The Minister in charge of education has to resign due to incompetence some time soon.
This is why
1. Using anti-terror legislation for pushing through the academies bill for the thousands of schools who want it - or rather the 153 that showed some interest
2. Exaggeration of the number of free schools - 63 have shown some interest down from the 700 the claimed earlier in the year. This made it seem like it was a popular idea rather than the fringe concept it really is.
3. Cancelling the Building for the Future programme of school renewal to help fund academies and free schools. I mean why improve a current site when there is an empty shop nearby.
4. The inability to produce a list of school programmes he was cancelling accurately.
5. Spouting the idea that A levels do not help discriminate between the clever and very clever students. This is before the new A* grade has even been awarded for the first time and before the number of candidates getting each grade is known.
6. Wanting to return to full A Levels rather than modules as it better reflects universities - who are all modular. This is also despite Cambridge University saying they like AS as a useful indicator of progress. It will also mean people get to the end of a two course and then fail rather than realise that A Levels are beyond them and finding something more appropriate.
7. Calling people thick - it isn't helpful and it doesn't help them improve
8. Making Outstanding schools academies - so if they are really good give them extra cash and stop checking who they let it allowing them to get better and cream off the brightest students in every town - good holistic thinking.
What parents want is the local school to be providing a quality education and that should be the aim.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Homerton College
Once again I am in Cambridge attending an exam board meeting for two nights and the booking system has placed me at Homerton College. Having experiecnced the Royal Cambridgeshire, the Gonville and the University Arms the sound of an ancient college in the centre of Cambridge sounded quite nice.
1. It is not central but stuck out in the suburbs
2. It is not ancient, the university is from 1976 although some of the older buildings date from early. It does present a nice mix and the grounds are quite attractive
The main issue is that essentially they are hiring out a student hall of residence and calling it a hotel so amongst the luxuries it would be nice to have include a towel, a television, a net curtain or blind, free internet, some kind of guide to the services they provide and food and reception in the same building as the one you stay in. There are also some strange ideas like check out is 9am (I am pretending not to have read that notice in the foyer), when I want a towel I have to collect it and the idea that the cost of this should be equal to the cost of the usual hotels.
Good thing I am not paying directly.
1. It is not central but stuck out in the suburbs
2. It is not ancient, the university is from 1976 although some of the older buildings date from early. It does present a nice mix and the grounds are quite attractive
The main issue is that essentially they are hiring out a student hall of residence and calling it a hotel so amongst the luxuries it would be nice to have include a towel, a television, a net curtain or blind, free internet, some kind of guide to the services they provide and food and reception in the same building as the one you stay in. There are also some strange ideas like check out is 9am (I am pretending not to have read that notice in the foyer), when I want a towel I have to collect it and the idea that the cost of this should be equal to the cost of the usual hotels.
Good thing I am not paying directly.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Inception
This is a great film.
1. The visuals use the same technology as the Matrix and the super slo-mo, weightless fights are brilliant
2.The direction is first class and anyone that has seen Memento knows what Christopher Nolan is capable of
3. The story is complex and detailed. Don't go to the toilet says Mark Kermode as you will be lost. It says we know you are clever enough to keep up so do so. This is in contrast too many blockbusters which assume the audience are stupid.
4.Who thought of this idea.
5. The ending.
1. The visuals use the same technology as the Matrix and the super slo-mo, weightless fights are brilliant
2.The direction is first class and anyone that has seen Memento knows what Christopher Nolan is capable of
3. The story is complex and detailed. Don't go to the toilet says Mark Kermode as you will be lost. It says we know you are clever enough to keep up so do so. This is in contrast too many blockbusters which assume the audience are stupid.
4.Who thought of this idea.
5. The ending.
St Michael's Great Yarmouth - the largest parish church in the UK
St Nicholas' Church and Priory was founded by Herbert de Losinga (Bishop of Norwich) in 1101 as a penance for an act of simony (buying a church office). It is the largest parish church in the country and arguably the oldest building in Great Yarmouth.
During the Medieval period the church was at its most magnificent with stained glass, tapestries, painted and gilded walls, frescos,19 guild chapels, various relics of the saints and ornate furnishings. At this time Great Yarmouth was the fourth richest town in England. The interior was destroyed at the Reformation and the Priory dissolved.
In 1649 the church was divided into three parts as the Puritans, who were now in the ascendancy, demanded use of the building as their church. The arches were bricked up (two feet thickness) on the north side of the nave, the eastern side of the transepts and the eastern side of the tower. The three portions of the church were used by the Anglican Church (south aisle), the Puritans led by Rev. Bridge (the chancel, which they fitted up as a church house) and the Presbyterians (the north aisle).
A new door to the chancel destroyed the altar tomb of Thomas Crowmer (Bailiff of Yarmouth 1470-97). The mutilation of this tomb was contrary to the Act of Parliament of 1644, which allowed the demolition of monuments of idolatry and superstition, but not monuments to dead people, unless they were deemed to be saints. The windows in the east end were filled up with bricks. The north aisle was used by the local militia as a drill hall when the weather was wet. All the three denominations held their services simultaneously. The alterations to the church were paid out of a rate levied on the townspeople. At the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 the Puritans were ejected from the church. The bricked up arches put up by the Independents and the Presbyterians were not taken down until the restoration of 1859-64 when the church became undivided for the first time in about 200 years.
In 1942 the church was completely gutted during a German air raid leaving only the Norman tower and the walls standing.
During the Medieval period the church was at its most magnificent with stained glass, tapestries, painted and gilded walls, frescos,19 guild chapels, various relics of the saints and ornate furnishings. At this time Great Yarmouth was the fourth richest town in England. The interior was destroyed at the Reformation and the Priory dissolved.
In 1649 the church was divided into three parts as the Puritans, who were now in the ascendancy, demanded use of the building as their church. The arches were bricked up (two feet thickness) on the north side of the nave, the eastern side of the transepts and the eastern side of the tower. The three portions of the church were used by the Anglican Church (south aisle), the Puritans led by Rev. Bridge (the chancel, which they fitted up as a church house) and the Presbyterians (the north aisle).
A new door to the chancel destroyed the altar tomb of Thomas Crowmer (Bailiff of Yarmouth 1470-97). The mutilation of this tomb was contrary to the Act of Parliament of 1644, which allowed the demolition of monuments of idolatry and superstition, but not monuments to dead people, unless they were deemed to be saints. The windows in the east end were filled up with bricks. The north aisle was used by the local militia as a drill hall when the weather was wet. All the three denominations held their services simultaneously. The alterations to the church were paid out of a rate levied on the townspeople. At the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 the Puritans were ejected from the church. The bricked up arches put up by the Independents and the Presbyterians were not taken down until the restoration of 1859-64 when the church became undivided for the first time in about 200 years.
In 1942 the church was completely gutted during a German air raid leaving only the Norman tower and the walls standing.
Great Yarmouth
I take it back - after a while of mooching waiting for A to finish the interview I take it back. There are 3 nice buildings in the whole of Yarmouth, the rest appears to be a bit of a dump. Here is the proof.
Principal Examiner
Being in charge is easier physically as I don't have to mark anywhere near as many exams but provides a different type of challenge with head aches that are less easily solved. The price of management.
House
The house is still not sold and it is getting annoying now. There seems to ba a consensus that it is too small to rent out or for a couple to live in successfully and most single people can't afford the 10% deposit the banks want. Time to drop the price
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