Literacy and Numeracy: What MPs said

Debate is good and to be encouraged. However talk is cheap, words are ten-a-penny without action. Words, after speech should reach into time future, not into the silence – to borrow from and hack about with T S Eliot – they should be a starting point for action. This is hardly a new topic – the existence of the WEA bears witness to this truth. Let’s see where this goes, the proof of the pudding…

Lifelong Learning Matters

Adult literacy and numeracy had a much-needed moment in the Parliamentary spotlight last Thursday with a detailed debate. You can find background information and links to a video and transcript of the full discussion at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/backbench-business-committee/news/debate-on-adult-literacy-and-numeracy/

Literacy and numeracy were also centre stage at the WEA’s biennial Conference, featuring in several sessions and in the presentation of the Olive Cordell Awards. Olive was a WEA community studies tutor who left a financial as well as an educational legacy to fund these awards, which her daughter Jane presented for the fifth year.

Jane handed Marie Leadbitter the Tutor of the Year Award for achievements in teaching Numeracy & Literacy and Sam Gowler the Learner of the Year Award for his progress in English and Maths. Sam’s story adds a very human dimension to the Parliamentary debate and Marie’s work shows how good teaching can help to solve the problems at the heart of the MPs’ discussion.

Sam decided to join two WEA courses…

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Birmingham Claimants’ Union Meeting – 30th October

Birmingham Against The Cuts

Next Birmingham Claimants’ Union meeting is on the 30th of October at midday at tuc centre for the unemployed, 448, Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, B11 4AE.

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Never mind – British kids are just naturally thicker than Finnish kids

Whenever they are in a fix, why do they always fall back on the Bell Curve and Eugenics – is this a right-wing conditioned reflex – or is it in their genes? (Oops!)

Pride's Purge

(not satire – it’s the UK today!)

Finnish students are ranked as the best educated in Europe – way ahead of the UK when it comes to educational competence.

Interestingly, Finnish pupils don’t start school until they’re 7 years old and aren’t formally tested at all until they’re 16.

The UK government meanwhile has recently announced that children in UK schools should start being formally tested from the age of 5.

Finnish schools also have one of the highest teacher/student ratios in the world – whereas the UK is ruthlessly cutting its teachers and teaching staff.

And just this week, Education Secretary Michael Gove’s close adviser Dominic Cummings argued that education, schools and teachers are mostly irrelevant because intelligence is mainly genetic.

So Gove and the coalition government clearly believe that no matter what we do, British children will always do worse at school than Finnish children because we’re…

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Red Cross Launch Emergency Food Aid in UK.

Please follow the link First emergency food aid in UK since WW2 to read this article by Scriptonite.
Shhh… don’t mention the Austerity.

Bedroom Tax – Unfair, Unworkable and Counterproductive

Please read and share – the Bedroom Tax is one iniquity too far, let us make sure it is Cameron’s Poll Tax, consigned to the dustbin of history where it and this vile coalition belong. What a legacy!

Birmingham Against The Cuts

Yesterday, anti-bedroom tax campaigners lobbied Birmingham City Council to enact a no eviction policy, so that those who are caught by this unfair charge do not risk losing their homes. Veronica Kenning, a Shard End resident who has terminal cancer and is refusing to leave her home is facing eviction as a result of bedroom tax debts. Well-wishers of Veronica will be gathering at her home tomorrow from 4pm-6pm to show support. At the council meeting yesterday, the council passed a motion calling for the policy to be scrapped, another sign of growing resistance from the local Labour party.

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another saturn image from cassini

digger666

HARD-BOILED HISTORY.

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Speakers and workshops for Midlands conference

For my friends in the Midlands. And to Dudley LA. This should be a good event, hope to see you there.

A Charter for Primary Education

The Charter for Primary Education Midlands conference is supported by Dudley Local Authority.

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STRIKE ON OCTOBER 17TH

For my friends in London; best wishes, in solidarity, for a safe and successful action on the 17th!

Lambeth NEU

STRIKE on October 17^th
DEMONSTRATE outside Downing St and the DfE HQ
Travel together with other Lambeth teachers, meet 9:45 on Lambeth Town Hall steps.

WHY ARE WE STRIKING?

The government are wrecking the education system by introducing a 19^th century curriculum, by privatising schools through the Academies and Free Schools programs, and by increasing the pressure and stress on children through a regime based purely on targets and testing.
Gove wants to attack teachers’ pay, pensions and working conditions. You can not have a quality education system with demoralised and poorly paid teachers.
WE WANT TO STAND UP FOR EDUCATION!

EVERY SINGLE TEACHER that strikes will be making a difference. If you care about pay, if you care about the damage this government is doing to the education of children, if you care about excessive workload that makes it more and…

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Also in Manchester over the weekend . . .

This event swamped other nearby events. From what I saw there was as much footage from the conference as from the march and rally. Funny how disproportionate news reporting by the broadcast media can be!

communitiesagainstthecuts