Education BHA exposé on unregistered, illegal Jewish schools which only teach about Judaism The British Humanist Associuation are an organisation well worth supporting. And this news item is well worth watching: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hICjMR7Tj1w&utm_source=BHA+E-Bulletin+2014&utm_campaign=61baa45705-BHA_e_bulletin_2015_09_079_2_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=
Education Free School praised by Michael Gove ordered to close due to bullying and religious bigotry A Christian free school lauded by Education Secretary Michael Gove has been ordered to close after inspectors accused pupils of harbouring “prejudiced views” of children from other faiths which went unchallenged by their teachers.
Education The Perfect Storm : Gove’s Teacher Shortage For those of you who are in the teaching profession, or who are interested in politics, and how Govian free market economics is trying to usurp education, then this is fascinating. It's a tour de force, from Disappointed Idealist: Something hideous this way comes. It’s a teacher shortage. Nothing
Education Malala's father on TED This was a pretty interesting talk, with some lovely moments to lift as quotes. One of my favourites was the final closer: People ask me, what special is in my mentorship which has made Malala so bold and so courageous and so vocal and poised? I tell them, don'
Education 'Extremist' nurseries to lose funding - Nicky Morgan The post-Trojan horse shenanigans rumble on. The BHA are riding the secular wave - good on 'em. The BBC reports: Councils are to be given powers to stop funding early-years providers with links to extremism, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has announced. The move, in England, follows a letter-writing campaign
Education Woo hoo! Yes! Zippedy doo whoop!... Oh shit... YES!!! GIVE IS OUT, GOVE IS OUT, WHOOP DE DOO, GOVE IS OUT. GOVE HAS GONE, GOVE HAS GONE, YAY YAY YAY, GOVE HAS GONE!
Education School governors: abolish rules on Christian assemblies The National Governors' Association calls for the abolition of the 70-year-old rule that requires schools to hold a Christian assembly every day, saying it is "meaningless"
atheism Taxpayers' cash should not be used to fund faith schools, say voters OK, so if you have been following the debacle of the schools in Birmingham, UK, which have involved the schools inspectorate in the UK, you will know that there is a huge worry in the UK that certain schools are becoming worryingly victim to Islamic extremism. I will not explain
Education Concerns over religious hardliners inspecting independent 'faith schools' These schools shouldn't even be allowed to exist, let alone be policed by their own. As the National Secular Society reports: The National Secular Society has expressed concern that inspectors with extremist views are working for the body responsible for inspecting Muslims and Christian independent
catholicism Headmaster sacked from Catholic school over marriage split This, from the Telegraph: Headmaster sacked from Catholic school over marriage split A top Catholic school retracted its job offer to a new headteacher after governors learnt the chosen candidate had split up with his wife Christopher Belli was offered the top job at Corpus Christi RC High School in
Education Islamic take-over of UK schools being investigated The government are continuing to look into the Islamification of certain schools in the Birmingham area as I reported (from the BBC) before. Here, the anti-terrorism unit has got involved. This is close to my teaching and secular heart (from the BBC again):
Conservatives My favourite video of the year Bloody awesome. [H/T Zoe Flanagan] OK, this is UK-centric. But man, this fricking NAILS everything which is wrong with education at the moment. Most of that comes from those in power. Gove. Michael Gove. If I met him in a dark alley... http://youtu.be/qJ8RA3QF0EU
Education Little Girl Taken Out Of Christian School After Told She's Too Much Like A Boy Timberlake, VA - Sports, sneakers, and short hair; it's what makes eight year old Sunnie Kahle unique. It's also what had her removed from Timberlake Christian School. Her grandparents pulled the plug on her time there after they said she was no longer welcome. The family received a letter tellin
Education Annoying Parents and their Fallacious Arguments: The Teachers' Strike I don't make a habit, as a teacher, of annoying parents. It doesn't make my job easy. But I have spent the last week getting more and more incensed and infuriated over the claims and arguments I have been hearing on the radio and TV and at school. Why can't presenters get some critical skills. Why c
Education Why I am going on strike Wednesday 26th is an important day for the National Union of Teachers here in the UK. We have voted to go out on strike and I am going to do so, foregoing my pay for the day. I don't take this action lightly, but then nor do I accept hat he government is doing to the education system lightly. I woul
Education Education and religion: Invention or not, tactics in alleged Birmingham school plot are familiar The Guardian reports, following up from a story which I reposted here: Experienced headteachers say they recognise ploy outlined in document about alleged Islamic plot to 'take over' schools
Education 'Islamic takeover plot' in Birmingham schools investigated As a teacher, I cannot tell you how much this worries me. I will be striking later this month in opposition to this government push on 'free schools' an academies which is thinly veiled attempt to privatise education and politically liberalise it. I could bore you for hours on the ramifications and
Creationism Scaramanga takes on Accelerated Christian Education. And wins. Jonny Scaramanga came to do a talk about his experiences with Christian education at Portsmouth Skeptics in the Pub recently. I was gutted to have missed it - I was really looking forward to that one. However, keeping a tab on his blog, it seems clear that he is embroiled in a right ding-dong with h
determinism Nature trumps nurture in exam success: GCSE results 'mainly determined by genes,' says landmark study of twins Genetics has a more powerful influence on pupils' GCSE exam results than teachers, schools or family environment, according to a new study published tonight. Researchers from King's College London found that genetic differences account for 58 per cent of the differences between pupils' GCSE exam
Conservatives Gove and Free Schools are an embarrassment. Shocker. So I have written a number of times about Gove and his penchant for free market economics in school and his libertarian approach to education. And how it totally sucks. Well, his Free School initiative is terrible and is faltering as the days go by. Between Free Schools and Academies, he is doing a
Conservatives Cause for concern: two state schools challenge Government policy on teaching evolution This is a disgrace. This is what our schools are coming to given the government's insistence that anyone can set up schools (Free Schools). This is just an excuse for ideological indoctrination. Here is an email the British Humanist Association sent me:
Education Why I Support the Teachers' Strike - I will be on the March! On the 17th October, teachers in my area will be striking. Here are the reasons why I support this strike with every fibre of my being and why I will be with my fellow striking teachers on a march in Portsmouth. What I do find annoying is that the unions
Education An Indictment of British (Faith) Free Schools I am a big advocate of the state education sector in Britain. I hate Michael Gove, the Conservative Education Minister, with a passion. He is trying to deregulate and effectively privatise the education system. I will joining my brothers and sisters on strike on the 17th October. I will be
Education Concerns raised about gender and religious discrimination at Derby Muslim Free School The Derby Telegraph has reported that Al-Madinah School, a Muslim Free School that opened in Derby in September 2012, is forcing all female members of staff to wear a hijab (whether Muslim or not), and is requiring girls to sit at the back of classrooms. The Sunday Times is further reporting that re
faith schools Faith schools cannot continue their immoral policy of discrimination "How are the mighty fallen!" is a biblical verse that will not only be well-known by the Roman Catholic state school, the London Oratory, but now applies directly to them. The school – famously chosen by both Tony Blair and Nick Clegg for their sons – has just been criticised by the Office of the Sc
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