Not often Ofsted comes up with anything useful but today it reveals that half a million children in England alone have been wrongly diagnosed with “special needs”. This instantly raises questions about the professionalism of some teachers and the approach of some schools. Now, this is a problem for the BBC which slavishly promotes the teaching “profession” so how to deal with it? Check out this prime-time 8.10am discussion. The BBC sets it up as if it is between someone in favour of the Ofsted view and someone against it. But, as you would expect, nothing could be further from the truth. Jon Bangs from the NUT is introduced as if he is in favour of the report but he instantly starts wailing about how tough things are for teachers, how they need more resource and more training – unbelievable. Then, Headteacher Jo Shuter drones on about “barriers to learning” – listen to her evade Humphrys questions. Her arrogance and liberal leanings are obvious and there is NO voice to counter her.
THE GREAT TEACHING SCAM, COVERED UP
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That Jon Bangs fella said 3 gibberish things and they all equated to more cash. It was funny having Frank Dobby Dobson on who stated that schools have £2 billion in reserves! Oh, the horror.
What a balls-breaker that woman was.
Did she really say, ‘100% of our kids go on to university’?
Yes she did. Even apparently the 51% of her pupils without equivalent of five or more GCSE grades C or above including English and Maths.
Humphrys – Do you get extra money if a child has special educational needs.
Shuter – I think the resource issue is a very dangerous one…
That would be a ‘yes’ then.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in this country whose primary skill is ‘public sector’. They know all the buzzwords to use, the committees to be on, the meetings to hold, the policies to ‘adopt wholeheartedly’, and the games to play that ensure the torrent of public (ie our) money coming their way never diminishes to a trickle
Whilst driving in to work I heard her claim that 100% of her kids went on to university. My jaw nearly hit the brake pedal. It’s a pity John Humphrys didn’t pick her up on it but, to be fair to him, I don’t think there was the time.
Why the hell would you want 100% of kids to go to university, and what does it say about their admission policies and the standard of degrees if everyone from a school gets in? Of course, she probably meant “100% of those who want to go get in” but the point I think still stands.
Just how the f*ck did we get to a situation where 1 in 5 children is assessed as having special education needs without someone saying “Hang on, this doesn’t look right” well before now? Something the BBC could have usefully used its intrepid investigative journalists to look into, instead of navel-gazing about Coulson.
Follow the money. A diagnosis of ‘special needs’ means more money for the school.
It also means it’s not my fault gov, I’m a great teacher but the kid has special needs so what could I do?
This 100% business is very curious. Ms Shuter (a Brown CBE recipient) is head of the Quintin Kynaston School, of which Wiki says “It gets the third best GCSE results in Westminster LEA with above average results. Results at A level are less good, and are some way below everage.”
So How do the trainee luvvies all get to university???
Yes, she bloody well did. I heard that, too!!!! Quality. So none of them are involved in car accidents, then? Fantastic stupidity. 100% bullshitieeeeeettte.
Maybe there’s an initiative that we haven’t heard of whereby universities employ retards to empty the bins or something. Maybe that explains the 100% of blah blah blah comment.
Then, as if we didn’t get the message, Brian Lamb who apparently chaired an “investigation” into SEN education and – as I think I heard (I was only half-listening to the BBC propaganda feed) – has an SEN child came on to tell us that OFSTED is a horrible, horrible outfit which is horribly horribly wrong. So there!! In other words, not one voice staing that maybe, maybe SEN classification as carried out by the educational bureaucracy in the UK is a con – and an especial con on those children are genuinely educationally sub-normal. Much like sending children to university who cannot possibly benefit from it – although a great swathe of “academics” benefits very nicely thank you.
They all live in la la land. Our woeful education system will only ensure that the countries of East Asia, where the best and the brightest receive the best and no nonsense about social engineering, will relegate this country to poor relation status within a generation. WE will not be able to earn a living and live as we do now.
Even Gove shows no sign that he understands how quickly this will happen unless we change to a merit based system. That means selection by examination. Really tough A levels and far far fewer universities.
The reality is just that. Teachers unions have no idea about the reality of the world. That the BBC does not is taken as read.
dave s,
My cousin in the UK has a 14-year old daughter who is actually quite bright. One of my best friends in Gambia ( my adoptive country) has a daughter the same age who is also very bright.
I thought it a good idea if they could be pen friends. Mariatou does not have access to a computer so it meant she and Kirstie have to communicate by letter.
Anyone care to guess whose letter-writing is better ? ( Hint. They still teach reading, writing and letter-writing in Gambia using traditional methods, with chalk on a blackboard ).
