Scottish Family Party

[Greektome]

I've only just noticed the existence of this new political party. Does anyone have a view? I've had a quick look at what they're saying about education, and it seems sensible?

Came across them a few years ago, was repelled, never gave them another thought.

Even if they’ve said one thing you agree with, there’s ALL the rest of their regressive and misogynistic nonsense to take into consideration. Do you really want to align yourself with that shite?

Well, not to make comparisons, but the SNP is a single issue party akin to UKIP or the Brexit party whose very few policies (named person, redefinition of women, hate bill, to name but three) many find repellent, but still vote SNP because they further the independence agenda. Pity they do that primarily through sowing discord.
I am not familiar with the SFP policies, but most certainly having "repellent" policies doesn't really disqualify you from running a country.

NB. I am stretching my child at home. And she goes to a decent school. But despite that I feel that the education system is dragging her down.
For one thing there's so much teaching to the exam.
When I was at school writing an essay meant thinking about the topic and writing about it in your own way to communicate your own ideas. What it means at DD's school is that she has to write a certain number of points covering certain things in each paragraph, or whatever, to get a mark or half mark per point covered. It's very prescribed and there doesn't seem to be time to think, discuss, question, develop your own essay writing style, etc.

But this a thread where the OP asked if anyone had a view on the Scottish Family Party as they find what they have to say about education sensible.

Others don't and have given their reasons.

It's not about a twee illustration. It's not about what schools are doing wrong or what other parties are doing.

It's the numerous points that posters are making that the Scottish Family Party's policies are abhorrent, offensive, archaic and we are waiting for rational explanations for why it's sensible.

Or could be they're are none. And everything is an attempt to steer the discussion away from the question asked in the opening post.

@Lidlfix, to me the question is whether one policy you like is enough to make you vote for a certain party, even if the rest you disapprove of.

I completely disagree. That is nothing like the question posed.

In the absence of explanation that is an answer in itself.

We have the opportunity to vote next year and I currently can't bring myself to vote for anyone. I strongly believe in voting whenever you can, even if you have to vote tactically, and hate the thought of not voting. So I was interested to find that there was a new party I hadn't heard of. But no, my whole issue is that I don't want to vote for a party that I have strong objections to, even if I agree with some of their policies.
So back to the drawing board then.

Don't be so silly @Greektome. There isn't a school in the country that expects (or even hopes) all pupils come out with the same outcomes. What we hope is that all children achieve their potential. Some children need a wee bit extra help to achieve their potential.

If you're concerned about your DC, contact the school with your concerns, don't waste your vote on a shower of lunatics.

@icanboogieboogiewoogie, honestly, NOT in my experience.
What I have seen is indeed a race to the bottom, or, should I say, a race to who digs a deeper hole, all shrouded in the glory of the CfE, health and wellbeing, emotions, etc

Also please read up on the CfE as was put in place to promote critical thinking and certainly not 'teaching to the test'.

For example, in primary school pupils learn the difference between primary and secondary and reliable vs non reliable sources of information. They also practice putting forward their views and justifying them using the research they have found from reliable sources (verbally and in written pieces).

PPs have clarified your misunderstanding of the attainment gap so I hope you feel a bit more at ease now. Of course, keep pushing the school if you feel your child is not being challenged.

Looking at the national picture, positive destinations are the highest they've ever been- Scottish education certainly isn't the 'race to the bottom' you've described.

Arkadia can I ask what experience you have of the CfE? Have you worked in an educational setting?

@Scotslassie1, I know you're are a fervent sturgette, but even you must convene that "positive destinations" doesn't mean much as it comprises everything, bar being jail and on the sole.
Let's talk about literacy and numeracy standards stagnating (at best) or falling.
Some pupils do well despite the CfE, certainly not that is to it.

@Scotslassie1, no, but I do have two kids at primary and I see what goes on (despite, and NOT thanks to my excellent rated school), so I have an informed opinion of my situation.

I didn't mention the FM and was trying to have a discussion re your concerns relating to the curriculum.

