C.E. Jottings

What kind of human beings?

This evening, 22 November, Mike Chitty tweeted two short quotes from Rowan Williams’ Keynote Address “Human Well-Being and Economic Decision-Making” at the TUC Economics Conference in London on Monday 16 November 2009: “We need to be able to say what kind of human beings we hope to be ourselves and to encourage our children to be.” and “To decide what sort of change we want, we need a vigorous sense of what a human life well-lived looks like”. Here are... Read more →

Collaboration Fund

On the off-chance anyone managing a UK centre or school should read this and maybe thinks of collaboration as a way forwardCollaboration Fund The Collaboration Fund provides loans-based investments of £50,000 – £1,000,000 and may also include revenue grants and professional support. This product is designed for organisations that are looking to substantially improve their service delivery through the exploration of mergers collaborations and strategic partnerships with other organisations. Read more →

Stuff and nonsense - and an outright lie

In a moment, I'm going to quote you word-for-word an outright lie, as recorded in the minutes of an important meeting. First, though, let me provide some context: an LEA (not Sheffield) multi-disciplinary meeting of a statutory assessment panel. 5 people are present; 3 from the LEA; the Headteacher of the LEA's preferred placement school; and a Consultant Paediatrician. (You might like to reflect for a moment on the composition of that Panel, but that is a separate point.) The... Read more →

Andras Peto on Wikipedia

While re-reading a piece by Andrew Sutton, which I believe was a lecture delivered in New York in maybe November 2001, in which he spoke of the early career of Andras Peto, I found myself wondering what Wikipedia had to tell me about Andras Peto. It is quite shocking to discover there is almost nothing (see below). By contrast, the Wikipedia entry for Reuven Feuestein is most informative. There is absolutely nothing on Dr Hari. Surely I cannot be alone... Read more →

What next?

"What next?" asked Andrew Sutton, in a blog posting that must be his shortest ever, a Subject line with no Content whatsoever. What next, indeed? "Charities will run state services" Third Sector journal reports David Cameron as saying. A spokesperson adding, "It is about removing the barriers to delivery of services by [third] sector organisations in areas such as education and health." Elsewhere in Third Sector magazine, I read that "Age UK will be the new name of the charity... Read more →

We parents. Our disabled children. Hard choices.

"Does Emmy have a quality of life? I don't know. Do I love her? Absolutely. Will I miss her? With all my heart. When she dies, will it be a relief? Without question." Life and death decisions with a disabled child. So writes a Parent in today's Independent. You should read the whole powerful piece. It surely can't be a coincidence that The Independent has published this account on the same day that BBC1 (1035pm) is broadcasting "When a Mother's... Read more →

When a Mother's Love Is Not Enough.

I've mentioned Julie Evett and her daughter Rose before. Julie and Rose are featured in a BBC1 programme about the challenges parents face in bringing up a child with disability. You might like to look out for it."When Mother's Love Is Not Enough" will be shown on BBC1 at 10.35pm on Tuesday 10 November. Links: BBC1 programme details Daily Mail article Julie will also be appearing on BBC1 Breakfast Time on Tuesday morning. Read more →

Parents, Schools and ICT

Essa Academy in Bolton is to issue an iPod to all its pupils, making them "the most technologically advanced in Britain", according to a large 2-page spread in today's Times. What's more, the article adds: "A bespoke wi-fi system, with 130 access points around the school, means that children never lose connectivity. If teachers are pleased with a piece of work, they can ask a child to e-mail it to them and, using laptops and a projector, display it on... Read more →

Prosecute them! - Who? Parents, of course!

Are we being "groomed" to accept the imprisonment of parents for the crime of wanting the best education for their children? I accept that it is morally wrong to lie or deceive; to use "duplicitous means" or "underhand tactics", for any purpose. What I find more difficult is the erosion of ethical and linguistic boundaries by usages such as Schools Adjudicator Ian Craig: "Parents need to be persuaded that to take a place by deception ... [is] ... the theft... Read more →

A day in the life .... third sector CEO

Back at Paces from a week away in Pembrokeshire. I've often joked that whenever I get back from a holiday, nothing's ever happened! Take today: someone had an old axe out and was busy grinding it; someone else had a go at flogging a long-dead horse; another had a towel ready to throw in; and yet another was lamenting a road not taken that made all the difference. Unexpectedly, the sun shone. Read more →