Lets have a conversation about the standards of education in Hartlepool

[Inspector Knacker]

Vincent, stop blaming teachers for the state of Hartlepool, try blaming the parents.

Please look at my initial post before going off subject

I would like answers not a war of words, the subject is to important

surely 'too important' ..... what's that about standards?

[steveL]

Agree with LL that Driddle should dip out of this one but he must accept that he and his collegues are in the driving seat and are there to be shot at, you cannot keep blaming the system and the parents when kids cant add 2 x 85 or read at the age of 11

Good teachers are role models, mentors, white knights if you like, Mr Riddle said "If you teach young people to CARE, and teach them that they CAN influence things, make a difference, that NOTHING is beyond them"

So whats going wrong?

Good teachers are rather like those tenants who, stuck in a wilderness of overgrown front gardens and scrap cars outside the front door, somehow manage to maintain immaculate gardens, clean curtains and no doubt an immaculate home producing well-balanced kids. Both are worth their weight in gold and deserve far more recognition and support than they get.

[SRMoore]

Question for Mr Riddle. How much does a state funded school get allocated for each student per term/year?

[SRMoore]

The Hartlepool Mail is reporting a story of how Michael Gove singled out East Durham as an area where children lack ambition and stated how it was a bad thing. How does the Mail cover it?

"Minister blasts ambition in East Durham"

Just in case you were in any doubt as to which political party this paper favours...

[DRiddle]

Question for Mr Riddle. How much does a state funded school get allocated for each student per term/year?

The short answer in that on average nationally it balances out at about £4.950 per pupil. The long and complex answer that I won't bore you with is that it varies depending on the socio economic situation with the cohort due to new legislation known as the 'pupil premium'. It's bascially funded slightly differently if a child is or was on 'free school meals'. You get a little bit more for each child in that situation.

But as I say, the short answer is around 5k.

Is this leading to a 'we should give each parent a 5k voucher and let them choose' type statement  shane?

[SRMoore]

Question for Mr Riddle. How much does a state funded school get allocated for each student per term/year?

.

Is this leading to a 'we should give each parent a 5k voucher and let them choose' type statement  shane?

It was a genuine question to get a rough figure to see if a suggestion like that would be feasible.
Is that 5k per annum or term?

[SRMoore]

SRM - Congratulations on the scoop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You'll be telling us next that the next Pope will be a Catholic.

I hear Labour have already demanded that no discrimination should be made against a candidate from another faith and that there be a 50% quota of women added to the shortlist.

Rumour control also reports that Tony Blair will also run for pope. Manifesto pledge 1 is to raise a new papal army and invade Iran as he has intelligence that they have the Ark of the Covenant and will use it on the West with just 15 minute notice.

[DRiddle]

Is that 5k per annum or term?

5k a term? Are you having a laugh? That's Eton prices... I thought you'd know that being a Tory? 

It's 5k a YEAR, or there abouts.

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Why should a school get more if a child receives school meals ?

The reason is not obvious to me as I would have thought all students were treated the same when they were through the school gates.

[SRMoore]

Is that 5k per annum or term?

5k a term? Are you having a laugh? That's Eton prices... I thought you'd know that being a Tory? 

It's 5k a YEAR, or there abouts.

My quality education in Henry Smiths must surely have cost more than 5k a term? The school dinners alone were worth that!

[SRMoore]

Why should a school get more if a child receives school meals ?

The reason is not obvious to me as I would have thought all students were treated the same when they were through the school gates.

You would think that all students get the same amount spent on them too but a pupil at West Park primary gets less per head spent on them than a pupil at Kingsley for example. Part of the reason why West Park wanted to go independent, so they would get their fair share.

[DRiddle]

Why should a school get more if a child receives school meals ?

The reason is not obvious to me as I would have thought all students were treated the same when they were through the school gates

Basically the government have decided to target a particularly vulnerable cohort. National statistics (going back decades) have clearly identified a strong correlation between students who get free school meals and educational underachievement. The theory being that it's as good an indicator as any to associated factors which have caused the child to be in need of free dinners. (Parental unemployment, socio economic reasons etc.)

Consequently, they made a decision to target this problem with extra funding. For 2013-14 is essentially an extra £900 per pupil and so long as the child has had free school meals within the last 6 years that counts and the school gets the extra money.

The children are not treated any differently. It's just additional funding aimed at raising achievement within a vulnerable group of young people who, through no fault of their own, are very likely to be disadvantaged in the thier education in relation to other children from more affluent backgrounds.

The school use the money to help ensure a better education for all their pupils, but obviously in doing so, they help those who are amongst the most in need statistically.

The poorer your cohort of pupils (the more you have on free dinners), the more money the school gets to help address the issues associated with that.

Nationally it adds up to about £1.65 Billion pounds worth of additional funding.

[steveL]

Just a random thought . . but where do the kids who opt out of free school meals fit in? ...the ones who spend their lunch times outside the local chippy or pasty shop. (memories of parents feeding a daily fix of chips through the school fence to their chip-starved offspring post Jamie Oliver)

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Quite amusing, if you are on a decent wage, pay more than average tax and therefore pay more towards the education system than average and still support state education your child will potentially get less spent on their education than somebody from a family that has no work ethic ! (I appreciate not everybody is unemployed by choice.)

Not what I call fairness or equality.

[DRiddle]

It doesn't really work like that Stig. All children in the school benefit from the extra money, as it's the school overall that benefits, not literally just the poorer children who trigger the additional money. E.g the money can be used for better teachers, extra resources etc. which will benefit everyone.