The Michael Gove File

[Dr Jon]

Hmmm.

I was thinking about switching to a career in teaching, especially as they're offering a 'King's shilling' of £20k to join up to teach STEM subjects. The blah-blah on the 'get into teaching' website lists holidays as one of the key benefits, ffs.


After reading what these stupid Tory cunts are planning, I won't bother to apply.
Yet another own-goal from this incompetent shower of twats.

 

[nagapie]

Hopefully, by the time you are qualified, the coalition will have been comprehensively (oh, yes) booted out of office.

Well if Labour come in they won't reverse anything? I mean they wouldn't even reverse the bedroom tax ffs!

 

[chilango]

Hmmm.

I was thinking about switching to a career in teaching, especially as they're offering a 'King's shilling' of £20k to join up to teach STEM subjects. The blah-blah on the 'get into teaching' website lists holidays as one of the key benefits, ffs.


After reading what these stupid Tory cunts are planning, I won't bother to apply.
Yet another own-goal from this incompetent shower of twats.

They' re getting so over obsessed about STEM subjects etc. that I can guarantee that in a few years time the pendulum will swing violently back the other way with the right bemoaning the lack of cultural knowledge in things like classical music, art history etc etc and the left banging about Britain's creative economy falling behind...

...and then for a few brief years the art and drama teachers cast aside today will inherit the earth.


Until the pendulum swings back the other way.

Stability and continuity doesn't sell papers, build careers for educational experts or boost the fragile egos of politicians.

 

[existentialist]

They' re getting so over obsessed about STEM subjects etc. that I can guarantee that in a few years time the pendulum will swing violently back the other way with the right bemoaning the lack of cultural knowledge in things like classical music, art history etc etc and the left banging about Britain's creative economy falling behind...

...and then for a few brief years the art and drama teachers cast aside today will inherit the earth.


Until the pendulum swings back the other way.

Stability and continuity doesn't sell papers, build careers for educational experts or boost the fragile egos of politicians.

You sure?

I am struggling to get my head around the idea that Gove et al would ever stoop so low as to bring back the corduroy-jacketed brigade!

And, in any event, I think this particular branch of the Conservative evolutionary (I use the word advisedly) tree regards any form of culture as an optional add-on, for the purposes of giving one an opportunity to parade one's wealth, not a necessary part of a nation's cultural heritage. I would imagine that Cameron takes his iPad to the opera, and Osborne always makes sure he's got a box with a very level and smooth handrail, all the better to snort his Bolivian Marching Powder up from, through any £20 notes he hasn't burned in front of dossers he passed from limousine to opera house door...

 

[brogdale]

They' re getting so over obsessed about STEM subjects etc. that I can guarantee that in a few years time the pendulum will swing violently back the other way with the right bemoaning the lack of cultural knowledge in things like classical music, art history etc etc and the left banging about Britain's creative economy falling behind...

...and then for a few brief years the art and drama teachers cast aside today will inherit the earth.


Until the pendulum swings back the other way.

Stability and continuity doesn't sell papers, build careers for educational experts or boost the fragile egos of politicians.

Yep, but either way the social sciences that afford some socio-political analysis wither on the vine.

It recalls the 'education' offered to the worker's children by the Iron Masters of the South Wales Coalfield; they were instructed in the three 'Rs'....reading, (w)riting and religion. Rithmatic would have been dangerous in their hands; they might then have been abale to question the starvation wages and inflated costs of the tally-shop.

 

[Dr Jon]

I suppose the good thing about this is that a whole generation will grow up hating the robbing, lying, holiday-thief Tories.

 

[brogdale]

There's one planned academy expansion that's not going down well with the tory grass-roots...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/apr/21/labour-race-row-west-sussex-academy

The Durand Academy in Stockwell, south London, plans to open a boarding school for 600 students in Stedham village. The move is being backed by the Department for Education, which describes the plan as an "inspirational project". However, some Stedham residents are reported to be bitterly opposed to the academy, which will occupy an 8-hectare (20-acre) site that used to be a school for children with special needs.
John Cherry, the district councillor for Stedham ward, told the Mail on Sunday he had serious concerns about the effect the London pupils would have on the area.
"Ninety-seven per cent of pupils will be black or Asian," he said. "It depends what type of Asian. If they're Chinese, they'll rise to the top. If they're Indian they'll rise to the top. If they're Pakistani they won't."
He said while there were certain nationalities who valued hard work, there were also "certain nationalities where they are uncertain what this hard work is all about".

