EDU - Blogged!

Now... square this circle!

2006-11-01T19:52:00.000Z

As a product of a Christian Brothers Education - they were neither christian nor brotherly from my experience - and a teacher for too many years to own up to, I have to admit I'm in a bit of a quandary. Now.. most people who know me will now be reaching for the smelling salts at that statement 'cos I'm not renowned for sitting on the fence about things!

The reason for my discomfort is the thorny problem of using schools and teachers to deal with ill-mannered, unruly and criminally emergent young people. Now I have a great deal of sympathy with what Rod Morgan, chairman of the Youth Justice Board,has been saying. Speaking to The Times he says that "it is time to confront the political correctness in schools that prevents teachers from disciplining pupils in the way that they used to — in part because they fear that parents will challenge them and even take legal action."

Indeed what teacher - or sane observer of young people's behaviour could argue with this statement from Rod:-
"What many young children lack are any sort of boundaries being set to their behaviour so that literally they don’t know how to behave properly. There has not been a role model to explain things and to set boundaries. Most children we know like a reasonably structured existence and many don’t have it."

Now something in me wants to say, "Well, society is getting exactly what it asked for when it removed the power to discipline from teachers."..... while another part of me remembers the Christian Brothers and a certain priest from my grammar school who must have skipped the religious lessons in Maynooth and attended advanced classes with the Sadist Society 'cos that guy knew how to hurt children! And sadly he had many friends of a similiar ilk on the school staff who ought never to have been unleashed unto a school population!

So therein is DD - Doherty's Dilemna. On the one hand, I see a great value in having a disciplinary power just short of getting kids into a system that sends them eventually to prison when a swift sharp punishment might have nipped a criminal career in the bud. On the other hand,I'd hate to see Father F's (shudder) power being revived.

So how do we square this particular circle? We need a system that that allows swift but reasonable punishment for minor offences delivered in an educational context by reasonable people while protecting yooung people from the more violent tendencies of some individuals. Of course this is all to do with respect and family values and and and and and... (hey you fill in the blanks yourself.)

Now I don't know the answer here but I have a lot of sympathy with Rob and a lot of fear about things that can go wrong, mixed with a greater fear that if we don't do something then we're heading for a society where we won't be shocked anymore by the violence of badly behaved young people but reporting on television when a youngster behaves like a human being!

Lord in thy Mercy

2006-10-27T09:35:00.000Z

Last week in the Sunday Times Andrew Clover wrote a brilliant little piece called - "Dad Rules: Lord in thy mercy, hear our prayer (and get our child into this school)"

Now a smaller taster...just to give a flavour!

"I signed up for the prophecy workshop. I reckoned only a madman would sign up for a prophecy workshop. But I couldn’t believe it when I arrived. There were 40 people there — most of them, tellingly, in their mid-thirties. Parent age. I saw it clearly: Christianity was fun, but it was providing no peace of mind. The Lord couldn’t guarantee a school place.

So we moved house. To a white ghetto with amazing schools. We’ve not been back to church since. We don’t need to. I’ve popped in twice for a mid-afternoon pray, but churches are never as quiet as you’re hoping. There’s always someone polishing the candles."

As I say.. well written, interesting cameo of what goes through the mind of anyone seeking the best education for the little blessings that they have bestowed upon the world. You have to be pretty desperate to go for a prophecy course!

Measure this desperation against the debacle of current government policy. First they create and encourage FAITH schools, then they say that FAITH schools lead to division, then FAITH schools are so good for kids that 25% of all their places must be shared with kids of different faiths or no faiths - forgive me for asking...... but doesn't that negate the reason for having Faith schools? -and (trrrrrraaam (drum roll).. they back down altogether and say they aren't backing down:

"Faith schools 'climbdown' denied

The education secretary has denied caving in after he scrapped plans to force new faith schools in England to raise intakes from other religions.

Thanks for the quote BBC.

Now I have to ask.. is it any wonder that schools get it wrong sometimes? We all this back and forth on policy is it any wonder that teachers don't know what to do next? Even worse, of course, is when the schools and teachers then get pilloried no matter which action they take!

But.. I have a solution to this one! All we really need to do is bring all school up to the same behavioural standards as the best of the Faith schools that are so admired.And here is how it can be done! First, let Tony and company visit their children's schools and then stop the ministerial Jag/Bentley/Rolls at a random primary/secondary school chosen by sticking a pin in the map. (Note to Tony - you must do this yourself and not allow pre-choosing of pin-pricks..ok?) Second, pop along unannounced to that school and if it isn't as bright and cheery as your child's school go back to Whitehall and kick some butt 'cos you've just hit reality. Then allocte the funds required to bring that school up to the standard of teh one attended by the little blessing you've visited upon teh world and ask your civil servants at DfES/DENI to report when all schools have surpassed that standard.

