Gillian Keegan: how’s the ‘hot mic’ thing gone down with you?

[Crinklycut]

For my part, I don’t think it was very ministerial, and I do wonder how No. 10 all talk to each other these days (do they just swear all the time?) BUT she is a bit right, isn’t she?

The DfE have finally acted to make the public aware that their children are not safe in school. That’s more than anyone else in the Conservative party has done since they cancelled ‘Building Schools for the Future’ in 2010 and during their 13 years of government.

So how’s it gone down with you?

Really?

So asking for a date rather than finding it on the document is the criteria. I mean I could have looked but didn’t, just posted instead and got a fast reply, no big deal

I don’t mind if people received it and found it difficult for whatever reason, hence asking if any HT posting. Maybe they can say why

I’m a parent who’s interested in the process as dc in school. What went on, when and how

What has gone on for the past 13 years the government has woefully underinested in public services and that is coming back to bite them.

The Schools Minister was busy this morning on the radio telling us how 50 schools a year in England are being rebuilt. That means each school will be rebuilt after more than 300 years. Ans yet the Minister responisble for this shambles was tryin to have us believe it is a triumph.

And as an area for many many years Warwick was funded far more poorly than neighbouring areas such as Coventry. That is also relevant to both its secondary schools being closed.

I was listening to this on Radio 4 on my 2 hour car journey yesterday and thought the commentary afterwards both from presenters in interviews with Labour was bizarre. Grabbing on comments but reframing them out of context. They were literally just making stuff up in the end.

As an affected parent what really scares me is that Labour probably want this to go on for as long as possible to score political points. While my child is at home, effectively with no school place.

The idea that all Tories are evil and all Labour politicians are saintly is farcical in the extreme. And obviously the media like a good circus too, it gets plenty of clicks.

I very much doubt that Labour want this to go on as long as possible, since that would mean that many schools were closed, many children not educated and a bigger mess for them to sort out when they come into government next year.

It is though a good illustration of why Labour are reluctant to commit to too many policies, especially if they would involve significant public spending as frustrating as that is for voters. No one knows what they public finances will look like in a year's time, and how much will need to be spent to keep public services going at an acceptable level having had years of budget cuts.

If guidance went out in Dec last year why was there a delay?

From various pp it sounded like the issue was alerting schools at start of term

Sounds very frustrating for you and your dc

Right now I’m not interested in the politics as it doesn’t help my child. Leave that till the kids are all in school and then present it ahead of the next election. Otherwise they are just being used as pawns, frankly.

I don’t blame you. All the whipping up over the issue to score political points is annoying enough and my dc aren’t impacted.

Seeing the document and trying to work out process is more useful to me

From what I can make out the guidance said it was ‘non-critical’ up to last week. Then it was changed to ‘critical’. It was because one graded non-critical collapsed during August.

Even though the reason that children are not in school is because the government has reduced funding to schools for the past 13 years whilst dramatically increasing schools costs.

Why do the Tories never want to talk about their record in government?

@jgw1 "Why do the Tories never want to talk about their record in government?"

Because it's all labour's fault. Keep up!

@EasternStandard would you be happy to go into a school and check that it doesn’t have RAAC (especially if you have the added bonus of asbestos). Bearing in mind most older school estates are made up of buildings built in different eras, so it is not simply a case of picking one classroom checking that and knowing the whole school is okay.

Then considering employing an expert instead, looking at the cost and wondering what you can ditch from your already stretched budget (you may find your DC’s school will have fewer members of staff this year either due to natural wastage or redundancy)

Also, there was one school on the news where they had been given the okay at the end of last term and now have had to close this term as guidance has changed.

I know of a secondary school that has one whole block that was condemned a few years ago (not due to RAAC) and other buildings are not far off going that way too. The buildings are so bad they actually qualified for the very limited Government rebuilding programme, however, they are not top priority (god knows how shit the other schools’ buildings must be) and it is a 10 year programme. I bet they are hoping some of the remaining blocks have RAAC so they may be pushed up the list, because I assume the Government will use funding earmarked for this programme and some schools may fall off this list or it will be extended beyond 10 years, and this school has buildings that will not last 10 years. Do you blame the HT for that too?

I assumed she meant her party had sat on their arse and agreed with her. If she was blaming the schools and teachers - then I understand the outrage.

Err this is politics in action or inaction... its why people vote for different parties, remember, had the Tories not scrapped the schools rebuilding program in 2010, this thread wouldn't exist, scrapping the program was a political decision.

... & it will be politics that puts the pressure on Keegan and Sunak to start to resolve this too.

Politics governs pretty much every aspect of our lives, including this issue, Austerity is certainly coming home to roost for the Tories

I see Nick Gibb has just admitted his request to rebuild 200 (it was actually 400) schools was refused and he was given funding for just 50, he then justified spending £5m on a govt building referb as "Building must be maintained..." You mean ones that you and your kind use...

Funny how tory backers drag out the political points scoring rubbish when found out...

Do you blame the HT for that too?

Asking why it was hard isn’t blaming someone it’s finding out what the issue was between Dec and now

It’s trying to get more understanding on the process and issues, by asking those who received the document

The non-critical to critical change from @Teateaandmoretea makes sense

I agree she totally intended it to be broadcast. She "can sort out shit no other Tory can" looks great for the next leadership election

The issue itself is down to Tory underfunding and will help Labour towards a majority next year which is good for me (especially now that they seem to have remembered what a woman is).

However I think the hot mic thing was underhand behaviour from ITV. It's like when Gordon Brown was gotcha'd be Sky during a private conversation he thought he was having after meeting Gillian Duffy.

It's a part of journalistic ethics that when the interview is done, you're off the record.

@EasternStandard I ask you again would you feel happy working out whether a school has RAAC (as unless you are a surveyor) you would be as qualified as a HT and have the same amount of budget (ie none) to employ someone else to check it?

Don't forget that the HT who said that all is fine could then be liable if the roof collapsed, and even if they were not, since HTs are people who care about children would have to live with the consequences of getting it wrong for the rest of their time.

No! And I was 14 at the time, so probably in one of the schools - what was it? Concrete cancer? No hysteria, no endless news programmes about it, no children with anxiety about the roof falling in.

Everything is a catastrophe nowadays.

Is that why it didn’t happen?

How much is a surveyor?

It sounds like the status was part of it. Non-critical to critical is a big change

That’s not ‘blaming HT’ btw because they didn’t set the status

It also shows how much money and time is wasted on useless documentation/orders from DfE which then changes with no notice

In her later "apology" didn't she say she meant headteachers?

Non critical to critical? who the fuck believes that shitte?

Dangers of raac known about for years, even when new, it was never a long term building solution, used by the industry not known for its longer term thinking... hence the need for effective regulation.

... and the schools building program? ..... 4 schools completed in the last 3 years... so just another 397 to go....

More likely someone was told "You will be criminally liable...."