2024 Election thread

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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660

    So there was a poll about how likely you were to transfer your vote and reform voters scored quite unlikely. 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    edited May 30

    I can’t remember the furore around cutting budgets to state schools.

    Ive said it before but a really good friend quit being a primary school teacher to teach in prison as that was a less bad job.

    Another friend who went on my wife’s hen do has left teaching entirely.

    I used to know 5 people who were teachers. None of them teach anymore.

    Meanwhile, over 15 years private school fees have tripled on average in *real terms* but no, it’s the VAT that’s supposed to be the problem.

    Like I said before, your fees are likely to have risen more than 20% over the course of any pupil’s childhood.


    🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,599

    That their vote isn’t rising with the increased lunacy of the last year or so. It’s obviously a very healthy lead but nowhere near the peak during the Truss period so there are obviously more out there who would consider voting Labour. I would also expect the main opposition to this current shower to get at least 50% of the vote.

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660

    They are numbers higher than labour’s wildest dreams

  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,611

    Meanwhile, over 15 years private school fees have tripled on average in real terms

    Where do you get that stat from Rick? Please provide rthe figures because I'm struggling with that one.

  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,822

    Not sure about tripled in real terms but have definitely been increasing above inflation.



    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,400

    The fees have tracked the change in top earnings, is my guess. Why would they worry about affordability for people who can't afford it in the first place?

  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,274
    "There's nothing surer
    The rich get rich and the poor get poorer
    In the meantime, in between time
    Ain't we got fun?"
    


  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,611

    Interestingly scary that that article is 8 years old! (Was 2016 really 8 years ago!!)

    I suspect Rick's 'tripled in real terms' is a historian not understanding figures, and is in fact that they have risen by 3 times the rate of inflation.

    There certainly tends to be a lot of capital expenditure in the private schools sector - upgrading old and inefficient buildings, converting to greener energy solutions, along with expanding facilities. But things like all weather pitches also don't last for ever and cost a fair amount to replace.

    I also know that many of the middle ranking private schools have struggled for numbers in the last 5 or 6 years.

  • Jezyboy
    Jezyboy Posts: 3,657

    Due to working for a slightly elitist organisation, a surprisingly high number of colleagues are fellow ex private school pupils. I don't think any colleague in my age group is planning on private education for their own children ATM. ( Although given we're all some way off secondary schools, it does rather depend on how our careers go from here.)

    OTOH I'd say a quick comparison between the next lot of pay bands, and school fees, means it's not that likely.

  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,611

    From an IFS Report in 2022

    In 2022–23, average private school fees across the UK were £15,200 in today’s prices (net of bursaries and scholarships). 

    Private school fees saw a 20% real-terms rise in fees since 2010–11 and a 55% real-terms rise since 2003–04.

    Net private school fees rose from £12,300 in 2009–10 to £15,200 in 2019–20, a real-terms increase of 24% over the decade. 

    Over one-quarter of pupils receive some kind of discount or bursary.

  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,400

    So what's a five fold exaggeration between friends?

  • wallace_and_gromit
    wallace_and_gromit Posts: 3,696

    55% real terms increase since 2003/4 => real inflation of 2.3% pa

    20% real terms increase since 2010/11 => real inflation of 1.5% pa.

    24% real terms increase over a decade => real inflation of 2.2% pa.

    Real terms pay rises for those in the demographic to be using private schools likely in line with the increase in fees, which are heavily linked to staff costs, and staff expect real terms pay increases. Overall, fee increases don't appear to have been unreasonable.

    Full disclosure => both the Little W&Gs went to state school, as did I. Mrs W&G did her A levels privately, but was compelled to go, and would sooner not have done so.

  • wallace_and_gromit
    wallace_and_gromit Posts: 3,696

    I don't know where you live, but state schools are a lot better than the media would have you believe in many parts of the country. We live in Yorkshire, and it's the norm rather than the exception for kids to go to state school round here. Once there's a decent number of sharp elbowed middle class parents agitating for sensible policies from the school management, things go surprisingly well.

    Anecdotally, the state system works well for the half of the population that are personally motivated, or have motivated parents, with the caveat that support to the brightest academically to get into Oxbridge etc. isn't what it could be, as limited resources are focused on getting those likely to get grade 3 GCSEs or lower in Maths and English to the all-important grade 4.

  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,662

    "We live in Yorkshire, and it's the norm rather than the exception for kids to go to state school round here."

    Surely that is the case virtually everywhere in the UK?

    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • wallace_and_gromit
    wallace_and_gromit Posts: 3,696

    I would guess so, outside of London. But only have experience of Yorkshire and didn't want to make claims "off my turf".

    Also should have suffixed "kids" with "kids of aspirational middle class parents".

  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,721

    (whisper it but the reality is that the school you go to has a really small effect on your final attainment...)

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • MidlandsGrimpeur2
    MidlandsGrimpeur2 Posts: 2,135

    I have a few friends who are teachers including Heads and Deputies. The thing that strikes me now is just how complicated (overly so) education has become in terms of the curriculum, how it is delivered, and how it is evaluated. This necessitates a far greater workload for teachers and also a ridiculous level of specialism required, i.e. it is nowhere near enough to simply know a subject curriculum and teach it now.

    I suspect a lot of this account for Teachers leaving in greater numbers, I think it also feeds into the pay/promotions aspect. You can't just be a good year 6 teacher for example and then go for a head of x position or even a Deputy, you would have to bee a lead in various areas with lots of relevant experience to even get near one of those jobs. A friend who is a Headteacher had a Year 6 teacher who had applied for a senior position in another school, before he even got an interview, the new school sent teachers in to evaluate his teaching for 2 days! Based on that he didn't even get an interview.

  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,721

    (don't need the sound on for this tbf...)

    https://x.com/JaneyGodley/status/1796075830365294915

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • wallace_and_gromit
    wallace_and_gromit Posts: 3,696

    Maybe, but even one A level being one grade lower than required can scupper your plans for your first choice Uni, so the impact may be very large.

    And if you want a full set of A* (and will judge yourself a failure if you don't achieve this) then there's little room for error, even if to the average punter A*A*A would be great.

  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,721

    Based on that he didn't even get an interview.


    For his sake, I hope becasue he pulled out...

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,834

    Ironically he says he will make use of the European Courts while we're still signed up to them, so appears that they do have some use 😊

    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • MidlandsGrimpeur2
    MidlandsGrimpeur2 Posts: 2,135

    Nope, he actually went ahead with the evaluation and they told him afterwards he wasn't experienced enough and didn't take it any further.

  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,721

    Tell him (politely) to get some self respect...

    Sounds like he dodged a bullet though

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,400

    Around 6% of children in the UK attend fee paying schools.

    It doesn't hurt to inject a bit of reality into the forum on occasion.

  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,145
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,438

    anyone in their right mind would be

    fascists don't like the echr et al., interferes with their desire to repress/suppress

    the last few tory governments have presided over the greatest stripping of individual rights in the history of the uk, as is to be expected by their seizure by the hard right

    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Jezyboy
    Jezyboy Posts: 3,657

    Meh, to an extent, if that's the application process for those levels of teaching positions, that's what it is. It's certainly a bit shit though.