And if you want to ask more about my plan just pop a question in this blog.

OU offers free learning materials

2006-10-25T15:35:00.000Z

Yea... halleluya and yippee.... the OU has woken up to the Open Courseware movement started by MIT. Now, according to this BBC report :-

"The Open University is making its educational resources available free on the net for anyone in the world to use.
It aims to make 5,000 hours' worth of material available by April 2008 - not only for learners, but for educators to adapt and use for their own purposes.
The £5.65m OpenLearn project is backed by a US charitable foundation."

Now I just love this plan! We give all the knowledge away, make it freely available to anybody who wants it or who wants to learn from it.... brilliant! What have we been afraid of for years... that some people would accidently learn by bumping into great material?

The only piece in the jigsaw that isn't in place is how we organise the most important part of the learning equation - discussing this information with others and making sense of what we're reading. Somewhere we have to be able to explore with other interested people the books and articles and powerpoints that are posted. Neither the opencourseware movement or the new OU move allow access to staff so we're going to just go it alone!

Can I suggest that you pop along to Ultralab's Hotseat Corner and open up a debate on anything you fancy? Oh.... this is a free offer as well.

We thought we'd close the gap! Let me know how you get on... :-)

Success in the City

2006-10-24T10:34:00.000Z

So we can always look to America for some inspiration - can't we? - yes? Well why not! I'll try anything once! Read about Norfolk, Virginia's success in turning the tide of educational failure and argue that testing does not work?

Read it Here.

Try these for stats to start with...
"....1998 was particularly dismal across the board: Just 38 percent of third graders passed the state's Standards of Learning, or SOL, test in English; 26 percent of eighth graders were proficient in mathematics; and a mere 18 percent of high schoolers passed Virginia and U.S. history."
and now?

"Today, Norfolk is one of relatively few bright spots in the often bleak landscape of urban education, boasting impressive, ongoing gains of all sorts. Over the past seven years, for instance, the proportion of district students passing the SOLs has jumped in every subject, including a more than 60 percentage point leap in both fifth-grade history and Algebra 2. Educators have also made significant strides in narrowing the achievement gap--a goal considered the holy grail of inner-city education--with black students closing in on their white classmates' scores in all subject areas."

Now...me? I've never been one for arguing that testing the living daylights out of a pupil and targetting teachers is the way to go about getting successful learing but I do admit to admiring a system that turns failure around. That admiration is doubled when this lovely aspiration is applied:-
"While such teachers and administrators are held responsible for their students' performance, the climate in Norfolk is empowering rather than punitive. "We said to teachers, 'You're going to be held accountable, but it's not going to be a means to fire you, only to make you a better and more successful teacher'--although it took a while for them to believe it!" explains Denise Schnitzer, a 32-year veteran of the school system, who took over as interim superintendent last year after Simpson retired. "We always said it's ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them; if you find in the middle of the year that strategies aren't working, that's the time to change."

Now... isn't that refreshing? Teachers allowed to change what they are doing when it isn't working! Ah.... just like the good old days..... :-)))

All a "Shell Game"?

2006-10-24T10:33:00.000Z

Sometimes you read something and you just wonder at the ability to dodge bullets that is being fostered in the teaching profession. I mean... when it's a fish call it a fish/ when it's a crock of s*** then admit it!

I just love this wee report highlighted by the Beeb here on October 7th. Now it's all about teacher time - an age old problem... sigh...

Rights for teachers!

2006-10-24T10:32:00.000Z

This news story on the BBC Teachers to get more legal rights is absolutely stunning!!
So a group of headteachers have recommended that teachers be allowed to restrain pupils and use reasonable force and well... the government is just about ready to say, "Yes...let's do it!"

Good old Ruth instantly applauds:-
"Welcoming its contribution, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said: "Ofsted also tell us that behaviour is good in most schools most of the time. But some schools still face real discipline challenges because there is too little consistency in dealing with poor behaviour.

"There is still too much low level disruption to lessons - backchat, rudeness, calling out in class - that makes teaching and learning more difficult.

"These proposals can help bring change not just to the rules but to the culture reaffirming respect in classrooms and putting teachers firmly in charge."

Now.... which LUCKY teacher gets to test out the government's commitment to this by restraining wee Johnny? Which lucky classroom teacher wants to spend several months in court and several years in therapy will the papers use them as a punch bag and then try to find another job HM Gov run for the hills?

Come on then.... step forward.... you there with the chip on your shoulder and the crying need to teach that wean... come on! You go first..

Aye...right! Just let me drink this cup of tea and I'll be with you.

Hear this!!

2006-10-24T10:30:00.000Z

Hey... absolutely fasinated by this story available on the BBC Soldiers to sue over hearing loss :-

"Hundreds of former and serving army and police personnel are to sue for compensation claiming hearing loss as a result of weapons training.
A firm of Belfast solicitors is handling about 300 cases.
The claimants said they were offered no ear protection during firearms exercises."

