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I get that it is a good thing to get kids back to school.
However the 'blended' model will mean minimal quality in school teaching for S1-3 but in reality will be a kind of 3 week induction prior to full return after Easter. Any good practice built up during the online remote learning will be lost for the next 3 weeks.
In my opinion this is not worth it. It would be better sticking with the online learning with maybe some senior pupils in completing practical work etc and then return properly after the Easter holidays.
Also 55 year old unvaccinated teacher not exactly excited by the prospect of being back in front of classes.
I've got the timetable for what pupils will be doing but no idea what pupils I am going to have. Don't know how they have split it up yet. They are only going to be in for 1/2 the day and I can see certain pupils not bothering to turn up. We also have room displacements which I have to check against my time table but that can wait till the weekend. Got loads of stuff to do before then. I then get to teach all the same stuff I've done for the last 2.5 months all over again.
Brightest who achieve despite the difficulties could opt to go through
I think you've got a bit of a distorted view of how bad this situation is, academically speaking at least.
I think >90% of my certificate classes will get an award that's in the same ball park to what they would have got under normal circumstances and will therefore be ready and eager to move on to the next stage in education/employment.
Kids in P7 will also be itching to get to the big school, just like every other year. Denying all of the above by making pupils resit would cause untold further harm.
We've got a model that has M/T week1 senior phase group A then week 2 it's group B this is repeated through the week and down the school but bge S1 not in m/t week1 but in m/t week2. It's a nightmare but gets kids in. Main issue is the school groups are split alphabetically but issues with classes that don't divide evenly fitting into rooms with an imposed maximum occupancy. It's a massive amount of work for 3 weeks.
Especially as this is the focus and the post Easter model is "dunno" ( because no one does).
1. Children start education way too early in Scotland, their education suffers when compared to other European countries where kids start later, when more mature and able to learn. The pandemic and subsequent reset presents a perfect opportunity to permanently address this.
2. Can't be far off 100% of all Primary, Secondary and FE students have been negatively impacted by the disruption of lockdowns, tiers etc. Thanks to home schooling, blended learning, key worker rules and the need for shielding, there has been and continues to be huge disparity in the quality and quantity of education being offered. I'm qualified in training, learning and assessment (adult education) and have really struggled to home school my ASN 14 year old. I don't have the relevant skills and very little is being learned. My 18 year old's 'full time' FE course is via an iPad for, at best, 2 hours a day over 3 days. What chance does a non-academic or frequently unavailable parent stand trying to teaching calculus to a reluctant teenager? It is nothing short of a waste of everyone's time. Unless mum and dad are a) teachers in the relevant subject and b) at home and available, then virtually all students will perform well below par for the academic year. Bringing thousands of students up to scratch on a case by case basis is nigh on impossible. Far simpler to write the year off and start again.
3. Young people entering FE or the workplace should be properly educated and assessed in order to be deemed qualified to pursue their chosen career. Last year's teacher based assessments were a bit of a fudge but at least the Nat5, Higher, Adv Higher and FE students only missed a few weeks towards the end of term before study leave and 'exam' time kicked in. Teachers already had months of in-class interaction, prelims and submitted work on which to base their assessments. This year's disruption started earlier, is already far longer and involves teachers and students who have hardly got to know each other at all. Remote assessment is a non-starter, exams would be unfair and if they did go ahead, grading and appeals would be impossible. Young people, universities / colleges, potential employers and the wider public, who will come to rely on these young people, all deserve better. That can only be achieved by having another crack at the lost year.
4. Vaccination is ongoing but 2nd jags for the over 50s / vulnerable won't be complete until well after schools split for summer. 1st jags for healthy younger adults are unlikely to be much sooner. Sending pupils and FE students back before vaccination of vulnerable / older groups is grossly irresponsible and may result in deaths and long covid among teachers and older family members. Small wonder many teachers and union reps don't want a repeat of previous mistakes. Far better to delay return until the autumn term, by which time the vulnerable and over 50s, including teachers, lecturers and campus staff are protected.
I fully appreciate there are problems, not least the practicalities of keeping weans safe and occupied, mental health, WFH, recruitment, furlough etc but on balance, a one year reset still represents the only way to guarantee adequate education for young people while keeping the vulnerable safe. Be interested to hear similarly detailed counter arguments beyond 'ridiculous' or 'so wrong'.
Far simpler to write the year off and start again.
Seriously, take a minute to think about this. Kids have had a bad year and your solution is that they should re do it? How totally depressing, a year seems like an eternity for kids who are just itching to get on and get out into the world. Making kids re sit is a recipe for dissatisfaction and disengagement. Let's just acknowledge that it's been shit and think about how we can move on from it. Remember also that pupils were in school from August to December during which time a lot of meaningful work was done, what a waste of time to repeat that.
Far simpler to write the year off and start again.
I think we should be looking at what's best for kids, not what's simplest.
I’m qualified in training, learning and assessment (adult education) and have really struggled to home school my ASN 14 year old
It could be that re doing the year is the right thing for your kid but it would be the wrong thing for a lot of others.
Anyway, this whole discussion is pointless as there is no way it will happen.
brads
Full Member
Ffs I’m depressed. All I want to do is hit Golfie with the laddie.It’s not even that far away.
