Tag: education

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Scotland’s schools – better staffed, better funded and improving outcomes in a society where youth violence has plummeted

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former schoolteacher, education lecturer, Associate Dean I was only a classroom teacher for three years (11 year-olds) before moving into higher education, but 18-24 year-olds can be hard work, scary at times, too. I was a bit lucky as well. I ran a winning school football team (cynically based on the Catenaccio – look it up) so if they crossed me they were oot! I’m not, under any circumstances downplaying how awful the experience can be, at some times, for some teachers but I am, really, questioning the idea that things are now worse than they … Continue reading Scotland’s schools – better staffed, better funded and improving outcomes in a society where youth violence has plummeted

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A Professor, 11 years after BBC Scotland told Deacon Blue his research was ‘poor quality’, supposed CalMac supporters say his work is ‘not to be taken seriously’ but when challenged cannot offer any evidence

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former teacher, education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance and Faculty Research Ethics Chair – why the F would I lie about anything when I don’t need to? First They Ignore You, Then They Laugh at You, Then They Attack You, Then….. In 2014, BBC Scotland accused me of bringing my employer, the University of the West of Scotland, AND the BBC, into disrepute. They copied in my boss, the Principal and vice Chancellor. For two weeks I feared for my job and if I’d worked in an ‘ancient’ university, might well have been reprimanded, even … Continue reading A Professor, 11 years after BBC Scotland told Deacon Blue his research was ‘poor quality’, supposed CalMac supporters say his work is ‘not to be taken seriously’ but when challenged cannot offer any evidence

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Kaye Adams the latest BBC Scotland presenter to deliberately mislead the public by conflating the Dundee University ‘Wendy’ jobs scandal with SNP free tuition

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By Liz S Saw this online via a Blue Sky account: “Kaye Adams is the latest BBC Scotland presenter to deliberately mislead the public by conflating the Dundee University scandal with free tuition. The Dundee University funding issue was caused by financial mismanagement. It has nothing to do with free tuition. More BBC propaganda” Strangely enough I also heard this via the new additional BBC propaganda programme, which is now a part of the BBC in Scotland , as in the podcast called Scotcast,. As they were also debating this yesterday prompted by the Dundee University funding issue, but with … Continue reading Kaye Adams the latest BBC Scotland presenter to deliberately mislead the public by conflating the Dundee University ‘Wendy’ jobs scandal with SNP free tuition

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The treatment of refugee children – How Scotland is trying to become a better place even before we have full control

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above and: Tens of thousands of children in migrant and refugee families in the UK are being denied access to government-funded childcare because of benefit restrictions linked to their parents’ immigration status, a report says. Having “no recourse to public funds” (NRPF) means parents are not entitled to 30 hours of free childcare and are having to stay home to look after their young children instead of working. This is pushing families into poverty and denying their children the benefits of the early years education available to their peers, the report … Continue reading The treatment of refugee children – How Scotland is trying to become a better place even before we have full control

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Youth violence plummets across society yet increases in schools according to union survey of less than one in a hundred teachers ‘seen’ by BBC Scotland

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in classrooms across Scotland, according to a survey of nearly 500 ‘union members’ seen by the BBC. By Professor John Robertson OBA, former teacher, education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance and Research Ethics Chair, UWS BBC Reporting Scotland Down are off with a top story to give the elderly and vulnerable, maybe more of us, a dose of their ‘Too anxious to ever vote for real change‘ drug (take 7 times a day). They have scary prisoner release next as a back-up to get your worries up. There are 54 000 teachers in Scotland so that’s a self-selecting, ‘squeaky … Continue reading Youth violence plummets across society yet increases in schools according to union survey of less than one in a hundred teachers ‘seen’ by BBC Scotland

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BBC Scotland and Prof Paterson shamefully misinterpret statistics to cast another cohort of Scottish students and staff as failures when they are not

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser closing on Friday, primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS  From BBC Scotland today: The attainment gap between Scotland’s richest and poorest school pupils increased last year, according to new figures. The Scottish government has said since 2015 that … Continue reading BBC Scotland and Prof Paterson shamefully misinterpret statistics to cast another cohort of Scottish students and staff as failures when they are not

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Someone is disappointed as another £328 tax-payer cost FoI request reveals anti-social behaviour in decline in Elgin

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 4 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS From a Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland, published today, we see: A total of 1639 incidents of anti-social behaviour in Elgin in 2024, down from 1828 the … Continue reading Someone is disappointed as another £328 tax-payer cost FoI request reveals anti-social behaviour in decline in Elgin

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Why is Scotland able to train almost TWICE as many nurses as England?

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By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS The Scotsman today is front-paging Alarm over fresh drop in applicants for nurses course based on a 2% reduction in applications, from 4 650 to 4 560, six months before ‘clearing’ processes in the week and months before course start, can fill the missing places. The ‘alarm’ is from a union rep and, evidence-free, the fall in applications is explained by poor working conditions, which in turn, is based upon a small sample, self-selecting (squeaky wheel) survey. Not mentioned, of course, is how this level of nurse training compares with other parts … Continue reading Why is Scotland able to train almost TWICE as many nurses as England?

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The other SNP iPad story you won’t hear – a game-changer in education, the narrowing of the attainment gaps and the increased attainment of the most disadvantaged

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance) Faculty of Education, UWS No doubt, you’re thinking of the Michael Matheson iPad story thoroughly plastered across moronic media for months on end but there’s another SNP iPad story, getting local press coverage but, as far … Continue reading The other SNP iPad story you won’t hear – a game-changer in education, the narrowing of the attainment gaps and the increased attainment of the most disadvantaged

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Labour Government to force cuts that further widen the staffing spending and consequently the attainment gap between schools in Scotland and England

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance), Faculty of Education, UWS From the Guardian today: Cash-strapped schools plan to lay off teachers in blow to Labour’s promiseDespite government pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers, headteachers are under renewed pressure … Continue reading Labour Government to force cuts that further widen the staffing spending and consequently the attainment gap between schools in Scotland and England