There's more bigotted claptrap from Cherry if you can bare it...

Nasty.

 

[nagapie]

There's one planned academy expansion that's not going down well with the tory grass-roots...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/apr/21/labour-race-row-west-sussex-academy



There's more bigotted claptrap from Cherry if you can bare it...

Nasty.

Horrible. And the premise of the academy is horrible too: offer the poor kids a boarding school as their parents clearly aren't fit to look after them and educate them properly. Fuck Stedham, fuck the Academy and fuck boarding schools.

 

[brogdale]

The tax avoidance is unsurprising, and pretty much par for the course for these sociopaths, but the fact that they're doing it whilst undertaking a task like this...

Academy brokers, whose role is to convince headteachers to join the academies programme, are employed ‘off book’ as ‘advisors’ by the Department of Education through personal service companies or employment agencies.
Some are employed on contracts of up to £1,080 a day - an income equivalent to almost £250,000 a year - which run for up to 10 years.

Instead, the academy brokers, who visit schools failing to meet targets to encourage them to become academies and arrange sponsorship deals, have their salaries paid as fees into personal companies.
It means the recipient can opt to pay corporation tax at a rate of 20 per cent rather than income tax at 45 per cent.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ns-for-Michael-Goves-1000-a-day-advisers.html

ffs

I am a peacable type, but really....

 

[Dave Mullen]

Apologies, I haven't read everything on the thread so I am not sure if anyone else has mentioned this. I wouldn't trust Michael Gove near children of any age. I'm in my late forties and he creeps me out,

 

[chilango]

The Mexican education ministry did his a few years back.

They lengthened the school year so that it was exactly the same as Japan's.

It didn't work, obviously.

Talking of Mexican teachers...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22289368

...here's one way to fight education reforms.

 

[DJ Squelch]

Michael Gove fixated with the size of Mick Jagger's penis, claims wife

http://www.nme.com/news/the-rolling-stones/70092?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=pflames#bvl4mJW4kdPQP7Dz.99

 

[teqniq]

The linked article accompanying this headline is to be found on the Fail's site, quelle surprise

Imagine Hitler as one of the Mr Men: Michael Gove slams history teaching in scathing attack on 'play-based' lessons

As an antidote this really made me chuckle:

Mr Gove

 

[stavros]

On Andrew Marr this morning, he looked to be doing some early positioning for a leadership battle after the next election, saying explictly he'd vote for the UK to come out of the EU, distinguishing himself from Cameron and brown-nosing the Euro-phobic press.

 

[brogdale]

On Andrew Marr this morning, he looked to be doing some early positioning for a leadership battle after the next election, saying explictly he'd vote for the UK to come out of the EU, distinguishing himself from Cameron and brown-nosing the Euro-phobic press.

To be fair to Gove, he has consistently been grandstanding for future leadership since day 1 of the coalition; this morning was merely another, albeit important, bid for support from the right of the party. It seems that Hammond felt compelled to match Gove's europhobe positioning as the leadership contest starts to hot up. So far it looks like Gove, Hammond and May regard themselves as suitable leaders of the opposition.

Meanwhile tory watchers like Prof Bale are effectively writing Dave's political obituary..

... even members of the government are being given a free vote (in the case of the lowest of the low) and permission to abstain (in the case of the higher ups) – truly the last refuge of the whips when they realise that they've lost all hope of controlling the situation and are seeking simply to render their leader's embarrassment slightly less excruciating.

