Coronavirus

[pete]

My local school has had such a bad report that the trust is having its funding withdrawn. School is in Harlow trust is in Sutton Coldfield in the Midlands, how is that supposed to work

[mg4lotus]

That is one school. Do you know which teachers weren't pulling their weight? Or was it the headmaster? Or was it the trust? Or was it the pupils? Or was it the parents?

Does anybody know of other teachers who aren't pulling their weight?

I have no connection with schools other than having been a pupil and being the parent of pupils. Some teachers were good and others not so good.

When I was a pupil there was no pandemic and no Internet so I don't know how my good teachers would have fared today.

The situation is complex, stereotyping and generalising is something you might expect some politicians to do. There are good and bad politicians.

[pete]

At the end of the day it must come back to the head teacher

[TdM]

3 hours ago, Chillidoggy said:

It’s so difficult to get an appointment at my GP surgery, that I'm pretty sure a lot of people just hope that whatever they have is nothing too serious, and live in hope whatever it is will clear up. The online booking service has been in operation for years, but I’ve never once been able to book anything though it, apart from a repeat prescription. Forget the telephone, because every time I call I’m No. 48 in the queue. I find the only way is to go to the surgery and wait to speak to a receptionist.

I'd agree with this, even in none pandemic times you can't get an appointment so you give up. Last year I rang them up (waited in the queue) I had a mole that has started to scab up. Receptionist says, you'll want an emergency appointment, could be cancer. We don't have any at the moment, I suggest you ring back first thing every day until you can get one.

What kind of system is that!?

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, mg4lotus said:

That is one school. Do you know which teachers weren't pulling their weight? Or was it the headmaster? Or was it the trust? Or was it the pupils? Or was it the parents?

Does anybody know of other teachers who aren't pulling their weight?

I have no connection with schools other than having been a pupil and being the parent of pupils. Some teachers were good and others not so good.

When I was a pupil there was no pandemic and no Internet so I don't know how my good teachers would have fared today.

The situation is complex, stereotyping and generalising is something you might expect some politicians to do. There are good and bad politicians.

Thankfully my children are now adults and not at school. However, many of my colleagues have children at school.  One in Northwich in Cheshire was going banana's as the school were not even in touch for the first month of lockdown, provided no advice, and basically did nothing for the first 2 months until the volume of complaining parents forced them to act.  Shocking.

I've got some colleagues with children at a private school in Dorset who within a week were up and running with online lessons, homework / home assignments etc.

The story seems to be mixed with some schools doing superbly, and some just being nothing short of shocking!  

2 hours ago, SFO said:

private schools have worked very hard to continue the education of kids in their charge; state schools, not so much

But then given private schools are largely dependent on the funds provided by paying parents, and the trust funds from alumni, you would bloody well expect them to be on the ball and work hard. But then, I know for a fact not all parents of kids at private schools have been happy with how those schools and teachers have performed. Private definitely does not mean better as my local Private school has a terrible reputation for drug use, and issues re  drinking, behaviour etc (it's a mixed school, non boarding).

[Chillidoggy]

27 minutes ago, TdM said:

I'd agree with this, even in none pandemic times you can't get an appointment so you give up. Last year I rang them up (waited in the queue) I had a mole that has started to scab up. Receptionist says, you'll want an emergency appointment, could be cancer. We don't have any at the moment, I suggest you ring back first thing every day until you can get one.

What kind of system is that!?

A crappy one.

I complained in person to the practice manager about their online booking service, and was told it’s in perfect working order. So, on the spot I challenged here to log on with my details and get me an appointment. She failed miserably, and told me it was because my GP worked part-time. FFS they ALL only work part time, I know this because one of the HCA’s that works there told me so.

[Chillidoggy]

1 hour ago, mg4lotus said:

That is one school. Do you know which teachers weren't pulling their weight? Or was it the headmaster? Or was it the trust? Or was it the pupils? Or was it the parents?

Does anybody know of other teachers who aren't pulling their weight?

I have no connection with schools other than having been a pupil and being the parent of pupils. Some teachers were good and others not so good.

When I was a pupil there was no pandemic and no Internet so I don't know how my good teachers would have fared today.