What our education system needs is a Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0829/After-Katrina-how-charter-schools-helped-recast-New-Orleans-education
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4320548/katrinas-impact-on-education-in-new-orleans/
The BBC has run this story but won’t learn any lessons from it.
Ler’s face it, the country’s f*cked, probably beyond redemption.
And, in the near future, as the tumbleweed bimbles around the studios, what will the BBC do then? Just say “told you so”, collect their pensions and bum boys, and disappear to foreign parts.
… and given that my old headmaster managed to go through his 40 year career without ever once appearing on The Today Programme you may well ask why Ballsbreaker Shuter appeared on the programme in the first place. Doesn’t she have… you know… headmastering to be getting on with?
Of course ‘public service’ by itself is boring innit. Far more interesting to be campaigning and self-promoting.
Unfortunately, Spanish Practices (and make no mistake this SEN lark is a Spanish Practice), rife throughout the public sector, cost us far more than ‘greedy bankers’ have. A point that seems to have evaded inter alia the BBC.
Ofsted makes the BBC look almost respectable in comparision.
Ofsted has often promoted the cult of ‘special needs’, especially in schools in sh*t areas, and most teachers have done as they were told, usually knowing full well that the whole thing is a trendy sham.
This Ofsted announcement is essentially true but is a piece of naked opportunism. The agency knows which way the polictical wind is blowing and is making the right noises to make sure it isn’t abolished, reorganised or downsized.
As for the BBC being pro-teacher, I disagree. The BBC is pro-trendy, lefty educational theories. Teachers who espouse such theories usually get on very well in our dumbed down schools, much to the dismay of most rank and file classroom staff.
I apologise for my language, but I am fed up with these sort of interviews which are blatant propaganda for the lefties. Maitlis yesterday did not challenge the TUC man about his 26,000 redundacy notices, this item today, shows a woman who can walk on water. NEVER CHALLENGED.
Agreed. The BBC are anti white middle class private schools/Grammar schools (where of course most of the BBC and white leberal left send their own kids).
Remember what Alistair Campbell called our comprehensive shit holes. “Bog standard”
Even Diane Abbott refused ot use a state school. Hatte Hatemenperson refused to, as did Polly Toynbee.
Shit state schools are for the proles not for the white liberals, who wouldn’t be seen dead dropping their kids off at some inner city state comp.
Why are all these people going to university in the first place? Why does every job these days seem to need a degree in crap?
What makes me laugh is all these kids that come out of uni and can’t get a job. Note they always seem to have a degree in art, media studies etc.
You don’t see many with a degree in mechanical engineering unemployed. If they can’t get a job here they’re off overseas. I’m sure Australia, Canad and the USA are quite happy to accept the brightest and the best.
Martin,
I used to lecture at a third rate, nameless, university. The joke was “what do you say to a graduate ? ” Answer ” A big Mac and chips “.
Grant,
The one I heard was ‘How do you get a Graduate off your doorstep?’ Answer, Pay him for the pizza.
Fred,
That is a high score for Humphries !
Oh why did they pick her! Go on the net, Jo Shuter made CBE this year, however 5 years ago the bBC dropped a documentary about her which was just about to be shown. When they found out the doc ‘Head on the block’ was produced by her sister and directed by her partner.
Fred,
That wouldn’t normally stop the BBC !
All excellent posts above. I have given up clicking “like “. This is what this website is all about. For someone to feel I am not alone and not going insane !
Don’t say that Grant or ‘Scott’ will pay you a visit with a big jar of cold Vaseline.
I miss old Scotty in a strange way, but he would have to fight his way through dozens of crates of Irn Bru and deal with my “Sgian Dhu”. Oh dear , he might enjoy that, what have I said ?
Edit – The Public Sector ethos : campaign, self-promote, and get on quangos, that’s where t’big mooney is.
This one is close to home for me as I have spent the last few months dealing with new trainee (who is 19) at work. I soon found that while his reading skills appear OK his spelling was terrible but even worse he wasn’t using the spelling checker on any of the software we use. When I pulled him up about this he told me straight away he was dyslexic and therefore couldn’t be expected to spell. Likewise while he would sit and read computer mags in his lunch break when I would ask him to look something up in a technical manual out would come the dyslexia excuse again. Which he pointed out was diagnosed by his school.
