Graduates on benefits claiming too sick to work

Thinks - off to google to see what Norwegian looks like - and am guessing it's not too different to the other Scandinavian languages?

When I lived in Denmark the family I was with would talk Danish to the Swedes when we went there on holiday one time and they'd talk Swedish back to them - and they understood each other....because, I gather, the languages were pretty similar.

Think for instance (and I hope I've got the spelling right....) a little bit of Danish "Vill du ha kaffe?", "Ja tak". Not hard for a British person to tell that's "Do you want coffee?" "Yes please".
"Kan du taler i Engelsk?" = "Can you speak English?" (silly question - they all can....).

But could I quote you one single word of Welsh - other than "popty-ping"......= Nope. In one ear and straight out the other. I literally can't think of any others - though I recognise a very few when I see them written. It's a difficult language and imo it's made more difficult by the insistence some have that it should be learnt.

That's because Welsh is a Celtic Language.
English, like Swedish, is fundamentally Germanic with Latin (Romance) words mixed in.

CariadAgain

Thinks - off to google to see what Norwegian looks like - and am guessing it's not too different to the other Scandinavian languages?

When I lived in Denmark the family I was with would talk Danish to the Swedes when we went there on holiday one time and they'd talk Swedish back to them - and they understood each other....because, I gather, the languages were pretty similar.

Think for instance (and I hope I've got the spelling right....) a little bit of Danish "Vill du ha kaffe?", "Ja tak". Not hard for a British person to tell that's "Do you want coffee?" "Yes please".
"Kan du taler i Engelsk?" = "Can you speak English?" (silly question - they all can....).

But could I quote you one single word of Welsh - other than "popty-ping"......= Nope. In one ear and straight out the other. I literally can't think of any others - though I recognise a very few when I see them written. It's a difficult language and imo it's made more difficult by the insistence some have that it should be learnt.

Well you must know what Cariad means 😂

"Cariad" and "Hiraeth" if we're stretching it.....and one has to watch out for "Arafs" signs printed on tarmac when driving . I've not forgotten that one - after someone made a comment one time of how we're told to "slow down for these little creatures called Arafs" and that one comes to mind every time and I'm there thinking "Mustn't forget those Arafs".

I can see the point made too re Germanic languages - as I can pick out odd bits and pieces from German too and was managing to get the general gist okay when I went there on holiday.

So yep.....French/Italian/German/Scandinavian languages and there's enough to pick up the gist....but anything else.....apart (in my case) from a tiny bit of verbal Arabic (from my first few boyfriends way back when) and I've been known to leave one of their friends gobsmacked when he spoke to me in Arabic and I answered him straight back perfectly accurately - as he hadn't known I knew those words. I didn't - I was as astonished as he was that I'd understood him.

I think it's a combination of the language has a different base to any I'm familiar with - and I have seen pressure put on others/put on me about it and I got told decades ago by my mother that the best possible way to get me not to do something was to try and make me do it and in dug my metaphorical heels and that was that.....I'd never do whatever it was she wanted if I could help it.

I have felt very sympathetic towards anyone I saw being pressurised and have been seen running towards a woman I knew of when I spotted her deliberately walking up to a Council workman on duty and he clearly had no idea what she was saying and (very politely) told her so. She did hear him saying that...I know she did....but she repeated herself at him (in very angry fashion). She didn't get a third chance to do that to him - as I ran up to them and said "He's TOLD you he doesn't speak Welsh. You heard him" and she stormed off and he thanked me for saving him from her. She knew I knew this sort of episode was a speciality of hers....and she'd done it to me several times and thrown me out of communal conversations by "switching and ignoring".

Whilst the discussion about the origins is interesting, this is now so far from the subject of the thread, it could be a different one! I didn't think that was the done thing on GN?

In my humble ‘non intelligent’ opinion since we are discussing IQs, technical subjects are more suited to students with an aptitude towards Maths.

