The arrant nonsense espoused by Critical Race Theory should be banned from schools

According to a report from the BBC the Education Select Committee have concluded that;

Poorer white children underachieve and have been “let down and neglected”.

The Committee's comments have been reported widely, but is this really news? This is after all, an issue that we have known about for years. As mentioned in my earlier post, Whose Lives Matter, as long ago as 2010 Nick Clegg, the then deputy Prime Minister, produced the report Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers: A Strategy for Social Mobility, where it was revealed that 20% of children received free school meals (FSM), and yet this group represented just 1% of Oxbridge students. This disparity affected children across all ethnic groups.

A further report completed for the Department of Education in 2015, Ethnicity, deprivation and educational achievement at age 16 in England, contains the following;

Among those entitled to free school meals (FSM) all ethnic minority groups achieve greater success than White British pupils. In 2013 relative to White British students the odds for Chinese pupils achieving 5 good GCSE's including maths and English (5EM) were 6.9 times greater, for Indian students 3.4 times greater, for Bangladeshi 3.0 times, for White other 1.6 times, for Black Caribbean 1.5 times and even for the lowest achieving minority group, Mixed White & Black Caribbean students, the odds of achieving 5EM were 1.26 times (26%) higher than for White British students.

The latest report from the Education Select Committee simply emphasises the point that children from deprived backgrounds continue to under achieve, that nothing has changed in the last decade. Furthermore, it is also quite apparent that white children from deprived areas are not privileged, anymore than the skin colour of a child from an ethnic background is akin to a disability. The arrant nonsense espoused by Critical Race Theory should immediately be banned from schools, and instead all children, regardless of their ethnic background, should be given the training and encouragement they need to make the very best of their lives.

22nd June 2021

#education #racism

The lockdown madness is set to continue for some time

In recent weeks the pubs and restaurants have been allowed to open. I have enjoyed visiting favourite watering holes, sitting around with friends and family talking and drinking real cask ales! It is though a little strange being served by staff wearing masks, but if that is the price we have to pay for a degree of normality, I can live with it.

As for the schools, can you believe that after being closed between March and July, they reopened for a couple of weeks, and then promptly closed again for the summer holidays. These are exceptional times, and I don't understand why the schools did not remain open during the summer and help the children catch up with their education. There is still concern about whether the schools should open in September. There is some speculation that pubs and restaurants may have to close again to offset the risk of schools opening. How one relates to the other, I do not understand, but the fear of a second wave has paralysed society. Are we now so risk averse then we cannot contemplate returning to work or allowing schools to open until such time as a vaccine is developed? Of course, a vaccine is not likely to be available for months, but already we are seeing daily reports of jobs being shed; the damage being wrought on peoples livelihoods and wellbeing will, if we are not careful, be so much worse than the effects of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the virtuous left continue with their nonsense. White privilege, unconscious bias, decolonizing the curriculum, 2+2=5. I am tired of these charlatans trying to rip this country apart. How does it help society when one is castigated for being the “wrong” colour? How can the noxious bilge they spout break down racial division? Of course, it is obvious to anyone with a modicum of sense that all it does is stoke the flames, widen the divisions. The inflammatory rhetoric has consequences; over the weekend a black “militia” paraded through the streets of Brixton. I have no idea what point they were trying to make but some described the turn of events as sinister. I have to say they looked about as threatening as Dad's Army, but there may be some agitators out there who will want to respond in kind.

Social distancing rules are being ignored, parties and raves attended by hundreds routinely take place around the country, and if the police try and disperse the revellers, they get attacked. Respect for law and order is in places breaking down, and with another hot spell forecast for the next few days, I worry that we will see more disturbances if not riots. I suspect the lockdown madness will continue for some time yet.

5th August 2020

#coronavirus #education #racism

The schools have to be fully opened soon if we are to avoid causing permanent damage to children's education, their mental health and their future opportunities.

It has become quite apparent that covid-19 is a disease that disproportionately affects the elderly. The British Medical Journal reports that 0.04% of 10-19 year olds would probably require hospital care, as would 1.0% of people in their 20s, 3.4% of people aged 30-39, 4.3% aged 40-49, 8.2% aged 50-59, 11.8% in their 60s, 16.6% in their 70s, and 18.4% of those over 80.