When Cameron wielded the UK's veto in December 2011, he was lauded by many Conservatives as a lion. When he made his promise of a post-election referendum back in January this year, they feted him as a fox. Turns out he was neither, and that he's now in danger of making himself a laughing stock. Coming back from that is going to be very difficult indeed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/12/david-cameron-michael-gove-europe-referendum

 

[butchersapron]

Gove's claims from TV fiction survey

Freedom of information request reveals use of polls by UKTV Gold, Premier Inns and London Mums magazine

The education secretary, Michael Gove, has come under fire for citing PR-commissioned opinion polls as evidence of teenagers' ignorance of important historical events.

Establishing the quality of different types of evidence, and of different source material, is a core component of the national curriculum for history.

The current history curriculum for 11- to 14-year-olds states students should learn to "evaluate the sources used in order to reach reasoned conclusions", while the draft curriculum for history from 2014 notes students should "understand how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims".

 

[brogdale]

Gove's claims from TV fiction survey

Top marks Janet Downs.

 

[stavros]

So far it looks like Gove, Hammond and May regard themselves as suitable leaders of the opposition.

Plus a certain Mr Johnson, however much he may deny it.

 

[brogdale]

Yes, he got booed and heckled at the NAHT, but the reality of his programme is of more significance:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/may/18/academy-pays-for-us-curriculum

An academy running four schools is paying its US parent company £100,000 a year to use its patented global curriculum, which has been criticised by Ofsted for lacking a "local" focus.
Aurora Academies Trust insists that the Paragon curriculum is transforming the fortunes of the primary schools in East Sussex. But unions and local Labour activists question whether the licensing deal represents the first step in plans to allow private companies to run schools for profit. Tory modernisers are said to be keen on the idea.
Aurora's progress will be studied closely by education experts. It has "lead sponsor" status with the Department for Education, meaning it is consulted on policy decisions and is likely to run more schools in the future.
Aurora's decision last autumn to take over the four schools – King Offa and Glenleigh Park in Bexhill and Heron Park and Oakwood in Eastbourne – came after education secretary Michael Gove criticised the local authority for "failing actively to pursue sponsored academy solutions".
Aurora was established by Mosaica Education UK, a subsidiary of Mosaica Education Inc, an American company which describes itself as a "global leader in education reform" and runs schools in 12 US states, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Aurora pays Mosaica £100 per pupil per year in royalties to use its curriculum. There are about 1,000 children at the four schools, meaning Mosaica receives about £100,000 a year from the arrangement.

Those fuckers must be in dreamland.

 

[J Ed]

Yes, he got booed and heckled at the NAHT, but the reality of his programme are of more significance:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/may/18/academy-pays-for-us-curriculum



Those fuckers must be in dreamland.

Jesus Christ. This government is just one long series of scams and thefts. I hate them.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

LOL - one of the cliche wielding tory apologist loons on Facebook was denouncing the NAHT as a typical leftie public sector union. He was more concerned with that than any of the issues of course.

Headteachers are often pretty conservative in fact, I'm very impressed with the frosty reception they gave this appalling individual.

Gove just has to put on a rosette every 5 years and kiss arse to keep his job. If he could have all aspects of his work thoroughly inspected at next to no notice he'd probably shit it, even with his much-longer-than-teacher's holidays.

The NAHT cited a culture of bullying and stress. This is also known as a "tory culture" - a product of economic success I think.

 

[Gmart]

They've stockpiled replacement teachers though.

There's a few years backlog of NQTs trying to get jobs, plus schools can often hire unqualified people iln place of teachers now.

I've often thought that this govt would like to try and break the teaching unions like it tried with the NUM.

...Gove would make sense then. A provocation. Trying to goad the NUT Into a showdown.

Working abroad is a fine option, the pay is good, the extra hours are minimal and the demand for English speaking teachers is high because English is the international language. If Gove and his ilk are keen to restrict the supply of qualified teachers then they could hardly do better.

Maybe the time has finally come to have only one teaching union, or to at least work together? The problem is that if he wants a fight, then the teachers are easy to paint as the baddies, helped by the press.

The idea of 'better standards' is fine (if simplistic), and evidently needed, and yet he fails to address other issues (like over centralisation) which are less easy to solve. He would do better to learn how to empower the teachers to do their job better, rather than coming from a position of the teachers being the problem.

