Predicting school performance using social media ?

Defenddigitalme

"Ofsted`s innovation and regulation plan published this week stated that Oftsed was engaging with DfE in a data science project to explore the possibility of using near-realtime data and information from social media and other sources to predict and prevent decline in school performance."

"It is sensible to see how future technological developments may allow Ofsted to monitor the provision of services and relevant records more remotely, with less of a data burden on schools."

"However, using information from social media to predict school performance is a highly questionable idea. It risks feeding fake data and opinions into the decision-making systems behind the scenes, and basing extremely important decisions on emotions, not facts."

"It also risks picking up problems, but not picking up any information on the reasons behind the issue which commentors do not see. Individuals who have a particular local issue, or social media tools, can shape a misleading balance of content. That’s not evidence and risks distracting efforts away from quality reviews which are based on informed interaction."

"The loss of public and professional trust in what their data could be used for is also of significant concern."

"If Ofsted starts tracking and interrogating parents and pupils’ personal comments on social media, where would they stop? Will the police knock on doors of families posting holiday photos in term time? Will they start searching for teachers tweeting on sick days? Will whistleblowers and critics be silenced by the chilling effect of surveillance?"

http://defenddigitalme.com/2017/03/response-ofsted-to-use-private-social-media-to-predict-performance-in-schools/

How safe is the HPV vaccine ?

Communicating online and elsewhere

A number of thanks

 

　
Views for Chief Constable Mike Veale`s video are now climbing thanks to the help of UK Column supporters who have been sharing the video on social media. It is important that many thousands of people see this video because Mike Veale needs all the support he can get with his brave stance to go where the evidence takes him when investigating allegations about former Prime Minister Edward Heath.

Mike Robinson also wanted to highlight his Facebook page starting off with the Mike Veale video. It had 119 shares and 48 likes. He made a comment about the difference between `likes` and shares. "If you share something, the people in your own network get to see it. If you `like` it they don`t. The only people who benefit from a `like` really is Facebook because they get to understand what it is you`re `liking`, what it is you`re angry about and all these kind of things... So please share these posts because that helps us to get some of this information out."

 

"And thanks to everybody who shared my note on Facebook about Brexit being nothing of the kind, drawing similarities between what Theresa May is talking about and what David Cameron was talking about in the run up to the referendum; and of course he was campaigning to stay in the EU.  Theresa May is saying that we`re leaving the EU; but in fact the policies are identical..."

 

"And also thanks to everybody who shared this post highlighting the timeline we now have up on the UK Column on EU military unification and because as we`ve said before you cannot be out of the EU unless you`re separate and have sovereignty over your military. So thanks to the 100 or so people who have shared that so far."

Grooming and the Serious Crime Act

"The government has brought into force Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. It`s now a criminal offence they say for anyone aged 18 or over to intentionally communicate with a child under 16 where the person acts for a sexual purpose and the communication is sexual or intended to illicit a sexual response. The offence applies to online and off-line communication including social media, email, texts, letters and so on."

"People who are accused of grooming in this way will face up to two years in prison and will be automatically placed on the sex offenders register and this new offence they say will allow authorities, including the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to intervene earlier and stamp out abhorrent grooming before sexual activity can occur. And well the NSPCC says it`s great - the Justice Secretary is doing the right thing. Well what did she have to say?"

"Now Liz Truss says: `This new offence will give courts the powers to jail anyone who sends a sexual communication to a child - and stop the process of grooming before it starts`. She says: `In a world of mobile phones and social media our children are ever more vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence and exploit their trust. The best way of protecting our young people from the evils of child abuse is to stop it happening in the first place`."

Mike Robinson then added: "If I saw any evidence that this government or this parliament or the broader establishment within the United Kingdom wants to stop child abuse... then I might think this is worth the paper it`s written on..."

"I think this is part of a propaganda exercise," said Brian Gerrish, "which -  you`ll see why I think that in a minute."

"OK. Well what did Peter Wanless from the NSPCC have to say?
He said: `The Justice Secretary has done the right thing. This is a victory for the 50,000 people who supported the NSPCC`s Flaw in the Law campaign. It`s a victory for common sense. Children should be safe online as they are off-line, wherever they are in the UK. This law will give police in England and Wales powers they need to protect children from online grooming and to intervene sooner to stop the abuse before it starts`. As I say, this seems to me it`s simply to prevent people freelancing, Brian - if we can use that term. Because the NSPCC is also doing absolutely nothing substantive to prevent the abuse of children."

"Well, I think we`ve got to say there`s something worse than that about the NSPCC and that is that abuse victims and survivors that we speak to simply laugh when the name NSPCC is mentioned because they say `we wouldn`t trust the organisation with a barge pole.`And yet this is the very charity that was sat alongside the Metropolitan Police - indeed taking phone calls from members of the public who thought they were phoning the Met Police to talk about child abuse - and the Independent Inquiry. So this is a very insidious little charity which claims that it`s doing wonderful things but it seems to us the evidence from people who have been abused in the system is very different."

