I firmly believe that all education and training, from the pre-school play group (kindergarten) to at least the end of an apprenticeship or degree course should be free.

Not least because the big winner by having a well educated and trained workforce, is not the individuals, but the state.

I firmly believe that all education and training, from the pre-school play group (kindergarten) to at least the end of an apprenticeship or degree course should be free.

Not least because the big winner by having a well educated and trained workforce, is not the individuals, but the state.

I'd take it further and say that the rich should not be allowed to opt out of state education. They then might be invested in it enough to make it work. Seeing as it is often the rich in charge these days they should be forced to use the services they are in control of.

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Reality Internet Personality

I firmly believe that all education and training, from the pre-school play group (kindergarten) to at least the end of an apprenticeship or degree course should be free.

Not least because the big winner by having a well educated and trained workforce, is not the individuals, but the state.

I'd take it further and say that the rich should not be allowed to opt out of state education. They then might be invested in it enough to make it work. Seeing as it is often the rich in charge these days they should be forced to use the services they are in control of.

There is a problem with that. If the rich have to use state schools then the problems associated with people moving, even before the child is born, into the catchment area of the best schools, or becoming members of a particular religion, because that religion has the best secondary school in the district, could become worse.

I live close to two very good schools, one is in the news at the moment, the other which my youngest attended, was founded in 1554, recent house prices increases here are higher that those for London.

My own view is fairly straightforward.

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Can't argue with that.
Though it would be nice if those suited for it could go to university for free, as was once the case.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

My own view is fairly straightforward.

Everyone should be able to receive free education until age 16, and subsidised FE College education after that. That education should be of an acceptable standard. However if a child's parents are able and willing to pay for private schooling, which by general agreement is usually of a higher quality with smaller classes, then they should be allowed to so so.

Everyone should receive free healthcare under the NHS of the best quality possible. However, if people can afford to pay for private healthcare with personal rooms and personal nurses, and a choice of consultants, then they should be allowed to.

People using commercial public transport whether by rail or air, should enjoy an acceptable level of travel comfort. Those that can afford to upgrade to 1st or Club class should be allowed to do so. The prices that are charged for private amenities or 1st class use, should be set at a level that can subsidise all the basic services to make sure that they meet minimum standards. If the rich can afford to pay higher prices then some of that should be used for the benefit of those that can't.

However I will remind Es on one thing I know about. She did once work in a private school in South London, and from all accounts the privileged pupils there were more badly behaved than state pupils. So, does money breed contempt?

I've never worked in a top well known private school in South London. My ex did, but the pupils weren't particularly badly behaved. They were fairy average.

I worked briefly in a top private school in London doing supply, and again, I wouldn't say the behaviour was bad. They weren't angels by any account (they are still teens after all), but they weren't awful. However, the main difference between the private schools and the state schools were the resources available to the teachers and students. Such wealth and riches. The school I was at had a whole floor of well equipped physics labs. A whole floor. Unbelievable. Whereas I've taught in state schools were I've had to teach the whole A level physics curriculum with some rubber bands, a stop clock and lump of plasticine. Its doable, but you can clearly see that the kids in the private schools have the advantage. Not to mention class sizes differ a great deal in a private school and state school. Also, private schools can be selective of the ability of their pupils. The one I was at expelled the students if they got less than a grade C grade. Hardly a level playing field is it?

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Reality Internet Personality

I firmly believe that all education and training, from the pre-school play group (kindergarten) to at least the end of an apprenticeship or degree course should be free.

Not least because the big winner by having a well educated and trained workforce, is not the individuals, but the state.

I'd take it further and say that the rich should not be allowed to opt out of state education. They then might be invested in it enough to make it work. Seeing as it is often the rich in charge these days they should be forced to use the services they are in control of.

There is a problem with that. If the rich have to use state schools then the problems associated with people moving, even before the child is born, into the catchment area of the best schools, or becoming members of a particular religion, because that religion has the best secondary school in the district, could become worse.

I live close to two very good schools, one is in the news at the moment, the other which my youngest attended, was founded in 1554, recent house prices increases here are higher that those for London.

That happened when the ILEA was abolished and parents could pick schools. When I went to secondary school we were tested and placed into 3 bands, 1,2 and 3. Most students were in band 2. The top 20% were in band 1. the schools could only take a certain percentage from each band which meant that schools did not become sink schools. A parent could generally trust that their local school had the same distribution of students as any other and hadn't become a 'sink' school. There was no need to move into catchment areas.