The situation is complex, stereotyping and generalising is something you might expect some politicians to do. There are good and bad politicians.

When I were a lad the teachers ruled with a rod of iron, it was just like being in the ‘Kelsey Grammar’ sketch from ‘Little Britain’. Pretty sure we’d never have got away with 4 days off school , never mind 4 months.

[C8RKH]

Those were the days when you had committed teachers (you knew they were committed as they had spent hours perfecting the art of throwing the wooden board duster at pupils heads you weren't paying attention) who outnumbered the snowflake teachers who were so wishy washy you wondered how they even made it into school each day.

These days the ratios seemed to have turned around somewhat and political correctness, left wing liberalism (if that can exist) and no accountability for anything methods and approaches seem to be the norm. Still some excellent, strict but fair, dedicated teachers out there. Just not in the same numbers... 

[ChrisJ]

My kids school was OKish before Easter, trying to keep to the timetable with the work set each day. No contact though.

After Easter, it all went to pot with my son who is in Year 7. They switched over to project work - for non core subjects(*), setting 6 weeks worth of work at a time, and the brilliant app that they used only showed when it was due, not when it was set, so both I and my son when checking the app every day, saw that there was basically nothing for him to do.

I was called by his form tutor eventually in the middle of May to see how things were going. I said that he is loving it as he is being set no work, and is on his PC all day. She was a bit taken aback when I said that there was no homework. It seems that the school/teachers and everyone hadn't twigged that even though work was set, it wasn't showing up for 6 weeks.

I had an email apology explaining that non core STUDENTS(*) were being given project work - smelly stuff hit the fan at this. Apparently some parents complained that their child couldn't cope with the work being set before Easter, so they screwed everybody over by switching to project work.

I suggested that why not post something on the App at least once a week to remind the students of the project work. That lasted a week. My son however, waited until the project was due, and completed it in a couple of hours the day before.

My daughter (year 10) however, has been given more regular work, and she says that she has learnt far more by being at home than she ever would if she had been at school. She started Google Classrooms after summer 1/2 term, and one of the students broadcast some porn - so that lasted long. Despite all the other students knowing who it was, the school can't find this out.

We are moving our daughter to fee paying private boarding school for her A levels. Son will move too when the time comes.

[Jason is Chasing]

Obviously, I'm a U.S. Citizen, and the entire Education system seems to be floundering, my youngest daughter was excepted to into an Early University Program, but currently there's no plan to open up State Universities.  Therefore, she's doing High School classes online, and I do wonder if I had been better enrolling her in Parochial School like her Sisters were, though she fought that.  I'm fortunately not in a role, where I can, or would be laid off, but I truly feel for those that have, even locally we have a phone app called next door where we are giving food to those families that may need it, and they can pick it up anonymously.  

 

I live in California, and without a doubt we were far too bold in opening up, and we're paying that price now, along with the other social unrest amidst at the same time.  But definitely our market hasn't been hit, like Europe.  If there's anything I personally can do for one of you, please let me know.  

[red vtec]

One of the teachers at my school  is now a leader of the NUT, he was a bloody shit teacher and was always more interested in left wing politics. He was a lazy bastard.

my nieces school has been fantastic sending out work everyday and doing a really good job, yet we have friends who's child has had no work whatsoever from her school. That comes down to poor leaders. Overall I have little time for so called teachers, many are lazy and would not last in the private sector. There are of course those who are exceptional but as a whole they are very poor.  My former teacher being a prime example.

[910Esprit]

Let's not pretend the public sector has a monopoly on lazy useless staff!    In my career in the IT private sector, I would reckon that every organisation has around +30% of staff that have no measurable positive impact on productivity!

[Sparky]

^^ Highly accurate in my experience, and entirely demoralising.

[C8RKH]

12 minutes ago, 910Esprit said:

Let's not pretend the public sector has a monopoly on lazy useless staff!    In my career in the IT private sector, I would reckon that every organisation has around +30% of staff that have no measurable positive impact on productivity!

We're not. However, we are bemoaning the fact that we have to pay for these lazy feckers and because they work in the "public" sector it for some reason makes them special. It fcuking doesn't!