Now this would explain to me why the police and army in NI were for so long seen as uncaring.... they obviously couldn't quite hear people saying it wasn't them.....
(what does this note say... ah... light blue touch paper and retire....:-) )

Been wondering about lists!

2006-10-24T10:29:00.000Z

Whilst scouring the latest headlines for morsels of educational interest I encountered this list of 234 schools praised twice by OfSTED- 'Best of the best' schools listed - and I have to admit its got me thinking again about the whole business of lists of good schools.

Now it turns out that 2327 schools have been mentioned in dispatches by the Chief Inspector since 1992 but, as the helpful spokesperson for the department points out:-

"The full list does reveal that some schools which were previously judged to be outstanding did not get the same accolade when they were inspected for a second time.

But a spokesperson for Ofsted said parents would be able to see from their reports that they might still be very good schools, just not quite in the very top league."

Now she goes on to say, and this is the frightening bit(!!):-

"..the idea of publishing the lists on the Ofsted website came about during preparation for the latest annual report.

The database was available so it was felt it might as well be shared with parents.."

"So what frightens you most then?" I hear you ask!

"Could it the spectre of a department mandarin thinking they know what we'd like to find out and being proactive?" - Nope.... not that one tho.. now you mention ....that is pretty frightening!

"Is it that the department have lists, then? Or the fact that they have let us see one?" - Nope... knew that! Let's face it if we all had a pound for every list prepared to impress an education secretary by some minion then we'd all be richer than Mark Thatcher's lawyers!

"Is it that this might be a department racing ahead of the game and placing as much information as possible into the public domain?" Nope.. I mean what else can they do with lists like these now? With so many schools on them too many people know about them to shred them!! Right??

"So what are you thinking then?" I hear you ask. Well.. it's simple really. I'm wondering:-

how many civil servants it took to produce this list and how much it cost? - how many schools have suffered a reduced budget so that some mandarin can tell the minister that out of 25,000 odd schools they have managed to visit 234 good ones in 13 years?

what use is it to someone in Newcastle to know that a school in London has twice been found to be good? -can a place for my child be found there? oh...and while you're at it find me a job and a decent house I can afford in the catchment area.

I'm wondering.. just because its there is that the best reason for publishing it? -and if you can't think of a better reason why not just say it was interesting instead of trying to hype it as a piece of info that I can't do without?

What about Bogstandard High that was inspected in 1999, and you've been avoiding since then, where the staff have been waiting patiently and working tirelessly for the inspectors' return to ratify their improvements? Is this the beginning of another annual list? Will it be a sliding list that operates only on the last 13 yeras or will it always hark back to 1992? Are some school to enjoy a golden age of mentions as being great - spoken of twice by OfSTED - as they fade into the twilight ... while others will be relegated to being know as a school that was only mentioned once!

Or on the other hand I could just be reading this all wrong! What do you think?

Education and King Canute!

2006-10-24T10:28:00.000Z

Read this story on the BBC and I just had to laugh... have a read here Schools told not to drill pupils and then..... I'll tell you why!
Ok.. have you ever read anything so ludicrous? So you produce a test, make sure that the rewards for "passing" the test are so high that it is ignominy to fail.... then you tell teachers and parents not to coach children for the test. Yeah... right!

Let's see . I wonder what the equivalent of this sort of call is? Yip.... got it...

taking a child to Disney and then asking them not to stare around wide-eyed!

your wife/girlfriend walking you past a nudist beach and saying "Don't look!"

refusing that last drink after the best party of the year....

not listening when you stumble across Gordon Brown explaining to his cronies how he's gonna stitch up Blair....

reading a Michael Winner restaurant review and not feeling sorry for the poor owner!

Now all of the above are as likely to happen as for school to stop coaching for exams. Unless of course we , as a society, were to seriously address the problem. How?

Well why don't we:-

Spend some money and bring the fabric of school buildings up to a minimum standard - let's say the standard enjoyed by the offspring of the mega rich.

Look at the environment and teaching ratios provided by the most successful schools - make that our minimum

decide that no child will be examined publicly until aged 16 - that doesn't mean they won't experience exams it just means they won't have their lives blighted at 5, 8 or 11 by being labelled failures!

alleviate the biggest excesses of our culture that mean we allow children to suffer poverty and malnutrition while we spend fortunes on inviting Las Vegas gambling kings to infest inner cities

invest in the work force of to-morrow by providing the best education that can be begged, borrowed, stolen or paid for - these are the future adults who will finance our pensions after all!

design a system that rewards those who keep the sewers flowing as well as those who manage the companies and equal with those who manage the government.