The risk to children dying from the condition is tiny; according to some analysts they are more likely to be struck by lightning. Equally, children do not seem to be super-spreaders. The Guardian reported that schools reopening in 22 European countries had not led to a significant increase in cases of covid-19. So why is there such a delay in the schools reopening in the UK?

A report in the Spectator explains that;

According to the Education Endowment Foundation, the damage inflicted on educational equality by closing schools has undone the work not of a term but of a decade.

The longer the schools remained closed the worse that differential will become.

There is also growing concern about the effects of the mental health of children arising from the lockdown. The Independent reported that Professor Tim Kendall, NHS England‘s National Clinical Director for Mental Health, told a Royal Society of Medicine webinar that “there's no doubt” children were being hit hard by the impact of the lockdown.

According to UNESCO

School closures carry high social and economic costs for people across communities. Their impact however is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls and their families. The resulting disruptions exacerbate already existing disparities within the education system but also in other aspects of their lives.

It is children from disadvantaged backgrounds, be they black, white, Asian, et al, who will suffer the most the longer the schools remain closed.

The schools have to be fully opened soon if we are to avoid causing permanent damage to children's education, their mental health and their future opportunities.

18th June 2020

#coronavirus #education

We need to work for the common good, one that improves the lives of all

The outcry following the killing of George Floyd was entirely justified. It was a brutal act, and the police officers involved deserve to face years in prison. I also agree that the idea behind #blacklivesmatter was a noble one. Unfortunately Black Lives Matter UK has hijacked that sentiment; it is a Marxist organisation, with the stated aim of overthrowing capitalism and disbanding the police. I am not prepared to support that.

I am also heartily sick of hearing that as a white man I should be ashamed of my heritage. As with most people in this country, my forebears were working class. They were paid a pittance, lived in poverty, and hoped their children might survive their early years. It was those earlier generations that fought for workers rights, a fair wage, the right to vote, the right to an education and a national health service. No, I'm not ashamed of my heritage, I am proud of it.

I accept that there remain inequalities in society, a point which becomes most apparent when you see the people who hold positions of power and authority in this country. The under-representation of the ethnic minorities is there for all to see, but have you stopped to consider the socio-economic background of the people in power?

According to the report completed by the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in 2011, Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers: A Strategy for Social Mobility, it was reported that 20% of children received free school meals (FSM), yet this group represented just 1% of Oxbridge students.

Another report completed for the Department of Education in 2015, Ethnicity, deprivation and educational achievement at age 16 in England, noted that among those entitled to free school meals (FSM) all ethnic minority groups achieved better exam results than White British pupils. Even for the lowest achieving minority group, Mixed White & Black Caribbean students, the odds of achieving good exam results was 1.26 times (26%) higher than for White British students.

Fifteen percent of the white children were entitled to FSM's.

Referring you back to Nick Clegg's report, just 1% of the children receiving free school meals, whether they were black, white or Asian, would make it to Oxbridge or into managerial jobs.

White privilege clearly did not help the white children in that cohort.

I am not saying that racism does not exist, it does, but I would argue the greater problem is inequality of opportunity. It is shocking that 25% of the poorest children from all ethnic groups fail to reach expected educational attainment levels by the time they leave primary school, a fact that will put them at a disadvantage for the rest of their lives. Education is the key; give the children the tools they need and they too could aspire to follow in the footsteps of Sajid Javid, Ivan Menezes, Magnus Djaba, Sam Gyimah, Rishi Sunak, Lewis Hamilton, Marvin Rees, Sadiq Khan, Valerie Amos, Sharon White, et al.

BLM UK seem intent on widening the divisions. The activities of their supporters are designed to whip up animosity, there is no nuanced discourse, simply bullying and mob rule in an attempt to force people to accept their world view.

Societies problems are so much more complicated than racism alone. I take the view that a good education and the subsequent opportunity to succeed in life would do much to heal the inequalities of society. To quote from Nick Clegg's report;

A fair society is an open society, one in which every individual is free to succeed. No one should be prevented from fulfilling their potential by the circumstances of their birth. What ought to count is how hard you work and the skills and talents you possess.