We have come to the conclusion that while he is of probably average intelligence he is lazy. So it appears that while he was at school rather than keep a close eye on him and make sure he was learning the school took the easy way out and diagnosed dyslexia. Now the idle sod has an excuse for the rest of his life. We finally got rid of him a few weeks ago mainly over his time keeping thankfully.
While I’m on the subject can any of the BBBC readers with children in schools at the moment confirm that schools aren’t bothered spelling any more ? All the trainees we have had recently arrived with terrible spelling skills and it seems more than a coincidence.
1327,
I think there is some scientific research suggesting there is no such thing as “dyslexia”.
Certainly from a Scottish perspective I can more or less confirm what you say. The kids do come back with a list of words to write out but no-one ever appears to test them.
I had words with the teacher at a parents’ evening about this last year. Whilst waiting our turn we looked through our daughter’s books to find exercises and stories littered with spelling errors which hadn’t been corrected, although there were comments to show the teacher had read it. We were told that they wouldn’t express themselves properly if worried that they’d get the spelling wrong.
The one time I can remember spelling being corrected when when my daughter was told she had spelt “haven’t” incorrectly. My wife had to politely point out that actually it does have a “e” and my daughter was right. We now do spelling with our children using the same little red book I used over 40 years ago.
Is that ‘THE little red book?” if so the BBC will be pleased someone is reading that read Chinese work 🙂
Martin,
I remember, some time ago, a Labour politician saying that British schoolchildren should learn mandarin Chinese. Actually a good idea in theory, but how I laughed !
I attempted mandarin many years ago and lasted about 2 weeks !
What chance have British schoolkids ?
With a Mandarin-speaking Missus (Singaporean, so sadly fluent English – hence none spoken at home), we listened to that bit of bullsh*t spin trotted out by the Gov then (and now), and PRasnews’d by the BBC dutifully.
Called the boys’ school and… how they laughed!
While a few city-centric schools may find and be funded on the resources necessary to deliver such language tuition competently… nationwide??? Come on. Even I could see the logistical hurdles there.
Yet the media seem to think this is already locked in. Numpties.
When I was at junior school (I’m 28) we had tests on spelling and arithmetic twice a week and the class was split into groups for them according to their abilities. Fond memories, I doubt my daughter (2) will enjoy such an education though, sadly.
Many teachers – the competent 20% anyway – have known this for years. It applies to a whole range of “-isms” which didn’t exist 50 years ago and still don’t exist in countries where basic competence in mathematics and English is regarded as a basic requirement, within the reach of 99% of children.
At school, I often heard the reproach: “there’s no such word as can’t”. Don’t hear it any more – at least in this country.
‘Covered up’ by this headline story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11287193
I think you’ve misunderstood which aspect DV meant was being “covered up”. Or don’t want to.
BBC1 News, with Sophie “airhead” Raworth just now led with this story.
She turned to studio guest and said “here is Tom Symonds to explain. ” I had never heard of him but the caption said “news correspondent” so I guessed he was a Beeboid. How do they expect us to keep up when Beeboids breed like rabbits ?
Anyway, naturally , I was grateful for Tom to explain these matters to a thicko like me until he said ” and another criteria is….. “.
Looks like Tom boy has “special needs ” !
PS to that,
There was a superb moment when Tom dropped something on the floor, a pen ? mobile ? . He said sorry and looked as if he was going to retrieve it live on air. I was shouting at the TV, “Leave it, you prat “.
BBC comedy at its best. Time for my lie-down.
I have worked in Education for the last seven years – have you ever tried to make a teacher say “There is a problem/or a child has problems” it is always that “There are ‘issues'”. Until the Education world can learn to call a spade a spade the ‘PROBLEMS’ cannot be solved.
…and there is no such thing as good or bad behaviour there is only appropriate or inappropriate behaviour.
Nice to see the Daily Mail picking up the baton and running with Jo Shuter this morning. Apparently hers was one of the most improved schools in the country on a Contextual Value Added basis. No don’t mock.
Of course the standard Nulabour gauge for success anywhere in the public sector was the ability to say, ‘We’re still sh*t, but we’re not as sh*t as we were last year, if you refer to easily gamed statistics’.
I can’t comment on this particular school, but the ‘gaming’ that goes on in Edyookayshun includes making sure you exclude the real thickies near exam time, getting your eg Pakistani pupils to sit eg Urdu at GCSE, encouraging your pupils to sit pass-easy GVNQs (name three different types of takeaway meal) which are worth five GCSEs.
And of course, I don’t suppose the gruesome Contextual Value Added includes any measure of how much money you throw at the problem to try and improve it. Different sort of ‘value’ you see.