Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

England's young people near bottom of global league table for basic skills

OECD finds 16-24-year-olds have literacy and numeracy levels no better than those of their grandparents' generation


Randeep Ramesh, social affairs editor

theguardian.com, Tuesday 8 October 2013 10.34 BST


England is the only country in the developed world where the generation approaching retirement is more literate and numerate than the youngest, according to the first skills survey by the OECD.


In a stark assessment of the success and failure of 720 million-strong adult workforce across the wealthier economies, the economic thinktank warns that in England, adults aged 55 to 65 perform better than 16-24-year-olds in both foundation levels of literacy and numeracy. The survey did not include people from Scotland or Wales.


When the results within age groups are compared across participating countries, older adults in England score higher in literacy and numeracy than the average among their peers, while younger adults show some of the lowest scores for their age group.


The survey shows that out of 24 nations, young adults in England (aged 16-24) rank 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy. England is behind Estonia, Australia, Poland and Slovakia in both areas.


more: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/oct/08/england-young-people-league-table-basic-skills-oecd

The bulk of those in that age range were educated under a Labour government. Their ages when Labour left office would have been 13-21. That's quite a severe comment on Labour's handling of education. When Labour came to power those young people would have been in the age range 0-5. That means they would have spent almost all their years of schooling under Labour's education policies.

it's totally academic (or not!) under which gov't these children emerged from school with almost no chance of employment

though there are plenty of bad schools and teachers, there's far more bad parents who abdicate their role and will not accept that it is THEIR prime responsibility to teach their children the simple basics of numeracy and literacy as well as instilling aspirations and decency

Cyners,

I would've thought it's very much the responsibility of any incumbent government to ensure our children achieve the highest possible academic standards. It's of no surprise whatsoever that Gordon Clown has been shown yet again to have let the country down.

But otherwise you're right, traditionally, under Labour governments, people tend not to aspire particularly high and drop their moral standards because they invariably adopt the benefits culture that has a funny habit of rubbing off.

it is a parental obligation to take primary control of a child's education and general wellbeing ..... the schools also have a serious responsibility, but if the parents don't care, the dice are already loaded
it matters not what bunch of scallies are in the ascendancy

Moral standards.

Perhaps, the young are trying to emulate the amorality of the city, StarBucks MPs and "stars".

Schools, there are so many reviews, changes of staff, changes of course material, conflicts of examination recognition that the staff are demoralised and the parents confused as what is going on in some schools.

The major problem is interference by politicians who think the know better than the professionals who are trying to do the job.

Education has been aimlessly messed about, or interfered with since the 80's and is a mess for many.

It is not just indifference of parents but incompetence of politicians and the Gove's latest reorganisation is another disaster.

cut the political party platform and put your sensible hat back on, though i'm glad you include the long tenure of labour ..... but pretty irrelevant

if the parents don't accept and take their responsibilities seriously, it will be an uphill battle for almost any school, let alone one with sub-standard staff and facilities

hilary - 08 Oct 2013 14:55 - 30681 of 30684

But otherwise you're right, traditionally, under Labour governments, people tend not to aspire particularly high and drop their moral standards because they invariably adopt the benefits culture that has a funny habit of rubbing off..........................ends


Never entered your silly mind that benefits go up when jobs go down, and not under a labour government but under a Tory government.

Ever since Thatcher used unemployment as a tool to divide and rule the working classes unemployment has gone up.

In her time it was 6 million unemployed so she created Incapacity Benefit and put half of them on it to juice the figures down, at the same time she used North Sea Oil Revenues and the proceeds from the sale of council houses to pay for the unemployment.

Fact is she wasted far more money than Gordon Brown did with his sale of gold.

Its always the same, same old Torys unemployment increases and its everybodys fault other than their own.

Cynic,

Political hat back on.

Who improved the building stock of the schools?

Labour.

------

Who left the schools in a state of decay?

Tories
-


Who sold off the "playing" fields.

Tories.

=======

Who is still flogging the silver.

Tories.

-







17 August 2012

School playing fields: 31 sales approved


The revised figures come amid a debate about the legacy of the London Olympics

A total of 31 plans to sell off school playing fields in England have been approved by the coalition government since it came to power.

I thought you'd squelched me, Fishfinger. Or was that just another one of your incessant lies, undone by vanity?

But... I'm perplexed as to why you ever donated £120k a year to the Tories, given your clear hatred of them. Or was that also another one of your incessant lies?

PS. How old are you this week? And will you be playing for England on Friday night?

fred - that was not the discussion as well you know :-) ..... even your school would have instilled in you, "answer the question asked, not the one you wish had been asked"

that said, i am appalled that, a good many years ago, most schools effectively gave up on school sport - political correctness; can't have losers; apathy etc etc - with the role being taken over by the local clubs ....... the (very good) local school here also sold off a lot of their sports fields for housebuilding (omelettes and eggs come to mind!), though they did get in return a handsome all-weather sports area, but that's not really the same

It wasn't the Conservatives that sold off the playing fields. The law was changes to allow councils to sell off playing fields that were not needed. Almost all the councils that sold the playing fields were Labour. It was a time of Labour dogma where they regarded team sports and winning to be bad for children. The result was a decline of sports in schools.

hays - you should get off your political platform too and try to debate sensibly

though "The law was changes to allow councils to sell off playing fields that were not needed" may well be true, many councils (we aren't labour here!) would have seized the opportunity with open arms as a way of filling the coffers, for whatever motive ..... they've tried that stunt with allotments too, but in (almost?) every case have been beaten off by the locals

Hilary Ive always maintained and declared here on this thread many times that Im a floating voter, Ive voted for both the two main political parties but still remember my grass roots ie, that of the working class.

The 120£ grand donated (not donated)was a decsion taken by my local conservative club we are I am president. . We are not supporting this present front bench who keep puttng back a referendum on Europe.

As for morals, look at yourself in the mirror, a bloke posting as a women. AND Haystacks biggest pal............ the tax evader.

Torys have no morals and never have had. Its just greed greed greed with you lot. Theirs nothing wrong with responsible capitalism but Im afraid the present lot havent a responsible bone in their body.

I see gf is rambling again. His medication seems to wear off about this time of day.

School playing fields were flogged off because councils were cash strapped mainly labour ones short changed by tory central on the council funding formula.

Strange that a floating voter would be a member (let alone president) of a Conservative Club, but hey ho. So would that be Meltham or Honley Conservative Club that you are president of then, Fishfinger?

None of your business.

I suggest you put your make up on and toddle off down to your local transvestite club.

Bet you look a real -ugger in them high heels LOL LOL LOL LOL.

"School playing fields were flogged off because councils were cash strapped"
as i posted myself, that bit is generally true - now cut out the attaching political claptrap and debate sensibly

Hilary
We all know that gf makes it all up as he goes.