Westminstenders: How many Dead Cats Do You Get In A Thunderstorm?

[RedToothBrush]

It never rains. It only pours.

What I wouldn't give for a bit of old fashioned drizzle right now.

4 years on and we are facing a torment of calamities. Brexit, serious political instability in the USA ahead of an election that Trump will refuse to lose even if he does, trade deals with the rest of the world put on 6 week deadlines, anger within the commonwealth, a sick weak dependent PM on the back foot and ill briefed, rampant growing corruption in the Tory party, woke nut jobs out of touch with reality, councils on the brink of bankruptcy and the whole covid-19 crisis.

It would be a lot better to scrap GCSEs altogether and try to introduce a proper baccalaureate system at 14 plus, where there was some specialisation but everyone had to do a balanced curriculum including English and Maths. (Only talking about England here.)

I can't see it happening though.

There are pluses and minuses to the bacc system. It favours people who are good across the board over those who are very good at sciences but not so good at arts, or vice versa, or languages. Etc.

We've found out dd has the same teacher in Y5 as she had in Y3 which is a win for her. They are having 2hrs to "meet the teacher" mid July.

The links to "educational provisions" have been dire. We had a lady doing history that nearly bored us all to tears (link 1 of a 5 part yawn fest that killed any joy the Tudors once have had for dd so we stopped), White Rose Maths where we are apparently on a week in July although it jumps around just to keep parents on their toes lets not mention the week the school forgot to pay for it and one Eng set work a week that takes about 20mins to do (esp if you are dyslexic and hate writing). Also no marking of any of the work. But hey, my suggestion of updating the loos seems to have had an effect and all of the kids have voted on the new colours for the stalls. Zero mention of sensor taps/flushes/kick plate doors though

Yes, but should we not try to produce people who are reasonable all rounders? I think we need our French friends on to explain, but I think you could have a bac which majored in science or humanities, but didn't let people drop the other subjects entirely.

Is one of the present Cabinets' problem in that despite their expensive educations, they are one sided? Johnson hasn't got a clue about science, when you would hope that an educated man had a working knowedge. Raab hasn't the faintest idea of basic geography, and so it goes on.

And so we will "build, build, build" now. It appears any lessons about needing green spaces/cycle paths etc will be forgotten ASAP www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/27/jobless-total-to-hit-1980s-levels-without-fresh-state-support

Johnson hasn't got a clue about science
Raab hasn't the faintest idea of basic geography

The UK education system produces LOTS of rounded individuals
the political system weeds them all out

time for PR in ALL UK elections

Bac isn't so good for kids with SEN either..... but then the GCSE isn't either

Mind you - I really dislike the whole A level system where most people do 3 subjects - too narrow too soon

Yes I agree Peregrina. I think good all rounders can actually really struggle when forced to pick a narrow path. I know I did which is why I've worked in so many areas before pinning my hopes to the mast on Health (pfft!). I am often amazed by the depth of learning French and Italian friends have of all aspects of science and global history and they in return are completely baffled that I only had a choice of "up to 4" subjects when we did A' Levels and further baffled that these were somehow meant to link to a narrow career path.

Just dipping in to send a bit of love to everyone here.

It's tough, for sure.

I love White Rose Maths and I wish there was some way I could help parents who are having to struggle through all of this. It's so frustrating.

Sorry. That was a bit dislocated.

This week's been hard. My children are showing signs of strain. So am I. And I'm just sad, really, about everything.

But, hey, onwards we go - because we can't go back.

Catch up with Jonathan Pie
he is on form

My poor ds2 with only me to teach him maths! Luckily ds1 stepped up :)

I'm slightly more use to ds1 as I did one of his A levels so hcan help him with essay structure etc.

I'm sure you're great at teaching. But it's still a real burden. A burden which is falling disproportionately on women. 🤷‍♀️

My children are well beyond my help. I'm very worried about next year.

That's an issue, for sure
Countless threads on mn since lockdown about both parents wfh but the woman doing 90% of the home schooling, cleaning, cooking...
Fucking depressing

I'm worried too :(

cat / yoikes
and the really scary bit
is that misogynist part of the government
will blame us for our kids not achieving

Oh joy.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8466695/amp/Labour-frontbencher-Lloyd-Russell-Moyle-accuses-JK-Rowling-exploiting-sexual-assault-ordeal.html?twitterr_impression=true

Red has said this consistently. If the Left don't develop a critique of misogyny, the Right will use that opening.

It's appalling to have a Labour MP somehow believing it's OK to say this in 2020.

But he has been coddled and supported in the belief that it is OK to say it.

And he will be supported by sections of the Left for saying it.

And that is shameful.

Always the quandary with the Fail links...To click or not to click? That is the question.
Not sure I trust what they have to say on any Labour MP though?

And ... it's just so, so, so politically inept. I mean ... why? how? How do you get to be so very, very bad at your job?

Sunday papers - govt conflicts with civil servants

Sunday Times
senior officials begged housing secretary Robert Jenrick to block a property deal backed by Tory donor Richard Desmond.

Sunday Telegraph
Sir Mark Sedwill could be removed as head of the Civil Service this week in "Whitehall Revolution"
Note: he's a "mandarin"

Observer:
Jobless figures like the 80s ?
(imo, lucky to get off that lightly)

Russian intelligence offered bountyto kill UK & US soldiers in Afghanistan
(What about that report on Russian influence on UK politics ?)

It's in the headline. The Shadow Environment Secretary has given an interview with Tribune in which he says Rowling 'used' her history of being assaulted.

I was going to parse this but ... what's the point?

It's not a question of what's wrong with having done that, more a question of enumerating the ways in which it is unbelievably grim and dim.

Those are terrible headlines. Cummings, Jenrick and there's also news of more Covid outbreaks.

And Russel-Moyle providing great distraction. A misogynistic muppet.

Yes, but should we not try to produce people who are reasonable all rounders? I think we need our French friends on to explain, but I think you could have a bac which majored in science or humanities, but didn't let people drop the other subjects entirely.

You can’t really force all rounders - some people are good across the board naturally and some are naturally more talented at science or humanities. But in the British system you could pick a humanities, a science and a language if you wanted.And some kids do 4 or 5 A levels now.

The level of detail in British A levels is great - well - it used to be. You don’t really get the level of detail and close working in a humanities degree that you do at A level, for example, you don’t get to do that close working again until post-grad.

Afair in France you can do a bac pro, technologique or generale, and in the bac generale you could major in different things - physique-chimique, literature, or economique et social for example. But unless you’re lucky enough to be a true all rounder - students often end up having to do one subject they hate or are not good at and could potentially pull down their score.