Where are all my No-mates?

[HamletsSister]

In despair. Absolutely in despair. Do we have to go through this again? And with such a long lead up to the referendum? Really? What happened to the settled will of the Scottish people?

@statisticallychallenged Will you help me get through this again? (Was Roseformeplease then).

This might be of interest

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/the-snps-muddled-education-policy-is-failing-scottish-kids/

Has anybody seen the pop quiz they give to our kids about drug dealing, carrying weapons and anal sex?

twitter.com/KnockJohn/status/860910282142617600

We had maximum class sizes of 20 in S1 and S2 for Maths and English under Labour. The SNP dropped that and results suffered.

Also, we are far too busy ticking boxes for nebulous "experiences" to spend anything like the time needed on the basics (English teacher here). I do but that is because I am able to refuse to do much of the bullshit stuff because I have a supportive Head and am a sole teacher.

UpAwf I had a a look at that twitter account and I think the way the 'quiz' is being presented (by the chap on twitter, not you) is disingenuous. It's aimed at teens, not primary school kids and it's also non compulsory - I had a look at it.

I don't think it's the best presented quiz on earth - it's a bit confused and the questions should be presented more consistently and it's a bit naive.

Having said that I'd be interested in the results and I wouldn't have an issue with DSs completing it. I was expecting worse.

Gosh really. My kid has done the quiz, but I would have felt like I had to fill it in if I was given that at school. Not sure I'd like to fill something like that in now myself even as an adult. I guess I am fairly conservative-small government and would see it as an intrusion in to my private life.

Would you fill one of those out for the government now as an adult? I am genuinely surprised people are ok with it.

The spectator article is a worry - especially re the SNP trying to ditch the SSLN and has withdrawn Scottish students from 2 other surveys of international student attainment after the bad press over PISA - this is what I particularly dislike about the way the SNP have changed education, fewer measures so it's always possible to argue that it's 'fine' or 'positive outcomes'.

I agree.

upawf my dc came home with a nosey form that we were supposed to sign and return to school pledging we were a smoke free house. I binned it. I don't smoke, nobody in my family does, but I don't have to tell the bloody government via a pledge in a leaflet that I live in a smoke free house, none of their business and not their right to collate that data on me.

What next, a leaflet from the school asking you to pledge that you drink less than 14 units a week and always read to your kids at bed? Not very liberal!

I doubt it stopped even one persistent indoor smoker.

No, I wouldn't fill that survey in either!

Thank God. Thought I was losing my mind for a minute!

I hear what you're saying UpAwf - I do think it should be made very clear that it isn't compulsory and I can see why people might find it instrusive.

Would I feel comfortable answering it as an adult? I'm not sure.

What I did find really interesting were the questions about abuse by a partner... not only do they appear to be leading questions, but the snp have been grandstanding on the #rapeclause (because giving rape a hashtag of it's own is not at all sick) because women will need to disclose abuse and it might be traumatizing, but they have been asking childeren to do exactly the same thing in a classroom environment with absolutely no benefit for the individual child whatsoever.

I always wonder who these people catch - I remember being asked whether I'd tried drugs when I was at secondary school! I can't imagine they had many yes responders!

Ditto when you get that 5 page form from that health visitor asking whether you feel less happy after you've had a baby - seems like the definition of pointless paperwork. A few friends who've had serious PND would've reported being over the moon until they snapped.

I was a pain in the arse as a kid. Probably would have randomly ticked the silliest answers I could.

I understand the temptation. Similarly the countless books on breastfeeding when I'd bf dc1 already, at no point said anything other than dc2 would be bf, but still, still, they had to give me the books and the leaflets telling me breast is best - complete waste of time. Was tempted to say I was FF just for the hell of it.

Have heavy cold, will stop ranting about bloody stupid lecturing nosy forms!

I like the qustion at the end asking if you'd been honest :o

I wouldn't complete it as an adult but I wouldn't have an issue with my DSs completing it if they wanted to. Given the level of imaginative responses they'll get I am not sure what use it will be. I think reading/completing it would spark a bit of thought though I am not sure all of it would be positive.

It certainly gives a drug shopping list!

I think DSs might read it and think themselves lucky (I hope).

