Westminstenders: PreGrades (Minority Report comes to the UK)

[RedToothBrush]

In Aug 2020, London, DC's prototype 'PreGrades' launched from the education department stops plebs before they go to university, reducing the social mobility rate to zero percent. Social mobility is predicted using specialized mutated humans, called "Teachers", who "predict" grades by marking shit lots of course work and exams over a period of years. Would-be social climbers are knocked down in a computer algorithm which distorts reality and hits the disadvantaged hardest. Central government is on the verge of adopting the controversial program nationwide by applying it in all departments from the DWP, the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department of Justice to predict benefit fraud, getting sick asylum seeking and crime before it occurs.

DC's vision of the future is based on excellence being genetically ingrained into the elite but he must sell this vision to the unsuspecting public in a series of public votes which rely on the idea of the 'undeserving'. Little do they know that they too will be the victims of this plan until a mysterious bug appears and only the wealthy and well connected are able to get hold of adequate PPE and they are no longer able to buy bog roll nor retire to Spain as they had previously and endless queues for pizza form near Kent.

There have been quite a lot of tweets from NO teachers saying their kids are being great. I think we like to under estimate our teens, although I do think they are less compliant at school, in general.

That should say NI! NI teachers!

Liking the books carefully lined up behind Johnson today by a school librarian.

The Twits, Fahrenheit 451, Resistance, The Toll, Guards Guards ...

twitter.com/mikercameron/status/1298588763518533632?s=21

Ah! Now! According to Twitter, this is not as it seems...

the ex librarian put them there on her last day as a comment about the school leadership. The new librarian has never redone the displays...

twitter.com/JonathanRennoc2/status/1298702401692737538

Still a good story though.

Almost even better now!

With wheat prices going up, bread follows:

More Tory unhappiness with BJ:

Some Tories think the number of Govt U-turns may be mainly due to concerns about the UK union & Scotland, also NI

imo, it's because BJ first panders to his Social Darwinist denialist wing, which gets him in a ridiculous position, then the weight of evidence forces him to U-turn,
whereas NS & Arlene can look at the science first - and it's a hell of a thing to be behind the DUP in science

https://news.sky.com/story/the-one-factor-that-may-be-behind-all-the-governments-u-turns-12057400

there is one common denominator which runs through too many of the U-turns to be ignored, and hints at a bigger neuralgia in government:

nervousness about being outflanked by Nicola Sturgeon.

A phenomenal amount of energy is expended in schools on making students wear uniform properly. At least half the conversations one has with kids are probably about ties, skirt length, suitable shoes and so on. It’s a complete waste of time and a distraction from the business of education. I never saw the point of uniform and never noticed any change in behaviour in the classroom if they weren’t wearing it.

@borntobequiet

A phenomenal amount of energy is expended in schools on making students wear uniform properly. At least half the conversations one has with kids are probably about ties, skirt length, suitable shoes and so on. It’s a complete waste of time and a distraction from the business of education. I never saw the point of uniform and never noticed any change in behaviour in the classroom if they weren’t wearing it.

Completely agree. absolutely hated having the spend 5 minutes or so every damn hour supervising whilst a reluctant teen unrolls their skirt/tucks shirt in/adjusts their tie. Waste of time.

I fully agree on the uniform issue, but there are an awful lot who don't. We chose a primary school for our DCs which had an optional uniform. The head then decided to poll everyone about whether it should be made compulsory, and we were one of two families who voted to keep it optional.

However, it's not so bad at primary, locally at least, most are kitted out in the inexpensive offerings from the local supermarket, and it's grey trousers/pinafore, school sweatshirt.

At secondary it's a pain. Don't get me started on "it's a leveller" because it most certainly isn't.

Most countries manage well enough without uniforms, and young people tend to make their own uniform. You will know that I am getting on a bit in MN terms - back in the day when students went inter-railing, rather than catching cheap flights, I was on a train packed out with young people, so we were standing in the corridors. I looked down the length of the corridor and every single person was wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt.

But this is a Brexit thread.....

DD school is going back in mufti for the first half term - DS will spend most of his time in PE kit it seems. Some schools are being pragmatic...... they from the first email have made face masks optional - said if it makes a student more comfortable, they are welcome to wear them.