"The other point which I think we should raise here Mike is - if we talk about grooming - of course it`s the British government itself which is pushing in ever more graphic sex education for ever more younger children. So it would seem that whilst clamping down on crimes by people in the wider public arena that the government is very happy that it is grooming children itself through the education process."

"And let`s not mention the children who are groomed through the care system in this country."

"Indeed."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvAmhhldGic

Where is early intervention going ?

"Dr Jan Macvarish, associate lecturer and researcher at the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, University of Kent, delivers a short lecture followed by responses from Sue White, professor of social work, University of Sheffield; and Tim Loughton MP (Conservative), chair of the All Party Group for Conception to Age 2. The chair is Ellie Lee, director, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies."

See Youtube  Can neuroparenting save the family?

In the last twenty years, Macvarish believes we have moved from seeing the family as being under attack from outside sources to the idea that no family can be relied upon to raise children safely. Risks to children now take place within the family.

Even David Cameron, former British prime minister, made a speech on life chances in which he stated that what parents needed to do to improve their children`s life chances was to engage in `baby talk` and make `silly faces`. This extraordinary statement, and others like it in recent policy domains, are made because parents are believed to be the architects of their babies` brains and the impact of what parents do in the early years lasts forever.

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This is in complete contrast to what neuroscientists have to say about brains which is that brains are plastic and that plasticity remains throughout the lifecourse.

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At 48 minutes into the video, Dr Stuart Waiton, well known campaigner against the Named Person scheme in Scotland, is seen to make a request from the audience: "I wonder if you could elaborate more on this thing called early intervention."

Another member of the audience says that there is a growing industry in mental health with the idea that `We are all mentally ill in some way and we need state intervention`.

Indeed, that is where all this seems to be going: psychologising everything. Lots of little private industries are popping up and getting paid for by the state to intervene in everything about us and our emotional lives. It`s localism, Big Society, the third way.

It`s surveillance and control.

Scotland ignores the evidence of its own research

Anne Glennie (March 2017)

"Literacy standards have been falling in Scotland since 2006. This downturn is evidenced by previous PISA rounds, but is also confirmed in our own SSLN data, as well as the recent teacher judgement data. Back in 2000 and 2003, Scotland was significantly ahead of the international average reading score – but this was followed by a sharp decline in 2006. Since then we have effectively been ‘treading water’, maintaining a place marginally above the international average – until now."

"This dip in results is not because of anything we have changed, rather it is the fact that other countries are getting better faster than we are. When it comes to literacy, and in particular the teaching of reading, we are ‘doing what we’ve always  done’, instead of ensuring our classroom practice and pedagogy is informed by the latest international research. Despite Scotland being internationally renowned for the Clackmannanshire findings on the effectiveness of systematic synthetic phonics (which has had a significant impact on policy and practice around the world and is credited with closing the gap in many schools in England) tragically, we continue to ignore the lessons from our own research. Our reading practice is led by resources; any research used is a relic of the past. (Multi-cueing, miscue analysis, running records, Reading Recovery, sight words and guessing – I’m looking at you!) If we continue to employ reading practices that are not evidence-based, our decline in reading will continue."

Despite the data, many were quick to defend CfE and attack PISA, clamouring to point out that PISA is a blunt instrument that doesn’t measure ‘what we’re really doing in schools’ or ‘what we value’."

The value of reading is indisputable. It is not an ‘optional extra’ – it is essential to access education, the curriculum and daily life, not to mention the host of benefits that reading for pleasure bestows. The effects of illiteracy and poor reading on educational outcomes, life choices and chances, not to mention self-esteem and well-being are well documented."

"I want our children to have it all. The problem-solving, the creativity, the critical thinking. But right now we seem to be producing 21st century learners who lack necessary 20th century skills. We need to re-align the balance, re-introduce rigour to our classrooms with protected time for core teaching and learning of basic skills. We need to prioritise our way through the clutter of the curriculum and realise that teaching cannot be carried out entirely through games, group work and discovery learning."

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"Teachers are far more open to the research and to improving practice. Sadly, those ‘in power’ who are able to make widespread change happen, are often choosing to be wilfully ignorant of the research. I feel I am fighting a battle I cannot possibly win."

http://www.thelearningzoo.co.uk/2017/01/27/the-winner-takes-it-all/

Mother and two sons have gone missing from Nottingham

"Are the police on the wrong side of justice in the hunt for Samantha Baldwin? Isn’t she a hero mum trying to protect her boys?...The scandal which lies behind the case of hero mum, Samantha Baldwin, concerns a network of abusers linked to @gmpolice…Story behind this story is absolutely huge (Savile/Heath scale)...This fight ain't over yet. Down but not out. Journalists will continue to work hard on this vitally important story. It's a legal minefield."