Now the cost of all this... yes..it's gonna be expensive. But then if the government can find the money to fire cruise missiles to blow up the mud huts of Afgan and Iraqi peasants then a few billion quid to enhance the education of our children and enrich all our futures ought to be relatively easy to find....oughtn't it?

OK..'nuff R&R! I'll just park this wee hobby horse here for a while... but now you know why I laughed at the article!

Phone Masts

2006-10-24T10:26:00.000Z

This story from the BBC Mobile masts by one in 10 schools has the potential to be truely alarming.....

Part of the story sates:-
"Out of a total of 26,532 schools, 2,350 had at least one mast within a 50 to 200 metre radius.

All central London schools have a mast within 200m. Soho Parish School has 27 masts nearby.

There are no proven health risks, but the National Radiological Protection Board advises a "precautionary approach" to citing masts near schools. "

At this point I am in a real dilemna! As a frequent mobile phone user I am already concerned about the effect the equipment might be having on my already ravaged brain - until recently I was putting down the holes in my memory as being due to advancing years... now I'm beginning to fear that the holes may well be real and caused by technology! Now this story adds even more concern.... every phone call I make is frying the brain cells of some little kid at a school hundreds of miles away.

I suppose I'm gonna have to cut down on my mobile use but then so as not to pollute the environment any more. The problem I'll have now tho' is handling the guilt when I make even one short call.

Am I alone? Without my mobile I more than likely will be more often!

Creativity in the Classroom

2006-10-24T10:25:00.000Z

Now here's a news story to gladden your heart!! Michael Faraday Primary School in Southwark, London and it's headteacher, Karen Fowler get an honourable mention by the DFES for their creative work in the classroom (see this BBC report for more info.)
Now... I'm all for creativity and it sounds like a great job being done here...but... - and here is my but - I think there are lots of schools doing the same thing. Stacks of teachers are being creative and providing fantastic, interesting experiences for their pupils! As a matter of fact... I think that probably the majority of primary schools are providing such experiences. What we really need to do is celebrate these and share them with as many folk as we can.

So... here you are... if you know of a school providing a fantastic creative experience for its pupils then feel free to write it up here and let the world know as well!

Maybe then the expectation of creative experience will become the norm!

R&R: Bonkers - conkers!

2006-10-24T10:24:00.000Z

Oh... smashing photograph Guardian.... :-)

This story from the Guardian "School issues safety glasses to fight conker ban " really got me laughing.

Here's this poor bloke ... probably struggling with all the usual school type problems- wee things like budgets and standards and staff relationships and poor plumbing and pupil bashing by the wee Jody in year one..... etc and he has to spend time and money bringing in safety goggles for kids playing conkers!
"What next... pupils wound in massive bales of cotton wool wrapping in case they bump into each other while running in the school yard? Where does this stop? Come on... come on...... where's the judge with some bottle - other than the kind filled with brandy! - who'll issue a ruling protecting schools from being sued by parents because children do what children are supposed to do...enjoy themselves!

Chemicals.....

2006-10-24T10:23:00.000Z

Fasinating report from the World Wildlife Fund- Compromising Our Children recorded here in the Daily Mail.
Now the report maintains that "We are all living in a global chemical experiment of which we don't know the outcome."

The Mail... goes on to say:

"The toxic effect from items as mundane as videos, televisions, computers, soft furnishings, car seats and furniture could be damaging children's intelligence and co-ordination..."

"Poorer memory, reduced visual recognition, less well developed movement skills and lower IQ scores have all been recorded in the EU as the result of this "disturbing" phenomenon"

All looks pretty scary to me and goes some way to explaining the massive growth in ADHD problems etc in recent years.

Makes me think...

How little we have learnt to respect our planet and ourselves.

How much we think we know.

How much like very young children we are as a species in that we continually disregard dangers despite being told!

What do you think about this report?

Grammar schools and all that....

2006-10-24T10:22:00.000Z

Northern Ireland's a wonderful place- I ought to know..I live here! But sometimes we have the capacity to go around in circles for what seems like eternity!
Take the 11 plus debate as a prime example. For those not in the know... this debate has been running for ages! As a young teacher being given his first 11 plus class in 1978 I was told by my headteacher, "Don't worry... it'll only be for one year. They are doing away with the 11 plus next year!" Eighteen years later I still had 11 plus pupils rolling through my classroom door and they still roll through classroom doors all over NI to-day. So.....what's this got to do with the price of beans/Guinness I hear you ask!
Well.. last year a government minister eventually bit the bullet and declared that the 11 plus was going. Firm decision... no going back... we must look to teh future etc.... Now this decision followed on from a consultation exercise set up by Martin McGuinnes as NI Assembly Minister for Education just after he declared that the 11 plus was going...... (see above....sigh!)
And now we have the fight back by the grammar schools. Read this marvellous report from the Belfast Telegraph for a flavour of the Open letter that some grammar school stalwarts, Confederation of Grammar Schools' Former Pupils' Association (CGSFPA), have published.
The CGSFPA chairman Gerry Beamish says:-
: "No matter how they dress it up, Costello is forcing comprehensive education to Northern Ireland against the expressed wishes of the majority of the population. Costello was not a truly representative body and did not consult with enough people before deciding that it would treat the Household Survey as unimportant."

