March 1: Explosive account of inside Number 10
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For an authority
the size of Kent, the job of processing some 17,500 applications
for secondary school places must be a tall order.
To get to a situation where the end
result for the county council to have 80 per cent of pupils getting
the school they most wanted is no mean feat.
Of course, not everybody will be
satisfied and although it is relatively small, it seems odd that
620 had to be allocated places by the authority after none of their
four preferences could be satisfied, many of whom I suspect are
disappointed grammar school applicants.
And having said that, it is at least
150 fewer than last year and KCC has probably wisely tried to avoid
upsetting some by offering wholly impractical options at schools
miles away.
Not for the first time, some parents
will consider the concept of choice somewhat illusory. But parents
have never had a choice – all they have ever had a right to express
a preference.
Still, given the massive range of
different schools and admissions arrangements in Kent, the county
council appears to have avoided any major calamities – other than
the glitch that meant some parents were able to access details of
their applications before the official "National Admissions
Day."
Even that was not directly the
council’s fault.
D-Day for
secondary school admissions>>>
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I don't know if I’m alone but my reaction to the
latest so-called "explosive" disclosures about the Labour party
in-fighting by Observer columnist Andrew Rawnsley was "so
what?"
It’s not as if it is news that Tony
Blair and Gordon Brown were practically at each other’s throats
over when the succession would take place.
And I was fairly underwhelmed by the
revelations about how "low" Tony Blair apparently was in the
aftermath of the Iraq invasion and how he was supposedly close to
being depressed before pulling himself together.
Even politicians with the largest of
egos must have the odd moment of self-doubt.
Given what was going on Iraq at the
time, it would have been odd if Tony Blair had not questioned
whether the decision was the right one.
I think I would have been more shocked
if Andrew Rawnsley’s account had described how the then PM had been
unmoved or jolly about the invasion and its progress – or lack of
it and was staging karoake nights in Downing St.
Still, I admit I’ve found it an
entertaining account, albeit not exactly one which has brought the
Government to its knees. Not sure I’m going to buy the book,
though.
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KCC has been
at pains to emphasise that job cuts in its children’s services
department will not impact directly on front line services.
But it’s not as clear as that. For
example, if a social worker relies on secretarial or clerical
support to help input case notes or minutes from meetings about
protecting vulnerable children, for example, does the fact that
there may be fewer people around to do that job impact on key
services?
And if there are fewer advisers around
to provide help and support to schools often described as being in
"challenging circumstances" might those schools ultimately be
adversely affected?
These are the kind of questions unions
representing staff who are under threat at County Hall are seeking
answers to.
Monday, March 01 2010
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