Do I think the SNP have delivered on education?
No

Do I think that problem can be solved by the forced birther party?
No

Do I think that giving equal opportunities, removing barriers to progress and trying to help all children realise their potential is the reason that the SNP have not delivered on education?
No

They need to be doing more of the football pic, not less. Supporting less able children is not the reason that more able children do not realise their potential.

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett, amen!

I can see what the cfe learning through play early years was trying to achieve, in practice though, I can't see any evidence it is leading to better outcomes or works with the school buildings and class sizes constraints we've got.

@PersonaNonGarter

It’s creepy. Of course it is.

Do we know who is funding it? Wee Frees? Pro-lifers?

Jings, if it’s got anything to do with the wee frees run for your life.

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett

Do I think the SNP have delivered on education? No

Do I think that problem can be solved by the forced birther party?
No

Do I think that giving equal opportunities, removing barriers to progress and trying to help all children realise their potential is the reason that the SNP have not delivered on education?
No

They need to be doing more of the football pic, not less. Supporting less able children is not the reason that more able children do not realise their potential.

👏

I wasn't going to contribute to this thread but wanted to comment that ds' experience of CfE was positive: didn't change the way that they taught at primary school as that was the way his (excellent) primary school already taught (an indirect consequence of the way it had developed its team teaching because over 60% of its pupils were EAL) and he was the 3rd or 4th cohort to sit Nat 5s. His secondary school did 8 Nat 5s over 2 years (for the capable kids) - yet still passed its BGE inspections. It cared just as much about the less academically able kids as it did the academic ones (like ds) and celebrated achievements of all kinds, from sporting to academic to dramatic to culinary to artistic to musical. Rather than getting bored because they were studying the Nat 5 curriculum over 2 years, they moved on to the Higher curriculum early.

GCC Education Dept might not be perfect - but it does give its secondary schools a lot of discretion/flexibility to teach according to their cohort.

But I will admit the secondary had an excellent head teacher and SMT. I hope it stays that way as she retired last year.

Ds is now in his 3rd year at Aberdeen Uni and doing well

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett, on reflection, at least the "forced birther party" mentions schools, while for the "what is a woman party" says that everything is honky dory, nay, everything is just as good as it ever get.
How to choose??

@prettybird, as you say, very likely your experience is because if the staff and it would have been good pretty much under any framework. Maybe your HT was not a believer, so he managed despite the CfE, rather than because of it.
BTW, when you say that your school is "excellent" do you mean that was rated "excellent" it that you thought it was excellent?
In my case, my primary has been rated "excellent" and I wish I could be a fly on the wall in "very good", "good" or "not so good" schools to see what they actually think makes a school and "excellent" school.

I go to the Free Church and I wouldn't vote for this party.

Primary school was both rated excellent (inspection iirc when he was in P6) - and our experience of it reflected that. The SMTs at both the primary school and the secondary school were very supportive of CfE and its principles - but primarily because they said that it was what good teaching should be doing anyway.

I will admit that ds didn't go to the catchment secondary (we were near enough equidistant between them and we wanted him to go to the "School of Rugby" one - where even the depute at the primary school said "there would be more boys like [ds]").

Even so, the secondary he went to had (and has) an extremely mixed demographic, with a high proportion of SMID1&2 (and 10% of its S1 intake being Roma ) and also had to cope with 55 languages spoken at the school.

@Arkadia don't get me wrong, I wish there was an alternative to the SNP - but this isn't it. Good government comes from effective opposition.

The biggest influence on academic attainment is parental support. None of the kids of people on this thread have to worry about that really. The kids that need the support are the ones where acadmic success is not valued at home/parents don't know what they should do as they were never supported/there are problems in the home etc etc.

DH and I come from deprived backgrounds,. our DC don't, they've had us to advocate (not always successfully) for them. Some DC don't have that, don't have have a household that necessarily values education or maybe they do but don't have a great education record themselves.

I do see the "closing the gap" narrative and it's current use as negative. The principle isn't in that appropriate interventions should mean a bigger increase in attainment is possible for those at the bottom, it should mean even when those at the top achieve better, the gap should still close as the bottom 25% should rise faster.

That's not really what is celebrated though in terms of spin given from Scotgov. Individual schools will have different issues, different priorities and different successes.