Michael Gove

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7321

Winegums wrote:

I'm glad government thought long and hard before choosing an education secretary who has no clue what the point of education is. I presume he also sees a degree as nothing more than an on-ramp to a job.

Yes, lets just have Russell Group universities deciding what should be the requirements. After all nobody is more au fait with the knowledge and abilities of students just passed AS level (as well as the timeframes and resources of their teachers) than people who teach to 1st year of uni-> PhD level.

Michael Gove is a fucking idiot.

Reading that article, he's going to be pretty happy if he can get pass rates down. Because that's all that matters, isn't it?

Welcome to the show where Fails win you academy status.
And watch out in case the free school buzzes in, or you'll lose all your funding.

Malcolm Armsteen · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:59 pm

I hadn't realised this.
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2012/0 ... um=twitter

Academies and the 'non-profit' companies that run them are considered to be charities, now made exempt from presenting accounts for public scrutiny. Backdated 5 years....

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:12 pm

Openness is for other people. Let the Taxpayers Alliance fish around and ridicule them while much more blatant waste goes on with Gove's mates.

That rush of idealism that brought academies under FOIA didn't last long, did it?

jimmy baby nothing · **Joined:** Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:19 pm **Posts:** 378

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... MpBN_MmX7o

Malcolm Armsteen · **Posted:** Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:10 pm

I've just seen that Pob has doubled the number of civil servants working on his Free School nonsense, and it is now costing £6.1 million a year in admin...

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:39 pm

He's doing a John Redwood then. Too many civil servants. Except in my bit.

You'd think they'd be doing nothing, what with all those grassroots groups setting up schools themselves. And Rachel Wolf providing independent advice.

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:23 pm

Government gives money to charity to help state schools build alumni networks (FT). Usual big talking charity guy:

Quote:

Jake Hayman, founder of the charity, said: “State schools have traditionally been far behind private schools in making use of alumni networks; this project will actually put them way out in front.”

Wonder why those state schools have been behind private schools, eh?

Yeah, I'll bet they'll be "way out in front" when you've unearthed all those bankers who went to sink schools and all.

Watchman · **Posted:** Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:03 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:

Government gives money to charity to help state schools build alumni networks (FT). Usual big talking charity guy:

Quote:

Jake Hayman, founder of the charity, said: “State schools have traditionally been far behind private schools in making use of alumni networks; this project will actually put them way out in front.”

Wonder why those state schools have been behind private schools, eh?

Yeah, I'll bet they'll be "way out in front" when you've unearthed all those bankers who went to sink schools and all.

Probably children from State Schools form much more durable friendships with who they really want to be friends with, which carries on its own momentum and mutual values....................whereas tossers from private schools need it just to boost their own egos and get a job for which they have no previous experience or knowledge...................Secretary of State for Education anyone?

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:00 am

Michael Gove, quoted in Guardian, 10 Apr 2012

Quote:

"When a school becomes an academy, there's only one focus – the children.

"I think it's a fantastic principle that we should say that those who are most idealistic about education should be given control of education."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/201 ... id-pr-firm

Quote:

A primary school regularly praised by the government paid a political lobbying and public relations firm more than £152,000 last year to ensure positive mentions of the school in parliament and the press, among other work, it has emerged.

The latest accounts for the trust that runs Durand Academy in Stockwell, south London, show it paid £152,812 to Political Lobbying and Media Relations Ltd (PLMR) – a London-based firm that boasts of its connections to politicians of all parties.

Let's see you talk your way out of this, Govey.

Malcolm Armsteen · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:13 am

His standard line is "I don't accept that" - equivalent to putting his fingers in his ears and singing "lalalalalalalalalala"

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:16 am

This should be fucking huge.

Any correspondence from the PR people? Why did he go there twice?

No sign of the answer to the FOIA yet. He lost an appeal, despite Toby Young's feeble attempt at "nothing to say here".

I reckon the Information Commissioner will give him a proper bollocking.

satnav · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:22 am

The PR company appears to be arguing that the school are paying them £150,000 to do this work because staff at the school are too busy doing other things. Surely if the £150,000 went into the schools staffing budget they could take on up to 5 extra teachers or 10 marketing assistance. With extra staff the school could probably do a very good job of promoting the school in the media.

Tubby Isaacs · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:31 am

I reckon you'd get about 2 PR people prestigious enough to talk Gove into visiting your school twice.

Aren't league tables supposed to be transparent and all that? If you've got good exam results, shouldn't that be enough?

Be worth seeing if the PR's got them some favourable treatment from the Department of Education.

Gove, on a unrelated matter, wants "a new generation" of Academies with church involvement. You know how I always refer to the 144 academies with the C of E involved?

It's now 154. Not bad for a church that can fit an entire congregation into the choir stalls these days.

Squeaker · **Joined:** Sat Mar 31, 2012 3:23 pm **Posts:** 724

News International 'considered sponsoring academy school'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9224746/News-International-considered-sponsoring-academy-school.html

Also

Eight academies given improvement notice

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/eight-academies-given-improvement-notice-7675721.html

As an ex-journo Gove is so media savvy he can generate his own bad press without News Corps help.

satnav · **Posted:** Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:58 pm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-michael-gove-free-schools

The Guardian have also done a story about Gove trying to get Murdoch to fund an academy or a free school. He had three meeting with NI staff but no notes exist for the meetings because two were meals and one was a site meeting. So if a minister wants to get around the ministerial code he simply has to make sure any meetings he has with businessmen or lobbyist involve a meal or a site meeting and he's in the clear.

Michael Gove

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