So here we are... battle is joined - again - over the 11 plus and selection. Will we ever make a decision... watch this space! Will we overturn the decision once we've made it.....watch this space as well!! And in the meantime the parents and the pupils are the ones still caught in the middle... after 20 years of debate!

Here comes Charlie....

2006-10-24T10:21:00.000Z

In a magnificent contribution to the problems of pupil anti-social behaviour Charles Clarke opines that pupils should be kept on school premises during lunch time [reported in the Guardian...].....
Now... I'm not sure he's wrong but....... does it not sound a bit..ah..what's teh word..oh yes...Feeble?
Now if he'd suggested film shows, music concerts, games & sports activities, swimming sessions, cultural exhibitions, debates with public figures, online chats with pop stars....la di da di da...... then I might have figured he'd put five minutes thought into this!

Oh well......next time he'll have read this... and your solutions to school indiscipline..won't he?

Vandalism, Schools and Communities

2006-10-24T10:20:00.000Z

Fasinating title...eh? There is no doubt that communities and schools are plagued with attacks from vandals. The problem won't go away by itself.... so it's interesting to see how some communities are getting to grips with the problem.
This story from the The Rutherglen & Cambuslang Reformer .....[note to self- must get out more] that stalwart of Scottish Journalism......demonstrates just how one community is tackling the problem.

The report says: "in an effort to curb unruly pupils alleged to have been responsible for recent vandalism. The first Neighbours' Forum met last Tuesday afternoon in the school' s library to discuss problems which are understood to have been created from pupils walking home from the secondary school."
Now there's a novel idea.... get the school the pupils attend to take a stand against vandalism - get the local people involved - motivate the pupils to take more notice..... great. Now.... there was only one thing missing- parents!
Persumably the pupils have parents? In the meeting the head teacher:-"outlined the measures she was currently taking to counteract these difficulties, and further suggestions were made, including, more use of CCTV cameras in the area of the school, better environmental policing and more parental responsibility."

I don't suppose that any number of CCTV cameras will stop acts of vandalism by children without parents getting to grips with the fact that their little angels are the next street's wee hooligans.

So... a thankless task for the school... a nightmare for local people.... what would you suggest to help bring this problem under control?

R&R:School knocks out Punch for show!

2006-10-24T10:19:00.000Z

A Punch and Judy man says he was banned from performing at a school because his show was too violent.

This report from the BBC is brilliant..and the photo's good as well!

Now let's see... every night we have:-

soaps where people get mugged, murdered, beaten and stabbed;

we have wrestling on Sky One where women smash each other with tables and chairs;

we have nightly news bulletins where bombs explode in technicolour and the effects are captured in intimate detail;

we have countless films available on terrestial TV that have graphic scenes of violence;

we have children witnessing others being bullied in every playground in the land....

and then we have a school banning a Punch and Judy show because it's too violent....how quaint!

Now there's a GOOD idea!!

2006-10-24T10:18:00.000Z

So Tessa and Charles (Jowell and Clarke) have got together and found 7 Million to finance school trips to museums.... see the Guardian report here.

Fasinating spending decision........

Charles said:- "Museums and galleries can play a huge role in teaching and learning and can really bring the curriculum to life. There is nothing like a child being able to see and touch a piece of Roman mosaic to help them understand history and give them a real taste for learning."

And Tessa Jowell-the culture secretary- said: "This funding will create opportunities to enrich the learning of school age children and young people across the country......The funding announced today will be used to foster partnerships, bringing together the expertise of staff in museums and professional educators to provide added value learning experiences - through the use of cultural resources - in a classroom, museum or other setting."

Personally I think this is a cracking idea. I mean what's the point in collecting all these lovely, fantastic, fascinating, intriguing object and then locking them in some vault to protect them? Why should some dusty old academic from the British Museum be the only one able to get close enough to Egyptian treasures to be left gob-smacked by their beauty and intricacy??

I'm all for organising more trips to museums.... but I'd go further.. I'd love to see museums organising tripe to schools. I hereby launch a new campaign! I'm gonna call it Quiz a Curator. The essence of my scheme is that every museum curator in the country will be expected to pack a bag of his favourite items from the museum and visit ten schools every year. The curators will have a ball, teachers will get some real material for lessons, the kids will love it and, here's the payback, I'm certain that it will have a civilising effect on pupils in schools. So who supports my campaign then??

Still Laughing ... after reading this!!