Prime example. Go to Perth you get ripped off something rotten to park your car in the multi-story. But work for the Cooncil in the office next to it and all's great, you get two floors to park for free!  WTF is that all about and who is actually serving who in reality?

Also, I'm a huge fan of the NHS and the people who work within it. But I get totally fooked off about how we are supposed to hold them in some sort of a "saintly" position. It's a job that they CHOSE to do. Yes, we all benefit from it hugely, but if they didn't enjoy it or didn't want to do it then they can go and do something else.  I have plenty of neighbours and friends in the NHS - A&E Consultants, Anaesthetists, various Consultants and Registrars, nurses, GPs - they all seem to be doing great to be honest and the more senior ones have fooking fantastic lifestyles and certainly don't look stressed.  A fair few lazy feckers in that lot too as I spent a few years working as a supplier of IT to the NHS and the sheer waste and hypocrisy around "funding and money" is enough to blow any normal persons mind.  They by and large have no idea about efficiency, waste reduction, cost optimisation and many of their practices are in the dark ages in terms of modernisation. And that's before we even think about how un-joined up Police, Health, Education and Social Services are when it comes to the delivery of safe, efficient outcomes.....

Anyway, rant over. For now.

[Chillidoggy]

1 hour ago, red vtec said:

One of the teachers at my school  is now a leader of the NUT, he was a bloody shit teacher and was always more interested in left wing politics. He was a lazy bastard.

One thing I can say is that as far as I can remember, there were never any political statements, or other political bullshit mentioned by any of my teachers, right from primary school to secondary.

However, when I got to college in the east end of London, the Electrotech lecturer had been a personal friend of Blair Peach, the New Zealander that was killed in the Southall riots, and electrics lectures were spent debating left-wing and communist politics, with the students in full right-wing attack mode, just to piss him off. When it came to exam time, we’d wasted so much time on all that political bullshit, he just told us what questions were going to be on the exam paper, so we all passed with flying colours. 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I’m back home from Germany. Face coverings were compulsory within the hotel. All seemed very safe. People still out and about as normal. The flight home was slightly busier: maybe 40% full. On arrival at Stansted I was delighted to see no queues at Immigration but dismayed to learn that I should have completed an in-line Government form. I wasn’t the only one: plenty of people tapping furiously into their mobile phones. Make sure you do this before you start your journey!
 

Got home and found a drug dealer nearby and some drunken geezers pissing on my garden wall. All at 5.45pm on a Wednesday afternoon. It makes you so proud to be British.

[ramjet]

[ChrisJ]

I see from the newpapers that we have just cut aid payments to China,

Errrr.... WTF are/were we giving aid to China in the first place.

[C8RKH]

And India

And Pakistan

And the EU (yes, you heard that right, we give £1bn of Foreign Aid funding to the EU!)

And Turkey

....

 

[ChrisJ]

 

Plus an interesting article:

https://reaction.life/we-may-already-have-herd-immunity-an-interview-with-professor-sunetra-gupta/

 

[SFO]

Gupta did an interview where she explained calmly and clearly what she thought 

 

[ramjet]

12 hours ago, Buddsy said:

I love this guys coded messages! Explaining why you shouldn't wear face mask for extended periods.

 

buddsy

I have to wear a gas monitor at times where I work. If I put it close to my mouth, I can get it to alarm very easily. Where it is worn on your lapel area? No. 
I’m sorry, but this experiment is flawed by where he has the monitor and the rate he was breathing.

I am not aware of anyone who has collapsed from CO2 poisoning from wearing a mask. 
If we did, hospitals would be littered with medical staff in all sorts of trouble. 

[mg4lotus]

@Buddsy Someone should tell the guy in the video that he forgot to put on his tinfoil hat.

Shock horror! Humans expel carbon dioxide when breathing. It's a good thing that our lung capacity far exceeds the space behind a mask.

[Chillidoggy]

Seems to me there are ‘experts’ wherever I look these days, the vast majority of whom have never ventured outside a teaching establishment in their entire lives, yet they're happy tell the rest of us plebs what we should and shouldn’t be doing.

Warhol was right.

[pete]

What? "art is what you can get away with"