Westminstenders: The Final Week

[RedToothBrush]

Our final week in the EU...

Yes, that sentence is relatively easy.
I forgot to mention that the text it was taken from was in the course booklet. We give them a booklet with long extracts from novels, to provide context, and we translate short excerpts of those extracts in class. They know the exam text will be another, unseen, excerpt taken from one of the long extracts.
So if they were minded to, they could check words like 'assiette' in the dictionary as part of their revision.

.

That’s even worse auld. You’d think a cursory skim through for words/idioms you don’t know would be an idea.

Although my mind is still boggles that you can presumably mix up assiette and chouette and not think ‘hang on this doesn’t make sense’.

One issue may be that that candidate perhaps doesn't actually have to pass any exams while they're here. That depends on their home university's requirements. Some stipulate that they have to pass everything, some just count the grades for 10 credits' worth and some say they just have to be here for X months, without any mention of passing anything.

My mind still boggles, though, that you can be studying French at university, have been living in France for 3 months and not know the word for a plate.
That almost requires effort...

On another note, I was touched at MEP's singing Auld Lang Syne today.

As for that wanker Nigel F. and his puerile flag waving...
I can imagine they're all mighty glad not to have to listen to his arrogant gobshite ever again.

Thank you AuldAlliance, that's helpful. In Scotland you're only allowed to take 5 subjects for the exams at age 16, and 7 at age 15, so it really limits options. DD is having some language lessons on Skype - so easy to learn from native speakers these days.
It would be great if the SNP could work to keep some flexibility for Scottish students travelling abroad.

For auld lang syne ...

To be fair - the Netherlands and Austria restrict dual nationality as well.

Oh, come on Clav, there’s a difference between restricting and not recognising dual nationality. My DD is a perfectly legal dual Dutch and British citizen. As could I be if I took Dutch citizenship through the route of being married to a Dutch person.

In Scotland you're only allowed to take 5 subjects for the exams at age 16, and 7 at age 15

Depends where you are, as some areas restrict you to 6 Nat 5s (plus age at exam time depends on your birthday - plenty of kids are 17 for Highers and 16 for Nat 5s).

That’s so sad, and so uplifting too. (Auld Lang Syne.)

Ah well, Farage and his hangers on are now gone. Gracias.

Sorry for the MEPs who did not want to leave though. Honestly what the actual F is UK trying to do to itself.

Well there is that, auld. Plate has to be lower secondary level. Duolingo has it well before the point it reckons is A1.

Watching the auld Lang syne video earlier really made everything sink in.

Sadly Farage is never gone. He’ll find a way to resurrect himself.

Farage is gone from the EU Parliament now. I suppose he thought he and his gang would fight from within. Idiots. I bet the EU Parliament is glad to see the back of them.

It's the European supporting MEPs I feel for. They have been sacked through no fault of their own.

UK is eating itself up with hubris now. And a touch of racism and isolationalism too. Let's see how that works out.

Brexit has come too late for Norton.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51303905

"China does not recognise dual nationality."

Even if they did, allow their own nationals to leave, the UK govt policy would still be a roadblock^

The UK is not evacuating citizens of other countries who are in British families
unless they have the right to live in Britain / visa
They are not making exceptions for this emergency

Hence from my post above:

Nick House, who lives in the city with his Indonesian wife and two British children, told Sky News:
“We would like to be out of here.
The man on the other end of the phone said, ‘Yes, you are on the list, but

unfortunately your wife probably won’t be able to get on the plane because she doesn’t have a visa at the moment’.

“I won’t leave without my wife, so essentially the government are leaving three British people here for the sake of one seat on a plane

As could I be if I took Dutch citizenship through the route of being married to a Dutch person.
I do not know about the Netherlands, but Germany for example makes Germans give up that passport if they naturalise as some other nationality
(as the USA used to do)
China's stance is not unusual
but their enforcement never seems to affect senior party officials' families

The issue is whether not allowing dual nationality means also not allowing that person to live in the country despite their closest family being citizens,
even in an emergency evacuation

The admittedly small sample of Germans I know married to non-EU citizens were easily able to obtain residency for their spouse
and then after 5 years they are entitled to permanent right to remain - even after divorce

Ds' school allowed (and still allows) 8 Nat 5s in S4 and while 5 Highers is the norm, one of his school mates sat 6 (or was it 5 Highers and one AH as he was presented for all the Maths exams a year early?).

I (and my friends)sat 6 Highers in S5 but that was a looooong time ago Talking about Uni requirements, I went to St Andrews from S5 to study French and Russian (the latter from scratch) - but they only required me to achieve 4 x B As soon as I got that offer, I knew I was in (actually got 6 x A

St Andrews back then was weak at spoken French but strong on literature but I calculated that as I was very good at English, I'd be ok with studying French literature and I'd deal with the spoken element by spending a year as an assistante and I managed to get a placement near Avignon. As it happened, I ended up also doing a term in France at Orléans (long story which involved dropping Russian and doing a joint French/Economics degree).

prettybird my DSs’ school only allows 6 Nat 5s - very restrictive when you can only choose 4 subjects in addition to maths and English. Lots of crash Highers in S6, especially for those looking to do medicine (you couldn’t take all 3 sciences as individual Highers in S5).

I do not know about the Netherlands, but Germany for example makes Germans give up that passport if they naturalise as some other nationality

It’s the opposite scenario, though isn’t it? I wouldn’t be losing Dutch nationality, I’d be gaining it (and you don’t have to give up British citizenship if you gain another one). In most scenarios, gaining Dutch citizenship does mean giving up the previous one, but not if you get it through marriage.

I know that ds was very fortunate in the school he went to (it was a placing request but actually only 5 minutes walk further than the one he should've gone to - plus which was important to dh it played rugby from S1 - in fact ds went there the first year that it became an "SRU School of Rugby").

They were/are proud of the fact that they actually offered all three sciences for those that wanted to do them, rather than having to crash one in S6.

This is an inner city school with a very high proportion of SIMD1&2 (and Roma making up 10% of the S1 intake ).

Glasgow seems to be unusual in Scotland in leaving total flexibility to its secondary schools as to how they deliver CfE. But the inconsistency is in itself a weakness in CfE.

My understanding of CfE is that the broad general phase extends to the end of S3, leaving only 1 year for delivery of the Nat 5 curriculum. Hence our school only offering 6 subjects as that’s the most they could cover in the time available. Schools offering 7 or 8 seem to end the BGE phase at the end of S2?