Let's Get Political!

[Reg Smeeton]

  So the Tories nod through the parishing plan for Swindon....not sure what is in effect at least a 10% rise in Council Tax was mentioned in their election manifesto.

 This tax increase comes against a backdrop of austerity cuts to services like buses, libraries, leisure facilities, and the handing of assets to private companies to strip.

 The increase is necessary to pay for grass cutting and keeping the streets tidy.

Personally I woudn't bother cutting grass, for anything other than pitches, open spaces left to grow would encourage bio diversity and people could keep goats and sheep.  Apparently businesses, which are of course indirectly responsible for much rubbish in the streets, through irresponsible packaging, are to be asked to make voluntary contributions.

The dog shit bin colection would be better funded by a licence scheme for dog owners.

[jayohaitchenn]

And they've split Wichelstowe by sticking East Wichel in South Swindon (quite rightly) but putting Middle and West Wichel in with Wroughton. Not happy about that personally, would much rather the whole of Wichelstowe was in the same parish.

I'm yet to see the details confirmed of how much council tax is going up by, do you have a link Reg?

[Reg Smeeton]

And they've split Wichelstowe by sticking East Wichel in South Swindon (quite rightly) but putting Middle and West Wichel in with Wroughton. Not happy about that personally, would much rather the whole of Wichelstowe was in the same parish.

I'm yet to see the details confirmed of how much council tax is going up by, do you have a link Reg?

No, I was chatting to a mate last night who had hot footed from the protest outside the Civic.

[AldbourneRed]

Jonathan Pie with his typically apoplectic take on the Trump election

[pauld]

That's really good, reminds me a bit of Bill Hicks

[AldbourneRed]

Yeah, he's really good, his Youtube channel's full of stuff like that and he's also brilliant live.
He reminds me of a cross between Bill Hicks and Mark Thomas.

[Saxondale]

I saw him at the Swindon Arts centre in September.  It was really good.  Very funny and ranty night out.  Its always nice to see someone who express the apopletic rage I feel a lot better than I would be able to.

[Reg Smeeton]

 More local politics....

 All Swindon schools....MP's, and SBC, receive a stiffly worded report from Ofsted. "Must do better"

 Particular criticism for Primary schools many of which are still with SBC....too many kids can't read. SBC's response, "don't blame us Gov, it's the Acadamies" (close another library)

 Heads....."don't blame us Gov, our funding has been cut"

 

[jayohaitchenn]

The Torys selling off schools to their mates so they can turn a profit has lead to a drop in standards?! Well I never.

[Arriba]

People can slate labour for many things, but schooling improved significantly under them.
The town in general is really suffering under tory rule now. It is a sorry state of affairs.
People still elect them though. Others say they're all as bad as each other. I beg to differ.

[horlock07]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-37971338

[Reg Smeeton]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-37971338

It'll be OK, Justin Tomlinson is going to do all he can.....assuming he's now allowed back into Parliament after a 3 match ban, for poor discipline.

[Batch]

44% of primary school children achieving the required standard would have been a lot higher if the dickhead DoE didn't substantially  change the curriculum/test criteria one year before they were dues to take it. 5 years of being taught one thing, 1 of another. Brilliant.

It doesn't of course excuse being under the 53% national average, though the Adver make no reference to other factors that could account for some of this.

However, a look at the test results suggests Swindon was only slightly out of step with the national average when it came to individual subjects.

The England average for reading was 66% meeting the expected standard. In Swindon it was 65%.

Grammar, spelling and punctuation saw 72% of pupils in England meet the expected standard. Swindon was exactly the same.

Mathematics saw 69% of children in Swindon meet the expected standard, compared with an England average of 70%.

The problem as far as Key Stage 2 goes is that not enough children did well enough across the board.

So not as disastrously shit as portrayed then

[horlock07]

44% of primary school children achieving the required standard would have been a lot higher if the dickhead DoE didn't substantially  change the curriculum/test criteria one year before they were dues to take it. 5 years of being taught one thing, 1 of another. Brilliant.

But won't that have affected kids all over the Country against which these figures are tested, not just Swindon?

[RobertT]

Interestingly, having just moved the kids into the USA education system, we've seen big variations in standards.  Our 7 year old is being pushed much harder than he was in the UK, but it's old school (pardon the pun) teaching here - repetition.  He gets a lot of homework to do which is a new concept to him  However, the parents have to buy all of the kids classroom stuff - pencils, paints, books etc.  You have to buy it all, and each week they send a not home if they are short of stuff.  Also start early, at 8am.

The older child, 16, is finding it clearly doesn't keep up the standard - once they hit about 14 it seems to switch focus to just "getting them through".  They don't begin to narrow focus like we do in the UK, keeping a very broad course structure, and it's as much about effort as it is actual academic performance.  This seems to flow through once finished - the culture here (in the South anyway) is very much work hard and get rewarded with a job, much less need to worry about being any good.  Suppose that's a bit of the every man for himself approach - those who just work hard get job, those who show ability with effort get opportunity, but on their own to an extent.