Times Comment 22/05

Coronavirus in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon calls for four-day week as she eases lockdown

Jeane Freeman, Scotland’s health secretary, apologised for misleading the public after it emerged that almost 1,000 hospital patients were discharged to care homes before compulsory Covid-19 testing was enforced.

404 error: Page not found for the link from this part of the article.

Similarly unobtainable was the relevant part of the gov dot scot publications website where more detail about schools to expand on the repetitive daily waffle of the FMs speech.

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First, primary kids do not do “schoolwork” all day there are in the timetable 3 daily playtime breaks, weekly excursions, PE, Drama, Assembly etc

If I was you I would recognise that there are resources that schools have that you do not — and vice versa in future, if you make it so. Looking forward there are some facililties that will be suspended I can forsee two:

Practical STEM — the cost of equipment that is currently shared will be beyond the budgets of many Primaries. There are some good kits for sale — I like John Lewis own brand.

Coding — (different kids click with this at different ages) but the current practice, in Scotland, of getting volunteers & sometimes companies will cease. There are books and magazines to help. Microbit is good and you can try out b4 committing to purchase the (cheap) hardware.

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‘blended learning’ — all things to all people; even 15 years ago Once it was watch the video and … oh then that became ‘flipped’, but the distraction of tiktok put an end to that There are not enough teachers & LA’s are skint so no teachers will not be included Like milk which farmers up here were pouring down the drain leaving only give an extra 25p cartons the breweries are also getting rid (on TV)

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Nor does the public sector get a look-in: In Edinburgh the schools, BC — before Covid, were open for 4 and a half days per week. Such a sensible time tabling stress saver has yet to spread north ….

distraction tactics

Our local papers highlighted, always with the same picture of some bearded Councillor, that the hub schools had been wonderfully supported by a wide range of staff from the sports dept to librarians. Why can’t these be enrolled and made ready for the upcoming teaching staff shortages when in June,July and August we have schools of various flavours and types of opening. I imagine the usual army of volunteers will be curtailed unless AB testing is more widespread.

Nicola Sturgeon is realistic on coronavirus - but there's a hint of hope

“The route map is a” step up in quality of presentation from the last major publication in this sequence. That had an R number illustration which was a spread sheet with the cell backgrounds coloured differently and a saltire in the middle (without range or confidence interval) to indicate Scotland’s status. Still far too many words though

Quentin Letts: Mumbling mayor Sadiq Khan is star of Zoom Trumpton

I appreciate Quentin’s update on Sadiq’s democratic appearances, having missed the London Mayor questions on the Parliamentary Channel. I did stumble across Piers Morgan interviewing him on GMBTV about the extension of times and prices of the Congestion Charge and the “impact that will have on the least well off in London” such as the various public sector workers. Quentin makes a fair point that too many of our political leaders are blaming someone else and when it comes to making decisions they can implement simply rattling on about Science

2) No, is the honest answer to your point:

you will be aware of the conditions imposed by the government?

Indeed the sentence in the article and your comment is the first I have heard, despite spending too much time on this site and watching news-TV

Last week’s national £1.1 billion package of support for London’s transport network, far from being a vast subsidy, was in fact a “burden” on Londoners.

Coronavirus in Scotland: pupils' return to be staggered when schools reopen

Libraries, community halls, leisure centres and vacant business premises will be turned into makeshift classrooms

You have omitted those big Exhibition Centres. I wonder how many Scottish Cities have two. Also there are the spare conference facilities at hotels that are about to close

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Having saved the NHS the next job is save Education

In particular don’t make it the next care home mistake. So where are the (mass) testing plans for schools. For example AB testing would be helpful (& yes immunity not guaranteed, you might be a spreader if you have had it before etc #fearmongering from an NHS “we don’t really know” TV doctor just broadcasting live a few mins ago).

And term times are important for people’s holidays #beeinbonnet

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You are right about the old chap.

My argie-bargie with Donald Campbell et al is to draw attention to the fact that many teachers will end up working through (parts of) the summer, without compensation, to extend the school estate out from the pokey Victorian schools that they work in, for one. Aberdeen North is littered with them.

What is perverse was the cavalier attitude to schools by the FM yesterday. I may have missed something but did she say anymore on education than “August 11” in her couple of paragraphs in her opening speech. So it’s not just me focusing on the dates.

I suspect, behind closed doors, that holiday entitlement for various has been effectively cancelled. This strikes me as wrong but to outsiders maybe not

— ‘blended learning’ — all things to all people; even 15 years ago Once it was watch the video and … oh then that became ‘flipped’, but the distraction of tiktok put an end to that There are not enough teachers & LA’s are skint so no teachers will not be included Like milk which farmers up here were pouring down the drain leaving only give an extra 25p cartons the breweries are also getting rid (on TV)