Industrial revolution

You have to ask yourself is there a link between not teaching History and the following

Modern Parliament

Steam Engines

Railways

Incandescent light (light bulbs)

Radar

Programmable Computers

Blue streak (missile)

TSR2 (fighter bomber)

Radio

TV

www

Yes these and more were designed in Britain, only 40 years ago “Made in Britain”

Was still a common sight on most products.

Then came the 1960’s Education changes, these changes are still in operation today,

Schools have drifted away from Maths, Physics, History,Chemistry, Technical drawing, Metalwork, Woodwork, Geography and English.

Today it’s more common to see Travel & Tourism or sport

 I’m tired of seeing all over the country the same buz words used in education, “transforming learning, “inspiring range of choice”,   “personal learning” and I must not forget “Raising expectations”.

To raising expectations we need to point children to were the real money is, innovation

Product development, Germany, China and India know this fact well

Our Country is crying out for Mechanical engineers, statisticians, Electrical Engineers, Physicists, Chemists and the like and the trend was for Travel & Tourism?????

Who on earth will put the light back on when they go out I ask??

Put simply I feel the very people who went through the old education system and are now in positions of authority are the very same ones who do not seem to want it to return.

Now even the boss of Google as made comments on the UK’s educational system

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2030658/Googles-Eric-Schmidt-says-British-education-obsessed-luvvy-subjects.html

Boy is it time for a revamp of our educational system before the lights go out



Sandwell Education & Learning

Only now is it becoming evident at what happened with Education under Labour.

It seems that year after year Labour shouted standards are improving, but at the same time industry and commerce complained that qualification our kids had were not the right ones.

Now just over 12 months into the coalition government, it’s now emerging that in 1997 over 293,000 kids sat GCSE in Maths & English (50%) , by 2010-11 this was down to 152,000  (22%)

This follows an independent report on education and it found that 350,000 children each year are studying for qualifications with

“Little to no labour market value”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028620/How-Labour-let-generation-easy-GCSEs.html

But things are getting better there is now an increase in the up-take of Maths & Physics

Sandwell Tory said

We are pushing industry and business to take off and bring real money into our country

Giving jobs to our people, but the people must have the right qualifications for the job.

I have to ask what good is a GCSE in travel and tourism in Sandwell and following the TV programme CSI the number of kids on forensics courses rocketed when sadly the jobs in that area are very limited.

We need a work force that can count and write to fill the jobs which are now being created to help pay off Labours Debt.

Sandwell School closures

A number of people have complained about not being able to get the school of choice for their children

So let’s have a look at what happened to some of the Schools in Sandwell

We start at a secondary school

            This is the site of Churchfields Comprehensive 

it could hold 1325 pupils and closed in July 2001

and by September 2002 was in the process of demolition

Now we move to Primary Schools

This is Kent Close Primary & Infants

 It could hold 182 pupils, opened in 1960 and closed August 2005 and

only demolished a few years ago

I wonder why there's a school place shortage ??

More to follow as the Photo’s come in  

European Tax

You have to hand it to the Germans & French, while the UK is battling through the economic storm created by spend, spend, spend, with money we didn’t have and paying off its debts, 

      it seems the Germans & French have found a new way to fund countries within the Euro group who simply could not get their finance in order.

You guessed it they want to put a new £13Billion Tax on the UK.  

To pay for their spending spree

They propose to put this latest tax on the stock market in London, as a Transaction Tax

Every deal the stock market does would carry a new tax and the money go to Europe.

How would that affect me I hear you ask???

It’s simple a big chunk of everyone’s pension payments comes from the stock market

and a new massive tax would simply drive investors to the US, Tokyo or Hong Kong.

Leaving you with less pension and less investment in the UK

One group has already called it Economic Suicide    

Sandwell Tory said

Once again It’s easy to spend someone else’s money and not worry about who pays

the bill, in the past both Labour & Conservative Governments have kept us out the

Euro zone for good reasons, these reasons still stand today.

Its seems they have just simply looked at raiding what little money the UK has left

To carry on spending

Can someone remind me what was that sign Winston Churchill used to make.

