Dishonest reporting of spending on education

I've really enjoyed Press so far, it's been engrossing without being too complicated.

Press is a BBC One drama series. The sixth and final episode to be shown this Thursday at 9pm.

No- more info please- sounds great.

Is anyone watching the series "Press"? A satire on our media. The ethical "Herald" (Guardian) v the unethical "Post" (thinly disguised Daily Mail"?

Just can't win - if someone quotes from the Guardian or Independent- they are accused of bias and being middle class elites.

But if you quote from pro Brexit DM- then you can't be trusted. Now I'd say that if the DM publishes this, which damages the people and ideas their normally support- it must be bad, surely.

Will this do, Nonnie?

educationbusinessuk.net/news/09102018/uk-statistics-authority-slams-dfes-use-misrepresenting-figures

Must be true if its in the Daily Mail!

The U.K. Statistics Authority has sternly rebuked Damien Hinds about misleading education statistics including increased government funding claims.

Education Secretary’s numbers don’t add up: Statistics watchdog blasts Damian Hinds after his department was caught misleading the public over school funding and standards
UK Statistics Authority wrote to Damian Hind to express 'serious concerns'
The department found to have misled on reading ability and school funding
It is the fourth time the watchdog has written to the department in a year

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6252595/Statistics-watchdog-tells-Education-Department-concerns-data-use.html

Luckygirl incestigate the Co- operative Schools Trust. An alternative to working as a group of schools ..but not academisation.

trisher - I think the drug company "jollies" are a thing of the past. I remember them well though - one I went to with OH I was about 8 months pregnant and fainted during a particularly gory film that preceded the free grub!

Back to education - do not believe anyone who tells you that education funding is AOK. Like PECS I am a school governor - small rural primary - and know how tight the budgets are. We manage to tick along because:
- the PSA is quite extraordinarily inventive in their fund raising and without them ends would not meet.
- the staff work many many many more hours than those for which they are contracted. It is very embarrassingly uncomfortable for me, as chair of staffing committee, to have to be aware of this but be powerless to do anything about it.
- the teaching staff care with all their hearts about the children and the school as the heart of the community.

The situation is madness. At one time the LA education departments used to provide services: legal, staffing, payroll, resources etc. Now we have to buy in SLAs (service level agreements to pay for these things - out of limited budgets.

And then we have to pay the Apprenticeship Levy in spite of the fact that small schools have little scope for getting anything back from the scheme - just another drain on the budget.

And then OfSted pops in and makes judgements on tiny figures - a year group of about 5 children has no statistical validity at all - say one has special needs, another has a cold on the day of the tests, then two fifths of the year will be "failing" and we are judged accordingly - what nonsense and how dispiriting for those who are working so hard.

And then we have to watch the fat cat entrepreneurs making a fortune out of their academy chains with their impersonal approach. And have to endure these folk trying to suck us into their whirlpool. Sickening.

It is all deeply depressing and if we all - governors, staff and community - did not care so deeply about what the school stands for, then it would go under.

I knew I should not have started to post on this thread!

The soliticotrs firm that I worked for paid for solicitors to go attend lectures and courses that would contribute to their CPD. I don't believe it is only the public sector that pays for their employees to do this.

The free school and academy situation appears to leave plenty of room for misuse of funds because the schools are no longer overseen by local authorities but by central government - and how much oversight can there be when central government is so far removed from local areas? No doubt there will be many more scandals (there have already been several).

Of course continuing professional development is vital in law, education and health - otherwise the people responsible for health, justice and education will be stuck in a time warp and have no knowledge of ongoing research and developments in their professions.

'Staff discount' no doubt, PECS

There has certainly been concerns voiced about contracts for goods and services going to friends and relatives of the Academy Management...

It was rumoured that teachers in Harris,Academies got discount at Carpet Right

Also Nonnie, a lot of the CPD in schools is actually being instructed in the latest fad to come from the latest Minister responsible.
You obviously have no idea at all how schools run, ^Employers are responsible to their shareholders and therefore would do a cost benefit analysis^. Just what will it take to convince you that what has happened is deceitful, dishonest, and offensive to those headteachers who were staging a quiet, desperate protest about what is happening in their schools?

Maizie or you could look at it that the CPD is benefiting the individual and means they can gain promotion or another, better, job.

Same applies in schools, nonnie. There's a career path in schools from NQT to Headteacher.. A school may well lose a teacher who has had CPD to another school, but they equally have the possibility of gaining one in their place. A well trained workforce is beneficial to the education system, as it is to any enterprise. But perhaps private enterprise doesn't take social 'good' into account.

Anyway, it's all a bit academic really.

They also have sponsors - some very 'dodgy' ones too.

Well actually thinking about it Academies probably do!

"schools do not have shareholders" The way things are going they probably will have soon.

Except that schools do not have shareholders Nonnie and any CPD training undertaken by a teacher will eventually benefit children

Maizie or you could look at it that the CPD is benefiting the individual and means they can gain promotion or another, better, job. Employers are responsible to their shareholders and therefore would do a cost benefit analysis and pay for things which benefit them rather than give their staff qualifications which enable them to move to another employer.

Maizie- it used to be much worse- ski or golf holidays abroad for the Consultants- nice Malt at Christmas, and other jollies, like dinners in posh restaurants, etc. It has all been banned, thank goodness- used to make OH so cross.

A pizza, well, not quite the same kettle of 'fish' ...

It may be slightly under the radar MaizieD. Talk held about new drugs for treating something, junior doctors invited, rep turns up with pizza. I'm told it is sometimes quite late in the evening as well. You know, end of shift, need to eat, pizza available!!!

Exploitation of employees in the private sector doesn't justify exploitation in the public sector.

In the school I worked in CPD was part of the appraisal process. The school would fund (limited) CPD which would contribute to achieving a staff member's future objectives. Anything else an individual paid for.

For an employer to expect employees to fund CPD which is relevant to improving their performance (and so benefiting the employer) seems like exploitation to me.

I think that outside the public sector it is normal to pay for your own CPD courses. It was where I worked and no time off to do them either.

One thing has occurred to me junior doctors do get goodies from drug companies.

Goodness, is that still happening? I thought the practice had been banned many years ago.

When I worked in hospital catering in the 70s we used to provide regular 'Mess Dinners'. Very nice evening meals for the doctors paid for by the drug companies. Good meal followed by a 'presentation' by the company that paid for it.

If it's still happening I'm

(though, poor old doctors only getting pizza. We used to do a 3 course meal)