"- Tweets by Journalist Richard Carvath (before gag order)"

"On Monday, the 27th of March, Samantha Baldwin and her 2 sons, Louis (9) and Dylan (6), went missing from Nottingham…Those of us who know Samantha, know that she is a kind and caring person, and we also know the circumstances leading to her taking the drastic action of disappearing."

"In 2014 the boys disclosed details of horrific [sexual] abuse to their mother. Samantha and her children have been let down terribly by the legal system and Samantha found herself in the situation of being forced to allow the person she knows to have abused her children, access to them. She has refused to do this and is protecting her sons [by fleeing] despite the consequences."


"- Rebecca, friend of Samantha’s The Women’s Coalition is protesting the cover up of sexual abuse which led to the removal of Samantha's children from her and the manhunt for Samantha by the police headed by Superintendent Rich Fretwell."

"The following account of Samantha’s case was provided by a reliable source:"

"1) Louis (then aged 7) disclosed to his grandmother and mother that he and his brother (Dylan, aged 3) have been systematically sexually abused by their father and other men.

2) Samantha reported this to the police (GMP) who interviewed Louis and Dylan in a draconian manner in a small room in a police station in Middleton, Manchester. Police personnel at this time are dismissive and highly unprofessional and inappropriate towards distraught Mother and Grandmother.

3) The police did not believe Samantha or her children.

4) GMP [Greater Manchester Police] investigating officers make strong suggestions and comments at the time that the perpetrator was ‘innocent'. Comments were made to indicate that he was a businessman and upstanding citizen so how could he be a child sex offender(??)

5) Samantha and the family tirelessly requesting samples be taken immediately from the boys to test for possible drugs. This was ignored and only then agreed to test at a much later date.

6) The above evidence was ignored and CPS takes no further action.

7) In fear, Samantha then moved area, she moved to another part of the UK.

8) Samantha's own father is manipulated by the abuser, he then gave the perpetrator Samantha’s address.

9) The perpetrator goes to The Family Court demanding custody.

10) A court appointed social worker visits the perpetrator’s family with a view to placing the children there.

11) The judge rules Samantha’s children are to be taken as ward of the court.

12) Samantha’s mother and sister were then arrested this week and held in custody and questioned for 30 hours..."

"On Monday, Judge Lea put Samantha’s boys in foster care. It is common tactic for judges to place children who have reported sexual abuse by their father to do this as an interim step in switching custody to the father."

"Mainstream media is aiding and abetting the cover up and terrible injustice occurring. It is horrible enough that judges disregard and cover up sexual abuse, but when the media, the fourth estate, which is the public’s only means to uncover corruption and bias when all three branches of our government goes along with the cover up, it is appalling. Social media must fill in the gap in covering these cases, so please share this post and any others that get the truth out."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/302194089973223/permalink/670394303153198/

　

Pupils are finding it harder to pass maths courses

"Students are drifting towards 'easier' subjects, government and qualifications body are warned." [Particularly those from more disadvantaged backgrounds thus widening the attainment gap.]

"Maths teachers have issued a stark warning to the Scottish government that changes to qualifications are making it harder for pupils to pass courses and have left staff feeling `demoralised`."

"The concerns are set out in a letter to education secretary John Swinney from the Mathematics Advisory Group Scotland (MAGS), seen by TESS."

Teachers feel that there is `too big a gap` between National 4 and National 5 maths, compared with their equivalent levels in the now-defunct Standard Grade qualification, the letter says. This `excludes hard-working candidates` who want to improve their maths skills but struggle with N5; only about two-thirds of the number completing N5 English gain an N5 in maths."

"In many cases, pupils `cannot achieve [N5] mathematics while they can achieve [N5] in many other subjects`, says the letter, which has also been sent to unions and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)."

"The removal of unit assessments across all subjects at N5 from 2017-18 – a move announced by Mr Swinney last year in response to teaching unions’ concerns about workload – will only make matters worse, warns the letter."

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/maths-teachers-demoralised-their-subject-slides-popularity

School inspections have halved in last ten years

"THE number of Scottish school inspections has halved over the last decade. Just one in 18 schools are inspected in Scotland, compared to one in four in England, according to a Sunday Post Freedom of Information request. Education Scotland has 2627 schools within its remit, but just 5% – 22 secondary, 102 primary and 19 special schools – were subject to spot checks last year."

"Bosses at the under-fire inspectorate have now pledged to step up the number of inspections. They said Education Scotland has focused on helping teachers implement the Curriculum for Excellence." What an excuse !

"But Scottish Labour’s education spokesman Iain Gray described the figures as `worrying`. The MSP added: `We need much more regular inspections, especially to monitor the impact of SNP cuts to our schools. Instead it looks like the SNP is happy to turn a blind eye, despite slashing £1.5 billion from the budgets of local councils since 2011`."

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/worrying-fall-in-scots-school-inspector-visits/

Security ?

Europe