When I was studying for my higher technical diploma, one of the subjects is structural mechanics and structural mechanics is all Maths.

Unfortunately, 40 % of students in the UK fail to achieve a standard pass in GCSE Maths.

This problem needs to be resolved first in order to tackle the lack of technical skills.

Whoever in charge of education should go to other countries which achieved global rankings in Maths and see what methods they use to teach Maths.

My sisters' grandchildren attended kindergartens and can now speak 3 languages including English and Mandarin.

Well you must know what Cariad means
Yes!

Do you drive, Cariad? If so, I hope you know what Araf means 🙂

and one has to watch out for "Arafs" signs printed on tarmac when driving . I've not forgotten that one - after someone made a comment one time of how we're told to "slow down for these little creatures called Arafs" and that one comes to mind every time and I'm there thinking "Mustn't forget those Arafs".

Apologies.

I should RTT!

Whoever in charge of education should go to other countries which achieved global rankings in Maths and see what methods they use to teach Maths.

I agree. Why is it that many British children are fearful of Maths? Is it because it is not well taught or made enjoyable?

It seems to be enjoyable in early years and then some dread it and assume they will fail. It has always been thus, I think.

SporeRB01

In my humble ‘non intelligent’ opinion since we are discussing IQs, technical subjects are more suited to students with an aptitude towards Maths.

When I was studying for my higher technical diploma, one of the subjects is structural mechanics and structural mechanics is all Maths.

Unfortunately, 40 % of students in the UK fail to achieve a standard pass in GCSE Maths.

This problem needs to be resolved first in order to tackle the lack of technical skills.

Whoever in charge of education should go to other countries which achieved global rankings in Maths and see what methods they use to teach Maths.

My sisters' grandchildren attended kindergartens and can now speak 3 languages including English and Mandarin.

These are the 2025 results for Grade 4 and above.
In English, 70.6 per cent of grades were at grade 4 and above, down 0.8 per cent on the 71.2 per cent last year. For maths, the number was 71.9 per cent, down from 72 per cent last year. These figures are for GCSE.
Not sure where your 40% failing to get a standard Grade 4 comes from?

Regarding Maths, I think Rishi Sunak's Richmond project is still ongoing, isn't it?
I'm sure it still supports Maths Week in schools, for example, and has the right idea ..... to get children to enjoy the subject.

The reasonat children are not inspired by maths is because at higher levels its not relevant to everyday life. We all have calculators, computers and all the other electronic devices, we dont need to know how they operare to use them, we certainly cannot repair them if they go wrong. Unless we want to be a software engineer, electronic designer, or computer hacker, its not relevant.
If basic accounting, finance and economics were taught it would benefit far more.

MartavTaurus

Regarding Maths, I think Rishi Sunak's Richmond project is still ongoing, isn't it?
I'm sure it still supports Maths Week in schools, for example, and has the right idea ..... to get children to enjoy the subject.

Richmond Project?

Is this the Maths that was taught in my DD's Primary School years ago? Well, 40 years ago in fact!

I don't think so Allira. It was a new initiative by Rishi and wife, whose name escapes me.
richmondproject.org/

Thank you MartavTaurus

David49

The reasonat children are not inspired by maths is because at higher levels its not relevant to everyday life. We all have calculators, computers and all the other electronic devices, we dont need to know how they operare to use them, we certainly cannot repair them if they go wrong. Unless we want to be a software engineer, electronic designer, or computer hacker, its not relevant.
If basic accounting, finance and economics were taught it would benefit far more.

Are you talking about Key Stage 4 David or A level? Would be interesting to hear your view of the former. Link below:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7dc9dced915d2ac884d8ef/KS4_maths_PoS_FINAL_170714.pdf

Mamie

David49

The reasonat children are not inspired by maths is because at higher levels its not relevant to everyday life. We all have calculators, computers and all the other electronic devices, we dont need to know how they operare to use them, we certainly cannot repair them if they go wrong. Unless we want to be a software engineer, electronic designer, or computer hacker, its not relevant.
If basic accounting, finance and economics were taught it would benefit far more.