2006-10-24T10:17:00.000Z

OfSTED's David Bell has just given a speech about the changes in education since the 1940s.... good on him you're thinking! Well me? I'm still laughing at the thought of some of the things he says. Check out the BBC for the full story...but...with comments like this I just had to smile! He maintains:-

"Drills have given way to dance, gymnastics and the study of health and fitness,"

"The quality of physical education teaching is improving. So, is this the time to recapture Butler's aspiration for the physical development of pupils and inject more of the "physical" into physical education?"

He goes on to ask if schools should not ensure pupils follow a healthy diet while they are in school, prevent the over-use of computers and make sure that children go outside if the weather is fine.

And what's making me laugh...

it's government policy that has trapped pupils in the classroom and allows no freedom for teachers to take pupils outside when the weather is fine!

it's government policy that packs the curriculum so much that PE, Music, Art etc are squeezed to the margins

it's government policy that has marginalised subjects like Home Economics where pupils learned the basics of healthy eating....

it's government policy that has place dance and gymnastics in the curriculum and failed miserable to provide any training for teachers in how to teach these things!

And who is advising the government? - OfSTED of course... and who's inspectors ensure that the focus is on things other than PE & Health...... oh that would be our David's Inspectors.

Whole thing made me laugh anyway!! :-0)))

School strikers to get red card for scoring goals

2006-10-24T10:16:00.000Z

The headline above screamed out of the Sunday Times for me this week! Is it a bird...is it a plane...nope it good old PC surfacing again!!
Football crazy rules in Scotland for sure.

In Edinburgh its already practice NOT to report school football matches of more than 14-0 so now along comes a new rule:-
".... officials plan to protect junior players from the trauma of losing by resetting the score to 0-0 at half-time and allowing the weaker team to field two extra players. Under new rules for school matches, children in Edinburgh will kick off next season safe in the knowledge that if they are five goals behind at half-time the score will be cancelled."

Now I don't know about you but I do know that this is the death knell for school football. Pupils would prefer to be hopelessly hammered by the opposition than have to suffer being hopelessly hammered with the half-time score cancelled and two extra players on the field. Under these rules the losing side loses much more than a football match they players lose their dignity! They will also be mercilessly taunted by the opposition for years and years as the side that was so hopeless that they had to cheat their way to defeat! Now... God help them should they be declared the "winners" of the second half.

Anybody else see the danger here? What's next....pupil exam results that are too high so we protect the other pupils from trauma by giving them extra marks for "effort" and putting a ceiling on the score a bright, hard-working kid can get?

R&R: It's life, but not as God planned it

2006-10-24T10:12:00.000Z

Yip..."It's life, but not as God planned it".... but I'm not talking about teaching or life in the classroom!! This report from the Guardian is truely frightening..... It's life, but not as God planned it.
Now it appears....that we have bunches of scientists running around trying to "create" life by using the very basic building blocks and experimenting. Great thought/aside! Is this where some of our least able world political figures have come from??

Now if you just pop off and read the report....(wait fro a moment while you do that.....) you'll maybe see what frightens me a little.

I particularly loved this bit of the Guardian article - I can't put it better so I'll not try- :
"By starting with a stripped down, basic life form, a designer organism could be made by simply adding genes, says Hutchison. It would allow organisms to be designed for specific tasks, like breaking down pollutants. "We believe it will get to the stage where we can sit down at a computer and design the organism we want just by ordering in the parts. It won't be fundamentally different to genetic modification, but it's a lot more flexible," he says. While the motivations at this stage are essentially scientific curiosity, stronger urges are also at work. "Part of it is definitely a desire to play God," he (Clyde Hutchison) says."

Quite simply I'm in a bit of a dilemna here. I admit to a more than generous helping of curiosity about what makes things tick - hey... I've taken new computers apart and failed to make them work again - so I know curiosity when I see it!! But is this one maybe going a wee bit too far?

Should we experiment with life in this way?

Doesn't all life deserve a wee bit of mystery left to it to make us think...ah...whem...?

If we master the creation of simple life forms where do we stop? Mankind as a species is more renowned for its excesses than the quality of its decision making processes. Where would it end? Who decides?

What if the life created is something that leads to the destruction of life on this planet as we know it? Let's say- for the sake of argument- that the life form created escapes then mutates through interaction with life on our planet into something that wipes out all life as we know it. Now it would be bad enough if we were to look apon the end of natural life because some disaster beyond our control had struck but to look on such an outcome and know it is happening because we couldn't our curiosity... and as a society our scientists.... now that is terrible to contemplate..isn't it? MAybe when we're finished "playing God" it'll be a case of praying that there is a God to help us!

So..it's been a Friday again...and as usual the education news has been slow but the education issue of when do we know when to stop learning?- certainly exercises my brain!

Teachers and stress....