Answers on a post card please  

Read for yourself

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2027231/Sarkozy-Merkel-plot-13bn-tax-raid-UK-save-euro.html

Enterprise zones

Our congratulations must go to Walsall Council for their bid being successful in the latest round of enterprise zones.

Their successful bid just over the boundary at Darlaston, will go along way to reduce un-employment in Walsall. but due to Darlastons close proximity to Wednesbury and Tipton it will obviously help a number of Sandwell residents gain work, who in some cases live just yards from the zone.     

Once an enterprise zone is awarded, companies can claim a number of tax breaks and a discount on their rates and a range of other incentives to help them over the first

5 years.

Sandwell Tory said  

When a Local authority makes a bid, you have to meet the correct criteria,

Working and talking with local business, helping business and involving business

Leaders in the decision making process, goes a long way to help you being successful.

Sandwell Roads

After we made a number of complaints to London about the state of Sandwell Roads, our Government as given Sandwell nearly an extra £million to repair the pot holes.

Sandwell Labour just don't get it so I shall say this only once


The Government gave Sandwell money because a number of our local roads were shocking
yes shocking to your shockers, track rods and suspension bushes

HELP

After the economic down turn, looting and now the water works in West Bromwich, I see our local Conservatives have asked for parking charges to be dropped in our 6 towns, just one day a week to help our local traders, markets and shops.

Traders interviewed from Wednesbury, West Bromwich and Blackheath said the proposal is an excellent idea would bringing back shoppers.

The Councils response

“The Council can do little to change shopping patterns”

Sandwell Tory said

“I have a message for Sandwell Council, according to the traders Sandwell’s parking charges did change shopping patterns, people went to Merry Hill”    

Sandwell Tory also said

The Government has set up a fund to help shop keepers and communities affected by the riots

As part of concerted, cross-Government action to help open up shops, rebuild damaged buildings, and make sure people who lost their homes are re-housed, the Local Government Secretary has announced a package of support including:

• A £10 million recovery fund to help councils with the immediate costs of making their areas safe, clear and clean again.
• A £20 million High Street Support Scheme, which will be made available immediately, for the streets and areas where businesses were affected by the rioting.
• In addition, seriously damaged homes and businesses will be taken off the respective valuation lists, which removes any liability for council tax or business rates.
• Councils already have the power to offer rate relief for local firms, while paying a quarter of the cost; central government automatically pays for three quarters of the cost. This Scheme will help reimburse councils for their costs, to facilitate immediate and real financial help to be given to small and medium firms to rebuild their local businesses.
• Re-housing funding to meet the immediate costs of emergency accommodation for families who have been made homeless by the disturbances.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/934592

read more
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/08/15/call-for-free-parking-to-boost-shopping/

Let’s wait and see if Sandwell Applies to help our people

Were still waiting to see if Sandwell applies for new school re-build money 

West Bromwich Riots

I was shocked to see the criminality and destruction that occurred in West Bromwich

and other areas, these last few days

We completely condemn the scenes that we have seen on our television screens and local newspapers. These are totally sickening scenes.

The Prime Minister said

People should be in no doubt; we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and to make them safe for law abiding citizens.

Sandwell Tory said
This is criminality pure and simple. It has to be confronted and defeated. We are on the side of the law abiding people who are appalled by what has happens in their own communities.

Sandwell & specifically West Bromwich Police officers have shown incredible bravery confronting the thugs and our personal thanks go out to them.

Is Sandwell playing Politics with our schools?

We have been saying that the BSF programme was wasteful on this blog for months

see pull them down now build them again,

After our council bulldozed a number of school losing over 2000 places saying “we didn’t need them “only to announce a few years later Woops we do need them.

We also questioned who was in charge of school maintenance for the last 30 years?

Now our local MP James Morris has stepped in 

James Morris MP backed the Government’s decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future programme agreeing with Mr Gove that it was a wasteful and inefficient.
The MP said:

“A line should be drawn under BSF after Michael Gove’s decision and Councillor Cooper should stop politicising this subject and playing politics with our children’s education.

