We're discussing the Government-appointed catch-up tsar resigning in disgust at the woefully inadequate offering by the Tories to support the nation's children in their recovery from the pandemic and Clav is wittering on about a coat worn by Jeremy Corbyn.

Eh?

Remember to not feed the bridge dweller everyone.

It is what Clav does. Classic oh look, a windmill.

It was a harmless, off the cuff remark - you are the ones making a mountain out of a molehill.

I suspect those still ignoring Sir Collins letter don't have children in state schools so it's no skin off their nose.

I don't know what to say anymore. Terrible false economy.

@Clavinova

Tes - April 2021;

Teacher training applicants soar by 17% in 2020.

Recruitment goals at secondary level were exceeded for the first time since 2012-13.

Well yeah... applications will increase when the DfE have removed almost all the possible reasons someone could be deemed unsuitable to train. Applying now is essentially guaranteeing you get a place on a training course.

I'm annoyed but can't say I'm surprised. For the whole of last summer when schools were closed to most of us for what seemed like an eternity and the homeschool provision/online learning was nil at our school, the attitude was very much one of don't worry there's going to be this incredible massive catch up programme, you'll never know they missed out.

Surprise surprise, turns out that they don't want to fund it so each child will get £22 or whatever it is, have a huge gap in their education, and we'll all carry on as before! Fabulous!

Did they meet their recruitment targets for maths, chemistry, physics, MFL, D&T?

No, they failed again, didn't they Clav. Even in the middle of a pandemic.

There's a critical shortage of teachers in those subjects, isn't there? Maybe trying to retain current teachers by not treating them like shit might be better than again throwing money at recruitment. Trying to fill massively leaky bucket from a dripping tap isn't the best policy.

Did they meet their recruitment targets for maths, chemistry, physics, MFL, D&T?

Recruitment goals at secondary level were exceeded for the first time since 2012-13, with the number of new entrants amounting to 106 per cent of the target set by the Teacher Supply Model. Trainee numbers increased for all subjects except geography and classics.

The UCAS data excludes teacher hopefuls who applied through the DfE's own admissions service, which was launched in pilot form in November 2019 and continued to be implemented during the 2020-21 cycle.

@Clavinova

Did they meet their recruitment targets for maths, chemistry, physics, MFL, D&T?

Recruitment goals at secondary level were exceeded for the first time since 2012-13, with the number of new entrants amounting to 106 per cent of the target set by the Teacher Supply Model. Trainee numbers increased for all subjects except geography and classics.

The UCAS data excludes teacher hopefuls who applied through the DfE's own admissions service, which was launched in pilot form in November 2019 and continued to be implemented during the 2020-21 cycle.

You know that this quote doesn't answer that question, right?

Yes Clav, they overrecruited in Biology, but that doesn't make up for under recruitment in MFL does it? Or do you think the Biology teachers can simply teach French instead?

You don't seem to understand that the subjects recruited for are actually important. They failed to meet the targets for maths, chemistry, physics, D&T and MFL. Subjects where there's already a shortage.

Gav the Muppet has been an absolute failure - one disaster after another.

Time for him to be sacked and for someone to take control of the DfE and give them a good sort out - back to basics!

To suggest current teachers need training is such an insult. This honestly feels like the final straw. I haven't got over school staff not being prioritised for the vaccine.

Don’t let Clav derail yet another thread with random quotes from the top site found on a 5 second Google search and no actual input. Our children deserve better.

Original poster I hear and share your anger and disappointment BUT what did you expect from the government? It’s long been each time to their own and despite the recent elections voting popularity the government will continue to do as they please on everything let alone education! I suspect the government is running down public services to favour a blended public private approach for healthcare as well as education. This pandemic is about winners not losers and the levelling up stuff is just spin no substance. The government is relaxed blowing billions in unaccounted for deals (for friends and family on fake contracts) with no utility but will not invest in education. Naturally there is no credible opposition in English politics but who did you vote for recently? However all that said above not all children (not my school or neighbouring schools) have fallen behind over the past year although a small minority may have through the country.

In lockdown 1 I realised this. The primaries were basically told to not bother teaching. Our primary downed tools educationally and began a type of outreach program for needy families which soaked up all the heads and staff time and effort. Very laudable but why was this the schools role? They stopped teaching the majority of children entirely. A friend who is a governor said this was the instruction from the government. If you dared to question this you were accused of being a teacher hater which was not the case at all.

Just make sure seat belts are fastened for results day! Watch Gav and the DfE blame schools for the shit show of their own creation

You don't seem to understand that the subjects recruited for are actually important. They failed to meet the targets for maths, chemistry, physics, D&T and MFL. Subjects where there's already a shortage.

It's not a new problem - Maths recruitment only reached 64% of the target in 2019 - 84% this time.