My daughter was a bit put out by it. There was some outrage on her part. She takes breaking the law VERY (perhaps too) seriously. I think she was a bit like heroin really... are they taking the p I double s. I am not worried as my daughter's answers will be very boring, but the storage of this type of very detailed personal info and for how long concerns me. Especially if your kid is a bit more adventurous.

Nolottery I hope you don't think I was bragging either! ...like I said we live in a naice area and if they weren't doing well -better than average - it would be more surprising ...(We are more likely to have problems with parents being too involved/competitive/pushy....)

I agree that survey is intrusive - and am I right in thinking that SCN is their SQA exam no? They ask that many questions that I can't really think of any reason that it needs to be identifying in any way...they need to cross reference information with what the school holds.

And I think it is badly written...things like the ethnicity questions - you can be White Scottish/British/Irish/gypsy then any of a number of Eastern European origins...then white -other (looks like they got a map of Europe and started working their way across right to left and then ran out of patience...) Also can't you be Lithuanian And black or arabic etc?
And I agree - it is really scary how much data agencies have on us - the latest application form for funding for 3yr olds is massive - questions about religion, ethnic background, medical history - number of siblings, DOBs etc and the default is to request the details of 3 contacts (name, relationship to child, address, telephone no and email) - and it is all entered into a database. And the record is passed on from Nursery to primary to secondary - held until they are 18.
In addition to ethnicity - it also asks 'what nationality do you consider yourself to be?' - I don't know many 3 yos who consider themselves to be any nationality... (and suspect the SNP had some influence)
Not only am I uncomfortable that the state has all that info - but the database provider is a private company. Apparently they can't use/sell on identifiable data for marketing - but can use it anonymously.
And it is accessed online - it could be hacked...
And what happens to all that data if the private company goes bust - or increases what it charges 1000 fold and the council want to walk away? This company provides this service for the majority of Scottish councils...has the details of most of the children in Scotland...so in the future most of the adults...I find it quite frightening.

And if they then link it with that quiz...at 18 they will know that your parents were concerned about your toilet training at 3 and yet were quite happily plying you with alcohol and encouraging you to carry a weapon at 14...

No I didn't think that! I appreciated the info! I agree I don't like how all this data is stored on us.

I never answer in the questions on race, identity and religion.

belle the scary thing I think is that lots of people fill this stuff in without thinking twice about it - especially younger people as they have grown up with it ...
I think I am down as 'weird' at primary as I refused permission for my DCs to use a thumb print for the school library. They reassured me they can't work it backwards etc and I still refused. The main reason is that I don't think we should normalise - make it acceptable to DCs - for 'the state' to collect their fingerprints. At the moment I don't think it is a problem - but you never know what is going to happen/how things could change. Less than 30yrs ago we had the soviet block - Poland was a communist country...

I remember the sex and drugs surveys from when I was at school 30 years ago. The interesting thing is the stats show we were a more intemperate bunch - I actually think the stats underplay the change as the youth of today are more prone to bragging

My lot have already been finger printed on their travels so having been very anti Big Brother I am now coming round to the conclusion it is better to codify things and go down the ID card route.

Coming back to tactical voting, all the councils now have full vote analysis on their websites. Ruth's twitter reckons there are 15+ tactical Tory seats (looks like most of Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and anywhere south of Glasgow, including East Renf - jury still out on Stirling and East Dunbartonshire but Con ahead of LibDem for locals).

The Highlands and above North West of Glasgow and Clydebank all still look tactical LibDem.

Edinburgh is going to be interesting. Ian Murray's seat has Con slightly ahead, but Greens will probably vote tactically SNP. Edinburgh North has a Green candidate who could split the SNP vote and give a Con win. Edinburgh West has LibDem comfortably ahead. Edinburgh SW has Con ahead even if all the Greens vote SNP.

For Glasgow the tactical vote is always Labour - if all the new Con voters of Shettleston go back to Labour then Labour win.

Not sure what impact if any the Greens will have in Falkirk - assume it will be single issue anti-fracking?

Found a really snazzy site mapping wards to GE constituencies and it is all slightly addictive - wall to wall rubbish on the telly has a lot to answer for. DD1 is a US citizen so we followed the State by State analysis for Trump v Hillary. Now planning a multicoloured Scotland map.