Found out I am in a little hotspot last- a- level students celebrating from the local private school apparently, but we know it won't stay within that circle. Local weather spoons has been closed down.. Fortunately We haven't really changed our behaviour...... so other than the odd trip to M&S food (I am still mostly using Ocado + farm shop) I am pretty removed from that circle. But it's not looking good for school openings.

And while I am in rant mode, I don't get this fashion for putting girls in ties - when increasingly grown men are not wearing ties. Even in formal situations - I saw Daniel Barenboim conducting a concert in evening dress but an open necked shirt.

Sadly, uniform is good at 1 thing...
Stopping kids wearing really inappropriate clothing.
Clothes with racist/sexist/disablist slogans on you've just got no sense of humour you snowflake!
Clothes that barely cover the body.
Designer Clothes that could/would be stolen...
I liked uniform. I didn't have any nice clothes.

It’s a complete waste of time and a distraction from the business of education. I never saw the point of uniform

I'm not sure about this - I think there are two important life lessons that this may address: (but I'm not an education professional)
a} it is often necessary to conform to expected norms in order to even enter the room and if you're not in the room you're opinion is worth diddley squat.
b) you have to earn the right to not conform

This isn't true of all sectors and the norms may be changing but there will always be norms and I suspect these lessons are still relevant - it's all part of learning to decide which hill is important enough to die on?

hates the ties though

I do wonder what the lasting fall out will be from all this - in the way that the last War completely upset the old order, but a new order came out of it, that could not have been envisioned in the 1930s. At least in the 1950s and 60s we felt there was progress and we were moving forward as a society. Now we are going backwards for all bar a moneyed few.

@borntobequiet

A phenomenal amount of energy is expended in schools on making students wear uniform properly. At least half the conversations one has with kids are probably about ties, skirt length, suitable shoes and so on. It’s a complete waste of time and a distraction from the business of education. I never saw the point of uniform and never noticed any change in behaviour in the classroom if they weren’t wearing it.

The thing is schools in the U.K. are also quite ‘gentle’ in the way they handle uniform issues. In France, they have similar issues about non compliance even though they dint have a uniform. Think a skirt that is too short etc.... They are able to handle it in such a way that there is rarely some reoffenders. A friend of mine who is a teacher says they either give them a white lab coat Or a bin bag to cover themselves until they are able to go back home and get changed (at lunch time or next day depending on how far they live).

All the stuff about teenagers not following ‘rules’ has a lot to do with the way it’s handled. And no telling teenagers to get dressed appropriately doesn’t work. Not sending them back home (they are missing school fgs, how can it be a deterrent?)

On the other side, insisting on having proper school shoes and not trainers is a nightmare for those who have little money an can’t afford to replace said school shoes etc...

Seriously, it’s not because you have no uniform that suddenly all students will turn up with inappropriate clothing, whether it’s jeans with holes, skirts that are too short or racist slogans. Far from, as proven by the many EU countries who don’t have a uniform....

a} it is often necessary to conform to expected norms in order to even enter the room and if you're not in the room you're opinion is worth diddley squat.

An interesting point. One of the local firms has gone for 'smart business wear' for its sixth form. I cannot help but think "Don't your pupils aspire to do other than be an estate agent or car salesman?"

b) you have to earn the right to not conform

How does this apply to Dominic Cummings, who is an untidy scruff, or Johnson?

@Peregrina

a} it is often necessary to conform to expected norms in order to even enter the room and if you're not in the room you're opinion is worth diddley squat.

An interesting point. One of the local firms has gone for 'smart business wear' for its sixth form. I cannot help but think "Don't your pupils aspire to do other than be an estate agent or car salesman?"

b) you have to earn the right to not conform

How does this apply to Dominic Cummings, who is an untidy scruff, or Johnson?

You can buy the right to not conform

Not local firms - local private school.

Both of ny sons schools were partially chosen on uniform (SEN provision was was above this) .... but both have relaxed uniform by British standards . Primary Navy cords or shorts with a check shirt - any check shirt...... senior school navy shirt - no tie , jumpers and trousers
Notice - no ties , being dyspraxic ties would be a disaster....

The whole tradition blazer and tie is awful.