Gove has gone!

[bleedingheart]

Leaving education role, moving to chief whip I think

Although 16-24 year old unemployment that was rising from 2004 to over 1 million is now falling fast, it is also encouraging that those children able to push themselves harder by taking traditional/analytical subjects, more often suitable to the workplace - and help their chances of not joining those unskilled for the 21st century workplace, needing to go back to post education schooling.

"A-level results: Fall in top grades caused by more students taking traditional subjects"
www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/alevel-results-fall-in-top-grades-caused-by-more-students-taking-traditional-subjects-9669707.html

“A drop in top grade passes at A-level this year may have been triggered by a growth in the number of candidates taking traditional academic subjects, exam boards have suggested.”

“Figures show the percentage of A* to B grade passes fell by 0.5 per cent to 52.4 this year, while the overall pass rate dipped for the first time in more than 30 years from 98.1 per cent to 98 per cent.”

“It coincided with a major increase in the number of candidates taking the “facilitating subjects” such as maths and science, which are necessary to secure a place at one of the UK’s more prestigious universities.”

“The exception to the downturn, though, was in the number of papers awarded an A grade this year which were up from 7.6 per cent in 2013 to 8.2 per cent - a trend put down to the brightest pupils pushing themselves harder now more universities insist on A grades for entry.”

“A-level results: Michael Gove should be pleased with today's marks”

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/alevel-results-michael-gove-should-be-pleased-with-todays-marks-9669381.html

“If Michael Gove had been around today as Education Secretary he would have been chuffed by this year’s results.”

“He always said he would not be worried by being the man not to preside over a ever-upward trend in results, and indeed saw the percentage of A* and A grade passes fall during his time at the helm.”

The keywords are from the first part of your quote

"may have"

BoneyBackJefferson …. Re the Independent’s “keyword” you mention, as the first set of results since Gove’s unpopular reforms, while more general employment useful subjects have been studied, it is clearly too early to call it a trend.

Hence my ‘keyword’ was “encouraging”.

The facts were that global studies indicated our children were falling behind in the key subjects and basic domestic tests, with a mountain anecdotal employer complaints, seemed to confirm it.

Moreover we had 580,000 of our 16 to 24 year-old unemployed in 2004, 711,000 unemployed before the 2007 crash (the height of the Brown economic and employment Boom’) rising to over 900,000 by 2010 and well over 1 million after – which WAS a real trend that seemed to indicate that our own children for various reasons (including education), were UNABLE TO COMPETE FOR UK JOBS within the UK, with those from outside.

As part of several other policies this parliament; reducing immigration, make unemployment less attractive, boost general private sector employment, boost employment for the young with employer National Insurance breaks, provide the young unemployed with further education, work experience/apprenticeships – the ‘backlog’ of an unemployed generation let down by the government policies of immigration neglect and a mass education system not preparing them for the workplace, is being reduced.

“Youth unemployment statistics - Commons Library Standard Note”
www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN05871/youth-unemployment-statistics

“767,000 young people aged 16-24 were unemployed in April to June 2014, down 102,000 on the previous quarter and down 206,000 on the previous year.”

In the big picture of things, IF repeat IF, our education system prepares them better for the workplace BEFORE they leave school, rather than have party policies to try again with the ‘same ol’ AFTER they leave and can’t get a job – then a taking of more analytical/work useful subjects BEFORE they leave is “encouraging”, in my very old school book.

Your keyword may be "encouraging" but your quotes do not contain any definitive facts or research pertaining to the reasons behind the fall in top grades.

It is far too early to give gove any credit for this apparent "improvement" in results without any facts to back it up.

"The facts were that global studies indicated our children were falling behind in the key subjects and basic domestic tests, with a mountain anecdotal employer complaints, seemed to confirm it."

So where are your facts that suggest that this years results have improved the situation.

BoneyBackJefferson …… OK then, let me put it another way, as per the OP in this link, it couldn’t have got much ‘kin worse, when our children were at or very near the BOTTOM of international education tables e.g. OECD, and many more were contemplating suicide.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/politics/1990838-UK-education-what-is-the-REAL-problem?pg=5

So when the first Independent link I provided up shows a very small drop in A - B but very small rise in A’s, while there appears very little change there, it is “encouraging” that our children are taking more analytical subjects, as quoted within that link.

“a major increase in the number of candidates taking the “facilitating subjects” such as maths and science,”

And based on a simple workplace study which confirmed what employers have been telling us for years, the majority of children leave school at 16+ lacking in basic e.g. over half those at secondary school cannot take £64.23 from £100, and get the right answer, often by more than £1 – if our children taking maths/science STILL can’t get themselves or their boss a coffee and work out the change, then we have NO HOPE for the future of this country.
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10631728/Pupils-cannot-count-out-change-due-to-poor-maths-skills.html

How MUCH Gove-ish rigour do you think that it’s take from Primary Schools up, to ensure that only 5%, or less, of our children can take one item from £100, not get it wrong, and take those little grey cells to the workplace?

“Encouraging” is also the Labour education ‘new broom’ has put his hands up to their ‘standards’, so when Labour gets back into office in 2015, hopefully they won’t go back to the ‘same ol’ education system they only had 13-years to get right, than took us to the bottom of international league tables and failed our children competing for our own jobs.
www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/labour-admits-great-crime-on-education-tristram-hunt-says-his-party-encouraged-schools-to-aim-too-low--and-pupils-paid-the-price-9053693.html

I reiterate “encouraging” no proof of a trend yet, but can’t really get worse and the more our children are encouraged to push themselves via analytical subjects that gives them better workplace skills, the better. IMO.

If we are to use "international education tables" (these don't exist by the way) why are you choosing the ones that are negative? There are others that put us near the top of Europe. Terms like stagnate haven't helped either as it is a misrepresentation of the results.

Your workplace study was of 2000 pupils so hardly a significant sample and was used to promote Nationwide's talking numbers program, hardly an unbiased source.

The system isn't perfect and requires change, but none of your "evidence" equals facts.