“I have been lobbying the Government hard on the subject of the capital funding of schools in Sandwell and believe there are now better solutions that are in place to repair schools.
“Michael Gove has allocated £500m for the schools in most need and there will be a survey of all school buildings to ensure the money goes to the most deserving schools which was not the case with BSF.”
Mr Morris pointed to The James Report which revealed that BSF was £10billion over budget and often the schools which were the best at the bidding process got the most money and not the schools which were in the poorest areas. Mr Morris added: “Now BSF is history I want to work with Sandwell’s leader Darren Cooper about finding better solutions for Sandwell’s schools.

Sandwell Tory said
Let’s wait & see if Sandwell do apply for this new money?

Read the full article

http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/local/9149731.James_Morris_MP_blasts_Sandwell_leader_for__playing_politics__with_schools/

Labour say

1, We’ve spent £800 Million less on Health

WRONG

The problem with Labour's argument is £800Million was there and has not been spent this accounts to less than 1% of the NHS budget and is called an under spend, some years there are overspends.

Sandwell Tory said

If you give someone £10 for a present and they only spend £9.90, how on earth is it a cut when you’ve still given them £10 ????  

2, Poor areas are having money taken away and giving it to the shires counties

Labour even put numbers to the perceived problem they say

Manchester would lose £41Million and Surrey would gain £61 Million

Wrong

If you left things as they are, Manchester would  lose £41 Million, but you would have to wait 20 long years doing absolutely nothing to the funding for it to all add up to the sum of £41 Million

Obviously we have promised to increase Health spending and the commentators actually said Manchester is no worse off at all.

Listen to Radio 4 yourself

BBC Radio 4 “More or less” programme at 1.30 Friday 5th August 2011 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b012x12m

You’ve only got  7 days from this posting to listen to the truth, set you time line to 06.05 minutes

Sandwell Tory said

What’s that I hear spinning??

Sandwell Free bee

The latest Sandwell controversy surrounds the old West Bromwich Court house.

Apparently according to press reports the building was given away to the

Government during 2005

Now after falling into disuse the Government plans to sell it

Quote

“But council bosses are worried Her Majesties Court and Tribunal Services will benefit from the sale” !!!!!

The thing West Brom residents should be asking are

Why was it apparently given away free?

Were there any covenants written into the hand over?

Santa gave me a bike in 1975 I hope he doesn’t want it back

illiterate kids

I stumbled upon a research document produced in 1999, titled “A century of change”

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99-111.pdf

its contents made good reading take a look a pupil numbers

It then goes onto talk about literacy

During this time we have had massive changes in technology, from a low technology

Coal, steam & iron based economy of the Victorian era, to a point where a number of our homes are powered by nuclear reactors, we put men on the moon, we can put space probes outside our solar system and land other probes on planets with precision accuracy millions of miles away.

We have phones that only 30 years ago were similar to “Star Trek “communicators

and a number of homes have the internet, giving worldwide communication.

Manufacturing as moved on from the days of machining to a few thousands of an inch to computer controlled machining centres that can machine to 5 microns and do it every time, to compete in this ever changing world we need to up-grade the skill set of our people and steal back the advantage we once had producing innovative products.

Strangely though a number of the people who currently have leadership roles in society, were taught by Engineers, accountants, mathematicians and English specialists demobbed from the military after the war and later went into teaching armed with only a few pencils, bits of paper and dedication, to work with.

I still owe a personal debt of thanks to my Physics & Chemistry teacher’s for the extra lessons given to me and an my friend so we could get our ‘O’ levels, only years later did I find out that both did overtime with no extra pay.   

Now we move to 2011, the latest Government figures show that about 1 kid in 3 leaves Primary school without having reached a reasonable level in reading, writing and Mathematics.

It’s very easy to stand on a soap box and blame our teachers, but over the last 50 years I don’t believe the dedication of our teachers as changed one bit

They are still dedicated committed professionals working lousy hours, focused on developing our kids and a lot of these working hours are un-paid.

.

The thing that does seem to have changed is the curriculum and that’s where I feel the debate on Education should start, giving our teachers the right tools for the job.