Michael Gove - Conservative Shadow Schools and Families Minister - live on Mumsnet this Thursday 29th, 1-2pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Michael Gove is the shadow secretary of state for children, schools and families and a key part of David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet team, responsible for Conservative policy on education and child protection. He is the Tory candidate in Surrey Heath.One of the centrepiece's of the Conservatives election manifesto is allowing parents and other providers to set up schools with state funding, about which there's been lots of discussion on Mumsnet. Other pledges include 10,000 extra university places, allowing state schools to offer the International Baccalaureate and a moratorium on the closure of special schools.Born in Edinburgh in 1967 and brought up in Aberdeen. Before He's married to Times' writer Sarah Vine and they have a son and a daughter, both of primary school age.Please post advance questions for Michael here (and do please read our webchat guidelines if you're not already aware of them).Many thanks.

Hello all, Michael is in the building and ready to go, so watch this space...

One of the biggest issues that parents who have autistic children who are attending mainstream schools have is that both the diagnosis and the extent to which the child is disabled by their autism is questioned by individual teachers, SENCOs and schools. Just because an autistic child is in a mainstream school does not mean that their autism can be sidelined and the child can be made to conform and normalised.

What would you do to make sure that teachers, SENCOs and schools recognise and accept a diagnosis of autism that has been made by a clinician, and that they stop trying to make an autistic child behave just like their neuro-typical peers?

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Dear SSM,

Most people call me Michael, but please feel free to call me anything you like and the reason I'm here is I worship Justine...

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Training is now not the biggest issue. There is some really good training but training teachers is not changing their attitudes towards some children with SEN

And so you should, given that she let you repost your message to correct the typos!
Not everyone is allowed to do that you know.

Mrs Duffy certainly wasn't a bigot - she was a Labour supporter who spoke for millions...Nick Griffin is a holocasut-denying, hate-mongering, voter-scaring bigot - he's the real thing

(don't worry too much about the typos by the way, it adds to the aura of sincerity and authenticity. if Tony Blair had ever come on here he would have had lots, carefully placed.)

Good afternoon Michael

It is said that the government wants to introduce IB to secondary schools. Why is this?

My understanding of it is that it is much more difficult to gain the points needed for University Entry (versus A Levels) and that many universities still prefer A levels. It is therefore seen as not a great choice for anything other than the "top sets" in a school.

In fact one college in our area is no longer offering it as an alternative.

My children are privately educated and the school is only offering IB as a six form option so they will be leaving because I do not have any confidence that they will be offered a university place with it.

Would be interested to hear your views

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Hilarious comment re Nick Griffin!

Congratulations on your realistic policy of top up fees for pre-schools. If councils don't pass on enough funds, how else are nurseries supposed to survive? It's such a shame the press are being so one-sided and unrealistic about this issue.

I sincerely hope parents consider the full story before voting, as the best nurseries in this country are in danger of closing.

Top-up fees are essential!

DearGoldenticketI understand that the league tablesystem can cause problems but we do need accurate information on how children and schools are doing and that means externallyset and marked tests. the sats in Year 6 are the only externally set and marked tests which occur at any poibnt in primnary. And we need accurate information on how our primaries are doing.The peopleI've met who're most passioante about keeping SATS are heads and parents of great schools in pooreer areas who've previously been written off as attending or working in a sink school. Great SATS results proveto the outside world what a great job they are doing. However, I do think teher's a case for improving what we do at the moment to nake the tests better adn we propose trialling them iat the start Year 7 to allow more time in Year 6 for teaching.

Michael Gove wrote: 'we want to remove the existing bias in favour of inclusion - my experience is that many more parents wants their children in special schools and are denied that right'

That does somewhat contradict what DC said the other day. He said he would make it easier for parents to get what was right for their child, be it inclusion in mainstream schools or a special school education.

You are now saying that you want to remove a none existent bias to mainstream schooling - there is NO bias to inclusion at the moment so your 'experience' that people are denied that right is VERY puzzling. This is exactly the issue raised by Mr Bartley

The comprehensive schools where I live ignore the year 6 SATS results and do their own testing so what is the point of the SATS then? I also know schools who turn SEN children away in the fear that they will impact negatively on their SEN results. So passionate Heads can also be quite discriminatory to.

Michael Gove wrote: "Mrs Duffy certainly wasn't a bigot - she was a Labour supporter who spoke for millions.."

Don't you think the language she used ("flocks of Eastern Europeans") could be classed as bigoted........and do you think that people should hold these views? I would argue that it is your job as politicians (especially one who would oversee schools and education ) to educated people on these sorts of views and attempt to create harmony rather than stir up ill feeling. By saying her views are not bigoted or at the very least ill informed, you are saying you agree with her ("All these Eastern Europeans, coming over here stealing our jobs" etc etc)

So continuing ridiculous pressure and crap Y6 under the Conservatives too. Whoopie doo

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Well said lady BlaBlah. I think Gordon Brown's biggest mistake yesterday was that he apologised to a bigot.

Michael can you tell me how a conservative government would support people in abusive, dysfunctional relationships, to break their cycle of poor personal relationships and bad parenting?

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