Big Brother is watching you...but should he?

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Ed's mum
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Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:47 am
Location: Warwickshire.

Big Brother is watching you...but should he?

Post by Ed's mum »

Have you heard in the news today - maybe it was only the local news - I cannot remember...that a council were wrongly tipped off by someone about a family who were allegedly not in catchment for a school. They already had 2 at the school and were trying to get their third child in.
Anyway, the council spent time and money doing surveillance on the whole family for the period of 2 weeks to check their comings and goings. And, of course, they were innocent and the council - wrong!

How do you feel about this?
Places at some schools are at a premium, so do councils owe it to us to protect places for those who have more of a right to them?
The council used a particular law that was written for surveillance to be permitted for much more serious situations than school catchment, should they have used this law for this sort of situation?
Were the council morally right to watch the children of that family?

I would love to know your views...
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

I know that people in Bucks have been caught lying about about where they lived - two schools told us on the Year 6 open evenings.

I don't like the thought of surveillance but nor do I like parents who lie to get a place ...
gloucestermum
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:14 pm
Location: Gloucester

Post by gloucestermum »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

I listened to a phone in on radio 5 live this morning about the above article.A woman rang in to say her ex childminder had let approx 6 families use her address in the past to get a place at the local school!!!
There were also loads ringing in to say they had used addresses of family,friends etc to get places.
proud mum x2
Posts: 609
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:35 pm

Post by proud mum x2 »

I think that it is wrong to lie to get a place in a school, but I can sort of see how parents will do ANYTHING to try to get what they perceive to be the best of schools for their DC.


The problem,as I see it, is that there should be lots of schools of the highest standard,we shold have means within our country,with all it's high taxes to be able to provide these high performing schools for all our children.

All those of us who have our children tutored to gain a grammar place are optimising our chances,even though it isn't iilegal, it still might be seen as unfair to some.
magwich
Posts: 60
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:41 am

big brother is watching you....

Post by magwich »

I really do not get it. If I was in charge of a school I would want thebest children possible. You do not get the manager of Marks and spencer standing on the pavement turning away customers and telling them they should be shopping at Matalan. Each Headmaster should have a completely free hand as to which pupils they would like in their school. Any head who could not get enough pupils should be sacked.
Bad Dad
Posts: 235
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:42 am
Location: South Warwickshire

Post by Bad Dad »

Hi proud mum x2,
The problem,as I see it, is that there should be lots of schools of the highest standard,we shold have means within our country,with all it's high taxes to be able to provide these high performing schools for all our children.
I believe the UK has a lower taxation rate than France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Poland, The Netherlands, Austria... in most cases considerably lower.

I remember somebody on this site posted the results of a recent survey that placed Finland as the highest performing country in terms of education, even though it has no selective schools or private sector involvement to speak of. Finland's tax rate for a family with 2 children is around 38%. Ours is around 27%.

Not that I'm advocating a high taxation economy - just pointing out that funding decent free education for all is maybe not as high a priority in this country as it is elsewhere.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Post by Guest55 »

Magwich,

How would you define 'best'? It would be a total free for all - what about children with SEN? Many of these are in Grammar Schools - would they be overlooked?

I really think this is a terrible idea
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

Problem comes I think with the way in which places are allocated (other than on academic / apptitude). It basically comes down to locatio location location and often the income to support the purchase of a property in an area.
People may not wish to live in that area as it is too far to work etc but should their child have a poorer choice of school because of it.
Allocating on address, and by proxy income, is somehow acceptable - if we changed it to only those with parents over a certain height / hair colour / marital status / choice of car (don't get me on the aston martins again!!!) / accent / age or any other potentially random factor would be it be as acceptable or is there an element of parents at schools wanting to keep the intake to only PLU??
bestpossibleoutcome
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 am

Post by bestpossibleoutcome »

Teaching is valued in Finland. I believe all teachers there have to be educated to masters level.

Having said that, there are many comprehensive schools in this country where, if you are perceived as being particularly intelligent - even as a teacher - you are seen as "different" and treated with contempt. So requiring a higher standard of teacher education in this country is unlikely to be commensurate with the present ethos.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

bestpossibleoutcome wrote:Having said that, there are many comprehensive schools in this country where, if you are perceived as being particularly intelligent - even as a teacher - you are seen as "different" and treated with contempt. So requiring a higher standard of teacher education in this country is unlikely to be commensurate with the present ethos.
... mmm not SMART to be SMART .... big problem I think
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