2006-10-24T10:11:00.000Z

So there is a weight of evidence from some studies and anecdotal evidence that teaching is the most stressful profession. This BBC report, by Mike Baker, makes a good job of dragging all the material together....

Among the gems it contains is this...
"Yet pupil behaviour was not the biggest reason for calls to the Teacher Support Line.

The biggest single category for work-related stress calls was "conflict".

Last year, 5,382 teachers turned to the helpline because they were in conflict with either their manager, a colleague, a parent or a governor. Only about half this number had called because of problems with pupil behaviour.

I don't mean by this to minimise the effect of pupil indiscipline on teachers. Other surveys have suggested this is a major cause of their leaving the profession.

But sorting out pupil behaviour is an issue which goes beyond schools to wider social changes and the decline in respect for authority."

Now... this may seem obvious...and forgive me if it is..by if the teaching profession can't protect its own members from bullies...how can it expect to protect pupils. Come on educational leaders sort this one out and then watch the benefit of creating a no-blame culture in teaching!

Clarke snubs teachers' union

2006-10-24T10:10:00.000Z

So Charles Clarke has turned down an invitation to speak at the NUT conference again - now that's twice! Since Charles is not known as a wilting violet -why so shy? Is it time to vote off this weakest pink or is Charles right to avoid bear baiting the NUT in their own lair?

Children 'should get gun lessons'

2006-10-24T10:08:00.001Z

A member of the shadow cabinet - Conservative homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer - has attacked the ban on handguns introduced after the Dunblane massacre. The MP for Newark told a fringe meeting of the Conservative party's spring conference that gun crimes were like "joy riding". He said people were killed by cars, but cars were not banned.

"If children, youngsters, are to be able to handle proper firearms safely, later on in life, particularly on the farm, then they should be able to handle them and be taught how to use them safely." Patrick Mercer

What effect would this proposed step have on school life? As this article from the Guardian suggests pupils already are accessing lots of different weapons. Will it help if we also train them to be good with guns?

Drugs search guidelines issued

2006-10-24T10:08:00.000Z

Big splash with this last week and masses of publicity for the government.
BBC NEWS | Education | Drugs search guidelines issued
Loads of folk thinking -"At last the government is tackling drugs!" and others saying -"They have gone way too far this time!"

So now the detail is in schools and:-

make clear that searches for drugs will not mean pupils being frisked.

not appropriate for a member of staff to carry out a personal search. Personal property cannot be searched without consent.

lockers can be searched - even where consent is withheld.

endorsement of head teachers' right to use sniffer dogs and drug testing - but it suggests that schools should use "extreme caution" if they plan to use sniffer dogs without police involvement.

Ah.... are there any teeth in these guidelines? I see the local drug barons even now packing their suitcases! What do you think?

Learning to rock and roll

2006-10-24T10:02:00.000Z

This story caught my eye and made me think ..eh!? Brighton Institute of Modern Music is trying to teach youngsters to be rock stars! Now I don't have anything against this - except a wee thought that says... "Isn't rock all about rebelling against parents' music ...and change...and being different?" How can this be taught! The thought that we can turn out rock stars like mathematicans frightens me..don't know about you!!

Just a talking point!

2006-10-24T09:59:00.000Z

So all the news in the educational world is fairly boring to-day with nothing to stir the blood being reported....so..read on!

Just a wee rant then to start off a Friday afternoon debate!
When you look around at the things we are teaching in schools what do you see? Are we teaching the things that matter to pupils for the next 50-60 years of their lives or are we just getting them through a system with the least amount of trouble? How much of what we teach pupils is truely useful? As far as I can see we spend very little time teaching pupils how to behave in society - and so we get thugs who mug and steal; virtually no time teaching pupils how to appreciate life and improve themselves - so we get bored young adults who are a danger to themselves and a drain on society in general; absolutely NO time is devoted to developing a sense of self worth in children - so we get huge number of adults who are on a variety of paths to self destruction!

Isn't it time we looked at education from the product end and viewed that product as a happy, settled, creative, intelligent and productive society member?

Blair urges students to stay on

2006-10-24T09:58:00.000Z

So Tony Blair has laid out his plan to have young people to stay in education or training until the age of 18 or 19. At the Labour party conference he laid out his vision of "every secondary school with the resource, skill and ambition to develop the talents of its students, whatever their starting point or aspiration".
What do you reckon...more fine words that butter no parsnips? Or a bold endeavour by the government?

Binge-drinking culture confronted

2006-10-24T09:57:00.000Z

Follows on from Friday's R&R - rant & rave(!) - but still a very educational story. The government's new attempts to curb binge drinking as outlined in this BBC report are really interesting....

We all know that binge drinking happens and the report does a good job in hightlighting the problems:-

Alcohol misuse costs �20bn per year in health care and lost earnings

Six million people binge drink each week

47% of victims of violent crime thought their attacker was drunk

Alcohol is behind 40% of A&E admissions

But..... what part could be played by schools so that young people do not go down this path? Has education a role to play in changing this social problem?

