Westministenders: Don't forget to stockpile. Again.

[RedToothBrush]

The government is telling pharmacists and drug manufactures to stockpile drugs ahead of the end of transition on 31st December.

In the middle of a pandemic.

What could go wrong?

Patel seems to operate at the level of a spiteful 12-year-old

basing government policy on what she thinks will anger "the other side"

She is obviously throwing petrol on the culture war, like a bargain basement Trump with boobs

England A-level downgrades hit pupils from disadvantaged areas hardest

Gosh what a shock:
privileged mc in private schools, leafy comprehensives & grammars do better under rules made by privileged mc just like them

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/13/england-a-level-downgrades-hit-pupils-from-disadvantaged-areas-hardest

Analysis also shows pupils at private schools benefited most from algorithm
...
Pupils in lower socioeconomic backgrounds were most likely to have the grades proposed by their teachers overruled, while those in wealthier areas were less likely to be downgraded,

One of those Scottish laws has gone through. The other is at the Bill stage, so close to going through. The Scottish police are protesting against being forced to police thought crime.

Lovely to hear about your DGd’s success, @Sostenueto.

Sturgeon is a very good communicator. But her party is a disaster, and there is no effective opposition.

Germany decided to avoid this problem:

the exam halls were opened for a couple of days in April (the usual date) and senior students did their exams, with extra space and ventilation

@flowerrful

One of those Scottish laws has gone through. The other is at the Bill stage, so close to going through. The Scottish police are protesting against being forced to police thought crime.

Not really a great advert for independence

Although even typing that makes me think that if you told a lot of Tories that the only way they could act the same in England is if were Scotland were independent independence would be that bit closer.

If that makes sense ?

BCF- Germany's populations infection rate would have been way lower than the uk's at that point?

This government is an unmitigated disaster, they fail to plan, so plan to fail....

I just ignore the rantings of the unionists now, as they are so unbalanced
It is Tory and Labour that are the nightmares in the UK and Scotland has realised this

I privately think independence would cost too much,
but I can't disagree that the SNP are far more competent at government - I just disagree with their reason for being !

I think the exams should have gone ahead, with more staff brought in to invigilate widely spaced children. Thought so at the time, as other countries were managing it.

Congratulations, @Sostenueto's Dgd!

@mrslaughan

BCF- Germany's populations infection rate would have been way lower than the uk's at that point?

This government is an unmitigated disaster, they fail to plan, so plan to fail....

.... Yes Germany's was much lower and the deaths peak was about 350 instead of 1,445

However, imo the UK should have let the 17/18 year-olds sit their A levels, Highers or whatever (I'm out of date !)

We know age is by far the greatest risk, so young adults are at tiny risk
Those low numbers could have been spread around each school in small groups for those few days
with volunteer teachers, even Dept of Ed staff etc to invigilate

Guestimates of grades was always going to be a problem in the best of countries and a clusterfuck with the BJ shower

.

Seriously.... what has no one else in the media picked this up

twitter.com/phantompower14/status/1293962778110234624?s=21

Can we ring up his headmaster and tell him?
He's sporting an almost unbelievable tan too.

Bloody hell, it should be headlines

.... but I suppsoe after that eye test

eek my new Smart keyboard has a mind of its own

Grant Shapps is supposed to be in quarantine - like thousands of others who returned from Spain

Or has enough time passed, if he had a negative test ?

Shapps arrived back in the UK on Wed 29th July, so he is just out of 14 days quarantine.

And ... France now added to the quarantine list.

I couldn't see why the GCSE and A level students couldn't have been allowed to continue at school. Don't exams start mid May? There was a week of March, then two weeks for Easter, and then 4 or 5 weeks back, which for most would have been revision. They could easily have coped with social distancing with only two year's worth of students in school. Then we wouldn't have had this ghastly mess.

Will any one resign over this? I doubt it - their usual modus operandi is to brazen it out.

We plan to go to France next month, come what may......

He's sporting an almost unbelievable tan too.

With the weather in the UK hotter than the Canaries, he could have got his tan from sitting in his back garden.

Teachers couldn't have brought their own children with them to supervise revision in classrooms though.

Revision could have been done at home with exam halls opened and other large buildings repurposed.

www.rte.ie/news/education/2020/0716/1153786-leaving-cert-results/
Ireland is offering students the option of calculated grades and/or participation in a rescheduled Leaving Cert penciled in for November. November will be too late for university entrance this year but grades achieved can be used in the next application cycle.

This will probably have the effect of enlarging the 2021 cohort, making university places harder to come by. It's possible parents and students will take this into account and opt for calculated/ predicted grades instead of the November exam date. Next year's cohort may well have the advantage of spending their entire academic year in school.

@Peregrina

I couldn't see why the GCSE and A level students couldn't have been allowed to continue at school. Don't exams start mid May? There was a week of March, then two weeks for Easter, and then 4 or 5 weeks back, which for most would have been revision. They could easily have coped with social distancing with only two year's worth of students in school. Then we wouldn't have had this ghastly mess.

Will any one resign over this? I doubt it - their usual modus operandi is to brazen it out.

We plan to go to France next month, come what may......

.... imo letting them take exams would have been enough, as cases & deaths were pretty high March-April in the UK

Dreadful mess now with exams