Just as our predecessors did, we need to work for the common good, one that improves the lives of all disadvantaged people, and gives them the opportunity to succeed on their chosen path, whatever their ethnic backgrounds. To that end, all lives matter.

---

Source Material

Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers According to the report completed by the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in 2011, Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers: A Strategy for Social Mobility, it was reported that

• 25% of children from poor backgrounds fail to meet the expected attainment, compared with just 3% from affluent backgrounds.
• Almost 20% of children receive free school meals, yet this group represent just 1% of Oxbridge students.
• Only a quarter of boys from working class backgrounds get middle class (professional or managerial) jobs.

Ethnicity, deprivation and educational achievement at age 16 in England This report completed for the Department of Education in 2015, Ethnicity, deprivation and educational achievement at age 16 in England, contains the following;

Among those entitled to free school meals (FSM) all ethnic minority groups achieve greater success than White British pupils. In 2013 relative to White British students the odds for Chinese pupils achieving 5 good GCSE's including maths and English (5EM) were 6.9 times greater, for Indian students 3.4 times greater, for Bangladeshi 3.0 times, for White other 1.6 times, for Black Caribbean 1.5 times and even for the lowest achieving minority group, Mixed White & Black Caribbean students, the odds of achieving 5EM were 1.26 times (26%) higher than for White British students.

Putting that into context, the ethnic group with the highest proportion of children entitled to FSM's was black African children at 40%, the lowest being Chinese children at 10%. Amongst Black Caribbean children the figure was just over 30%. Amongst white British children the proportion was 15%.

11th June 2020

#education #racism

There is no nuance, there is no attempt to understand, there is no tolerance

A subject I will no doubt be referring to a lot over the next few weeks is the book I am currently reading, The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff. One paragraph struck a chord with me;

By shielding children from every possible risk we may lead them to react with exaggerated fear to situations that aren't risky at all and isolate them from the adult skills that they will one day have to master.

Primary schools have today reopened to Years 1 and 6, but according to a survey by the National Foundation for Educational Research, as many as 50% of parents will not be allowing their children to attend.

With reference to the above quotation, I am not suggesting there is no risk associated with reopening the schools, but the risk of young children contracting covid-19 is tiny, and the risk of serious ill health amongst those children is vanishingly small. I worry that the exaggerated fear prevalent amongst some parents will do little to help their children learn about risk and how to cope with it when they are themselves adults.

Of course, my opinion is one amongst many, and the parents concerned will do what they believe is right for their children. I wonder how many people with contrary opinions will however be outraged!!! by my comments? Quite a few I imagine, it is after all the norm these days. I can't remember where I read it, but at the beginning of the current crisis there was some hope that the nation would come together, that the collective response would help heal the rift caused by Brexit. For a while, there was some unanimity, but not now. The country is again split, with neither side prepared to accept that although the other may have different opinions on how problems should be solved, we all have the best interests of our society at heart. You're either with me or you're against me is the mantra by which many live their lives these days. There is no nuance, there is no attempt to understand, there is no tolerance.

Sadly I can't see that situation changing any time soon.

1st June 2020

#brexit #coronavirus #education

The cognitive distortion we see in relation to covid-19 has led to levels of anxiety out of all proportion to the risk.

I have just begun reading The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff. The book explains that Mr Lukianoff has suffered with periods of depression, and undertook Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in a bid to deal with the problem. One of the most important subjects discussed as part of the therapy is that of catastrophising. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines catastrophising in the following way;

To imagine the worst possible outcome of an action or event: to think about a situation or event as being a catastrophe or having a potentially catastrophic outcome

What CBT teaches is that the worst outcome is not the only or most likely outcome, and that one should try to think more rationally about any given issue and to consider the alternatives. To avoid catastrophising can help us deal with depression and anxiety.

In their book, Haidt and Lukianoff explain that they have noted how some students react to speeches on campuses exhibited exactly the same distortions that CBT teaches us to avoid, and question whether these cognitive distortions make students more anxious and depressed. I suspect we are seeing much the same cognitive distortions in response to covid-19 in the UK.