What you have now is parents choosing schools by league tables, and funding etc depends on student achievement. So there is huge pressure on the schools to 'fix' the league tables. One school was thought to be brilliant based on the league tables and parents were doing what you suggest, moving to be in that catchment area (which was a result rapidly shrinking). What they didn't know is that the school was not entering students into exams if they thought they might fail thus skewing the results and being unfair on the students. I did a weeks supply their before I walked out (one of only 2 schools I've ever walked out of and refused to go back because of pupil behaviour). I was so glad that I hadn't sent my own children there.

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Reality Internet Personality

My own view is fairly straightforward.

...

Can't argue with that.
Though it would be nice if those suited for it could go to university for free, as was once the case.

On that, as I stated earlier, I do think it should be free, if the government needs compensation, then it should get it from the companies that insist on degree's for entrants.

When universities were free, most industries ran comprehensive apprenticeship schemes where C&G's or O/HNC/D's were obtained, with a few of the very best going on to uni and usually ending up in the higher end of the design dept. One company I know used to take on 60 apprentices per year, now its down to 20 and they are only training to shop floor skilled level with theory C&G.

It's a shame more of this is not occurring. It would be much better an example than the A to Z listers with their flashy cars, drugs, booze and other paraphernalia grabbing the headlines.....

Coalition wives join forces to provide career advice

Nice report, but could not help a rather large guffaw from erupting at the last two sentences :)

"She also told them not to be cowed by the confidence of some expensively educated people.

In her experience, she told the schoolgirls, there were lots of people who had gone to top schools, but were "frankly unimpressive"."

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And about time too. OFSTED is not fit for purpose and it should go. I've been saying it for 3 years.

OFSTED

Its like watching a fight between two evil villains. You stand back and hope they both destroy each other in the process.

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Reality Internet Personality

.....And worry that one of them will survive.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

According to Buckingham University there is no real increase in the quality of new teachers.

A third of trainee teachers 'fail to hold good degrees'

The thing is, that all governments since Blair said the most important thing was " Education, education, education" have promised to stop the " those that can, do, those that can't, teach" era. That report says they haven't.

I agree school based teacher training is not ideal, but do think that all trainee teachers should have a few days in schools, just to see what it is like from the other side before fully committing, because I think some have gone down that route, because they haven't found a job after graduating, not because they always wanted to be a teacher.

They only just noticed after over ten years of fee's.

Wealthy students get grants intended for poor through divorce loophole

edit] Another eduction loophole, The strange case of the vanishing GCSE pupils, those high ranking schools might not be, if the truth were told.

According to Buckingham University there is no real increase in the quality of new teachers.

A third of trainee teachers 'fail to hold good degrees'

To be fair there isn't always a correlation between how good someone's subject degree is and how good a teacher they are. They are two totally different skill sets. I've seen highly qualified people who absolutely suck at teaching and vice versa.

Also, considering how poorly teachers are paid and the long stressful hours they work, why would anyone with a top degree go into teaching when they could earn far more in the private sector?

If you want top quality professionals, pay top quality professional wages.

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Reality Internet Personality

According to Buckingham University there is no real increase in the quality of new teachers.

A third of trainee teachers 'fail to hold good degrees'

To be fair there isn't always a correlation between how good someone's subject degree is and how good a teacher they are. They are two totally different skill sets. I've seen highly qualified people who absolutely suck at teaching and vice versa.

I can agree with that up to a point, one which may not apply in schools, but if the teacher has difficulty with the subject, respect can be lost if the students discover this weakness.

Also, considering how poorly teachers are paid and the long stressful hours they work, why would anyone with a top degree go into teaching when they could earn far more in the private sector?

If you want top quality professionals, pay top quality professional wages.

The problem there is that outside the teaching establishments, people only see the relative short working days and the long holidays. They usually have no idea it takes to draw up a lesson plan or the time it takes to mark the homework and the time it takes to do reports on each student. Plus all the other rubbish the government now requires.

Plus to do that would mean rising taxes by 5%.

Wealthy students get grants intended for poor through divorce loophole

Times were better when there were no fees.

I got a £1,500 pa grant though my BSc by coming from a household earning less than £23,000 pa. I achieved this by changing my address to that of my grandparents.
Do i feel guilty? Not in the slightest.
Tertiary education should be free for those suited for it, and since my father paid considerably more than that in tax i figured it was quite justifiable.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

A worrying trend if true, so what price education?

No 10 accused of "ousting" non-tories

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Is this guy for real?

Gove wants assessments for 4 year olds

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Is this guy for real?

Gove wants assessments for 4 year olds

Everything I know about teaching (Paperback)- Mr Michael Gove

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Reality Internet Personality

Is this guy for real?

Gove wants assessments for 4 year olds

Everything I know about teaching (Paperback)- Mr Michael Gove

:) A fantastic review from a headteacher......

"In short, a modern classic, containing all the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime of listening to no one but himself."

What more could one expect from a politician?

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