Are you talking about Key Stage 4 David or A level? Would be interesting to hear your view of the former. Link below:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7dc9dced915d2ac884d8ef/KS4_maths_PoS_FINAL_170714.pdf

I can relate to all that when I took GCE maths 60 yrs ago except we didnt have calculators to solve the problems and we were dealing with imperial measures not metric. You may remember calculations longhand took somewhat longer. A few years later we did use slide rules at college for practical calculations.

Although we did learn Logs, Trig and Algebra I have not used any since my schooldays. Its nice to know these principles but its like languages if you dont use them you loose the ability.

Is Maths a compulsory subject at GCSE ?, if so thats probably the reason grades are low, too many uninspired students taking the exam

Yes, David , maths is compulsory up to age sixteen, or older, if the students undertake the International Baccalaureate.

Is Maths a compulsory subject at GCSE ?, if so thats probably the reason grades are low, too many uninspired students taking the exam

Yes, it is.
Maths, English Language and Sciences in England.
Plus Welsh in Wales.

Some teachers are inspiring but not all, unfortunately.

I enjoyed maths, physics and science too most of that was because I got on well with the teachers. They taught a lot of practical skills as well as the theoretical background, after a few years working, technical college then management college I learned how to make 2+2=6.
Self Employed from then

Chocolatelovinggran

Yes, David , maths is compulsory up to age sixteen, or older, if the students undertake the International Baccalaureate.

Luckily for me, I could get a university place to read English without O Level maths, provided I had Latin, which I did. This was a very long time ago. I have a higher degree in English, but I didn’t even take O Level maths. I’d have failed, anyway,

LOUISA1523

Even a degree leading to a profession does not guarantee work ....no nursing jobs going for graduates these days

Perhaps not, but there are plenty of healthcare jobs, so there is no need for graduates to sit on benefits when they could be gaining some experience and getting pai

David49

Mamie

David49

The reasonat children are not inspired by maths is because at higher levels its not relevant to everyday life. We all have calculators, computers and all the other electronic devices, we dont need to know how they operare to use them, we certainly cannot repair them if they go wrong. Unless we want to be a software engineer, electronic designer, or computer hacker, its not relevant.
If basic accounting, finance and economics were taught it would benefit far more.

Are you talking about Key Stage 4 David or A level? Would be interesting to hear your view of the former. Link below:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7dc9dced915d2ac884d8ef/KS4_maths_PoS_FINAL_170714.pdf

I can relate to all that when I took GCE maths 60 yrs ago except we didnt have calculators to solve the problems and we were dealing with imperial measures not metric. You may remember calculations longhand took somewhat longer. A few years later we did use slide rules at college for practical calculations.

Although we did learn Logs, Trig and Algebra I have not used any since my schooldays. Its nice to know these principles but its like languages if you dont use them you loose the ability.

Is Maths a compulsory subject at GCSE ?, if so thats probably the reason grades are low, too many uninspired students taking the exam

I was lucky to have a maths teacher who encouraged me and found ways to help me gain my GCE in maths by teaching alternative ways until it sunk in.
I had a successful career in market research (lots of analysis and stats) before turning to software, where I was a systems programmer, then and applications programmer, running teams before going outward into project and programme management.
Never once was my lack of mathematical ability of any hamper to this - in fact over the years three of my best staff were actually languages graduates

Is it perhaps that having all those years of high pressure treadmill, it is just a need to drift a little, take stock and simply rest.
Seldom entitled to much in the way of dole.

FranP

Is it perhaps that having all those years of high pressure treadmill, it is just a need to drift a little, take stock and simply rest.
Seldom entitled to much in the way of dole.

Life has its pressures, work has its stresses, the treadmill is tedious, but we don't all drift a little and take a rest on benefits when things get tough.
By all means young people could take a gap year to explore their options, but it wouldn't be good to be an eternal shirker.