What's your view?

New drive to give pupils laptops

2006-10-24T09:56:00.000Z

Now here is a great idea that is set to lessen the ever growing "digital divide" between those who can afford computers and those that can't afford the new technologies.

Will it work or not? Have you come across other ideas that should be put to wider use?

What's in a name then??

2006-10-24T09:54:00.000Z

So... Universities oppose the government's plan to let colleges that do little or no research use the name "university" - according to the Higher Education Minister, Alan Johnson.

So what do you think? Should the name "university" be only awarded to those institutions with a good research record?
In his statement Mr Johnson has said that in view of concerns that have been raised a further discussion paper will be issued. So what do you think he should do?

Pupil behaviour problems rising

2006-10-24T09:53:00.000Z

Belfast is having it's share of violent pupils according to this Belfast Education and Library Board survey highlighted by this BBC report

"Up to 30,000 students were found to be disruptive in class, from distracting others to more serious cases of aggression and violence. A shocking 2,000 children were involved in physical and verbal attacks. " - says the report.

Now violence in pupils is not a new thing and some will say that it is hardly surprising that such behaviour has been found in Belfast given the troubles, social deprivation and so on. But on a general point.... are we really addressing ANY of the issues surrounding bad behaviour in schools? There must be some better way to handle things than we have now...let's face it the problem isn't going away!

Friday: Rant & Rave

2006-10-24T09:52:00.000Z

Must be something to do with Fridays but there is nothing really interesting on the newswires to-day- educationwise that is! So.....time for a wee R&R!
This bullying report on the BBC did catch my eye. The Health Service Education unit interviewed 40,000 pupils to find that fewer primary pupils are being bullied now than in 1997. The report found:-
"The Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU) found 25% of boys aged 10 to 11 interviewed last year had experienced problems during the previous month. This compares with 30% in 1997. For girls the figure fell from 28% to 25%. "

Now I don't know about you but I don't really find this is something to slap our educationalist backs about. The thought that at least a quarter of our youngest pupils are suffering at school through bullying doesn't make me think we are doing a great job. I figure we are failing these pupils.
So is the problem that we won't grasp the nettle and expel the bully from the system or is it that we just think bullying is something that everyone has to cope with at school... and then at work.. and in society. Are we so afraid of the bullies even as adults that we are refusing to act?

If anyone reading this has been bullied and needs some help.... they could start here:-
DFES - some advice on stopping bullying.
Childline- Uk helpline

Maths and English rule at school

2006-10-24T09:50:00.001Z

According to the QCA and researchers at Manchester University the amount of time junior pupils spend on English and Mathematics has increased over the last six years.

In their report -highlighted on the BBC - they found:-

the percentage spent on English rose from 26.6 to 29.2 for children aged from seven to 11.

Time spent on maths rose from 19.8% to 22%.

Over the same period, time spent on science fell from 10.1% to 8.5%.

The share of time given to history and geography fell from 4.8% to 3.7%.

Now... several things occur to me about this.
Firstly, what else could be expected given the pressure of SATs and all!!;

Secondly, aren't we happy that schools are concentrating on Maths and English at this level- it's what we need Junior pupils to master if they are to reach the heights we need later- isn't it?;

Thirdly, I wondered are many schools taking the opportunity to use History & Geography & Art & PE to make life rich for pupils and give them a break from Maths and English.....or- are they trying to use History and Geography as a source for texts to use in English and neatly killing the interest that is possible to spark in pupils?

Seems we have a choice to make here between the time that schools have to do what we are asking them to do and the reality of school life. What is the purpose of a fancy curriculum when reality reduces it to Maths & English? Why not accept the reality, allocate a manageable time limit to its delivery and advocate richness delivered through other subjects at the discretion of the teacher and the school.

How the other half studies....

2006-10-24T09:50:00.000Z

Really intrigued by this story on the BBC. When going to school is not enough just highlights the difference between and the similarity of education in the UK and education in India.

One student talks about "as many as 45 boys and girls are packed into a classroom" and how the pressure of this means that the teacher can't give as much time as required to students.

The answer to the problem is a growing fad for home tutors with this student's parents spending "about Rs. 15,000 per month on tuition for their two sons - more than three times the school fees."

So I hear you say, "What is different in this from UK parents choosing private schooling?" ... not a lot! I just found the comparison intriguing and thought you'd enjoy the read as much as I did!!

Pupils paid £100 for turning up

2006-10-24T09:45:00.000Z

Pupils paid £100 for turning up... so this is the state that we've got into now! While millions of children across the world struggle to find an education we provide one and then pay pupils to turn up. What do you think...good idea? What does this say about us, our education system and our society in general?