Covid-19 was an unknown quantity when it reached our shores. Now however, data is coming from around the world and the manner in which it spreads and who it affects is better understood. For example, the BBC reported on 20th May, that 3 children under 15 have died with covid-19. That was 0.01% of total deaths at the time. People aged aged 15-44 accounted for 1% of deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan says that children are “less capable” of spreading the virus, and are at “very low risk” of getting ill from the disease. “What we have seen in countries where schools have remained open is that there have not been big outbreaks in schools.”

The risk to the children is incredibly small, the risk to their teachers is “very low”. Yet still some councils will not allow their schools to open next Monday, while some parents say they will refuse to send their children to school until a vaccine is found. I am a father and I understand the need to protects ones family, but catastrophising has replaced rational thinking. The cognitive distortion we see in relation to covid-19 has led to levels of anxiety out of all proportion to the risk. The upshot, and the far more likely outcome for some children, will be lasting damage to their education and future prospects.

According to UNESCO;

School closures carry high social and economic costs for people across communities. Their impact however is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls and their families. The resulting disruptions exacerbate already existing disparities within the education system but also in other aspects of their lives.

Meanwhile in this week's Spectator it is reported that Norway’s Government has calculated the harm inflicted by school closures, showing that every week out of the classroom stunts life chances and permanently lowers salaries.

It is the already disadvantaged children who will suffer most if the schools remain closed.

29th May 2020

#coronavirus #education

What we have seen in countries where schools have remained open is that there have not been big outbreaks in schools

Here in the UK the government had wanted primary schools to re-open on the 1st June. There was immediate push back from the teacher's unions, their position receiving support from the chair of the British Medical Association, Chaand Nagpaul.

On the 15th May Mr Nagpaul said in a letter to the National Education Union there was conflicting evidence from scientific studies on the effect of reopening schools, citing the “relatively small amount of research available and the uncharted territory we find ourselves in”. He said “until we have got case numbers much lower, we should not consider reopening schools.”

In an article produced by the BBC on 20th May, it was reported that in the UK, 0.01% of deaths were people under 15, 1% were aged 15-44 and about 75% were over 75. Put another way, 3 children under 15 had died with covid-19. The BBC article goes on to report “the role of children in transmission is unclear, but consistent evidence is demonstrating a lower likelihood of acquiring infection, and lower rates of children bringing infections into households.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan says that children are “less capable” of spreading the virus, and are at “very low risk” of getting ill from the disease. “What we have seen in countries where schools have remained open is that there have not been big outbreaks in schools.”

The British Medical Association has since softened its stance, and on 19th May said schools can reopen on 1st June, or earlier, as long as it is “safe to do so”. The BMA accept there is “growing evidence that the risk to individual children from Covid-19 is extremely small.”

With schools closed, parents have been asked to home school their children. Home schooling is possible if one has access to a computer and the Internet, but can it work if there is only one Internet capable device in the home and the parents are having to use it to work from home? A survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics in 2018 found 12% of students between the ages of 11 and 18, a total of about 700,000, had no internet access from computers or tablets. The survey reported another 60,000 students said they had no home internet access at all. The ONS comments that;

Of those in this age group, 68% who did have home internet access reported that they would find it difficult to complete school work without it, suggesting that there may be educational implications for those without internet access.

An American publication, Education Next has considered the effect of school closures on children's education. They cite the example of teacher strikes which closed French Belgian schools for more than two months in 1990. Students affected by the strike “were more likely to repeat a grade and did not advance as far in higher education as similar Flemish-speaking students whose teachers did not strike”.

Inevitably, it will be children from disadvantaged backgrounds, whose parents cannot afford home computers, who will be unable to access on-line schooling during the lockdown and whose education will suffer more than their middle class contemporaries.

This morning it was reported that a group of independent scientists (calling themselves the Independent Sage committee and chaired by former chief scientific adviser Sir David King) had produced modeling which apparently shows delaying school opening by another two weeks will half the risks to children from the virus.

The question I am left asking is whether halving what is already a tiny risk is worth the additional damage to the children's education and their future prospects?

21st May 2020

#coronavirus #education