Gove has deliberately focused on only the problems which are his favourites, while refusing to engage in discussion with teachers who insist on a broader picture. His dismissal of them as 'lefties' shows a failure to recognise this as an 'ad hominem' fallacy and is disrespectful, pugnacious and obstructive to say the least.

 

[brogdale]

Is Gove unwell?

I've looked, but I can't see any new,mad policy announcement this morning.

 

[spanglechick]

The idea of 'better standards' is fine (if simplistic), and evidently needed.

Other than the sense in which we should always aim to be better, what makes you say that this is "evidently needed"? What evidence are you basing it on?

 

[Gmart]

Other than the sense in which we should always aim to be better, what makes you say that this is "evidently needed"? What evidence are you basing it on?

Is there a need for any more than that? There are always sad stories of kids falling through the net no matter how hard the teachers/parents etc work, or how effective the system is.
That is why Gove is being relatively effective in some parts of the electorate - he is stating some obvious truths, and then using the 'yes' he gets to justify whatever he wants.
Better questions might be about who decides what about education? He doesn't want to empower teachers and schools because he doesn't trust them, and so he is using that 'yes' to undermine the existing education (more). He is playing to a part of the electorate who just sees problems in society all around them, and wants someone in authority to 'fix' them, and they don't care how he does it.
He is also playing to the 'ought to be in the bloody army' brigade which makes up a large part of Conservative thought.

 

[brogdale]

Is Gove unwell?

I've looked, but I can't see any new,mad policy announcement this morning.

Well again!

Today's announcement adds to the canon of swivel-eyed, neo-liberal loonery in schools.

So, 102 new "Free" schools are given the go-ahead, (less than last year), with fully 15 of them so 'free' that parents have to claim that their offspring holds a specific super-natural belief system.

Rather revealingly, one of the new prospective head-teachers apparently beleives he's discovered a brand new, radical approach to pedagogy; he's going to offer.....cross-curricular education!

"We'll be still be teaching the national curriculum, the kids will still be doing GCSEs and A-levels. But the way we deliver the curriculum will be totally different," Harri said.
"If you want, for instance, an investigation into the wildlife in your back garden, there are loads and loads of different subjects you can cover within that. You can do maths in terms of the size of the garden, how many samples you can find, what percentage that is," he said. "Then there's the history of the place, the geography, biology, that sort of thing. So you can learn through a really wide project or expedition."
XP will be unorthodox in other ways too.

 

[brogdale]

"Our Dear Education Secretary" has branched out into popular music to aid his revolution in state education...

 

[The Pale King]

A timely reminder of what happens when you sell off public services:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/may/31/free-schools-education

and a photo of the education secretary looking very jowly.

 

[brogdale]

A timely reminder of what happens when you sell off public services:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/may/31/free-schools-education

and a photo of the education secretary looking very jowly.

The real mystery has to be....why didn't JB Education just replace some the un-productive lesson time with some practical, hands-on, work experience type of manufacturing. Surely they'd have quickly been able to turn those losses into profits and dividends for their shareholders. Don't these lefty Swedes know anything about capitalism?

 

[Barking_Mad]

A disgraced RE teacher who was sacked for possessing indecent images of children has been given the go-ahead to carry on teaching by Education Secretary Michael Gove.
Geoffrey Bettley, 36, was dismissed from his ten-year career at St Mary’s Catholic School in Menston, West Yorkshire, after he accepted a police caution.
Mr Gove has now supported a disciplinary panel’s recommendation that he does not pose a risk to children and that he should be able to resume his teaching career.
But MP Phillip Davies has raised concerns about the ‘worrying situation’ and warned that it will make parents feel ‘uneasy’.
The National College of Teaching and Leadership professional conduct panel ruled that the child abuse images were at the lower end of seriousness and that Bettley, who had ‘shown remorse and victim empathy’, did not pose a risk.

http://theneedleblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/michael-gove-clears-sex-offender-to-teach/