How far is far? I am in Heriot. Down the valley 10 clicks, rural. Back door into Caberston and I do not even go. Should be fine should it not?
Just got an email for my son. He's in the last two days of the term before the Easter hols on his normal timetable. Atleast it will get them back to some idea of what school is and a chance for seeing how it will work before the full return after the Easter hols
1. Children start education way too early in Scotland,
I agree. Best addressed through a thought through plan though, not an opportunity to just delay one solitary year for all children & young people up to age 18. There is also this challenge where later starting countries find that learners move more rapidly, so they have fewer years in school overall and a curricular timetable that moves faster.
2. Can’t be far off 100% of all Primary, Secondary and FE students have been negatively impacted by the disruption of lockdowns, tiers etc. Thanks to home schooling, blended learning, key worker rules and the need for shielding, there has been and continues to be huge disparity in the quality and quantity of education being offered.
I have two thoughts on this
- how much and in what areas have they been affected? Until we understand this there is no point making plans for a solution.
- I go back to my comment (and related to the young age point no.1) about where and how children learn and develop. The early years have a great way of looking at this - the child has everything they need to learn, develop and grow. What they need are experiences and adults that can extend their learning. This is not just sat holding a pen though - this is physical, social relationships, problem solving, understanding nature, learning to manage risk & challenge, understanding your community, shopping, cycling, meeting new people, playing music etc. Not purely a school only set of activities.
Far simpler to write the year off and start again.
I am not sure it is simpler.
Fancy telling my kid he isn't leaving school when he thought and has to re-take a year and leave school at nearly 19, and that he shouldn't get that job he is looking at for another year, so he will still be skint?
Do we have to fund an extra year of education in all schools, colleges and universities now? What about new starters into the courses this year who have been working - do we end up with oversubscribed college and uni courses? What about the apprentices - who pays for their extra year?
Finally - simpler is not focussing on what is best for the children and young adults.
3. Young people entering FE or the workplace should be properly educated and assessed in order to be deemed qualified to pursue their chosen career. Last year’s teacher based assessments were a bit of a fudge..... That can only be achieved by having another crack at the lost year.
I think you do a disservice to the hard work of the learners and teachers here.
4. Vaccination
I agree we have an issue. Personally I think teachers (police, fire, social workers etc) who are forced to come into contact with lots of people should be vaccinated asap.
The thought with young people is that their protection comes through the dwindling number of adults that will have and spread CV19. It is a concern though.
a one year reset still represents the only way to guarantee adequate education for young people while keeping the vulnerable safe.
A one year [s]'reset'[/s] [b] forced retake of all the work, delay of dreams and aspirations for a year, huge cost increase, policy made up on the hoof etc[/b] may actually also impact a lot of learners, teachers and families mental health and wellbeing. It will certainly impact economic earning for many school leavers by a year.
There are alternatives as well in my mind, it is not a binary to carry on or delete a year.
Teachers, educators, lecturers and more will be putting huge effort into the next few years of managing any issues there are. I would rather see the investment of time and effort go into better funding and support across all areas of education for the next three years (or more), to try and resource learners and teachers with what they need extra.
The Mrs just got an email from the school ...... so it looks like our two eldest S1 & S3 will be in one day each over the next 3 weeks. If this is right why bother?
Because it gets them back into school, renewing relationships with peers and staff and it sets them up for the full time return after Easter to be as comfortable as it can be for them.
so 1 day over the next 5 weeks including the holidays is going to do that is it?
No, it is 3 days over the next 3 weeks followed by a 2 week holiday. In my experience it is very likely the most your child's school can offer given the space and staff at their disposal.
Seniors with 2m social distancing requires either 3x the teachers and 3x the rooms, or rooms magically 3 times bigger, or 3 times the time. If your school is offering face-to-face for seniors for each subject plus a full day for S1, S2 & S3, they are doing well. They will be offering the best that they can.
No, it is 3 days over the next 3 weeks followed by a 2 week holiday.
Nope.
It's one day for S1-3, as daviek said.
The biggest elephant in the room with regard to Scottish Education and intake and output is the bizarre year split that sees some pupils who want to leave being forced to return to school in S5 to participate in class that they have no intention of finishing, as they can only leave officially at Christmas.
One unintended consequence of holding all kids back a year is this issue would be solved. It is not the right way to go about it though.
so it looks like our two eldest S1 & S3 will be in one day each over the next 3 weeks
Sorry, I took this to be one day per week each, which is about as good as it will be for any S1-S3 anywhere.
brads
Full Member
Ffs I’m depressed. All I want to do is hit Golfie with the laddie.It’s not even that far away.
Just go then , I stay in East Lothian and have been down the valley in the last couple of weeks since the non announcement. I towed the line and then It seems we have another 7 weeks and thought bugger It. All the golfie parking spots were gone by 11 am last sunday so It seems like me everyone has given up . The trails are running beautifully as well.
daviek
Full Member
so 1 day over the next 5 weeks including the holidays is going to do that is it?
Well; they were always going to be on holiday but including that allows you to type "5 weeks." Feel free to explain how we address the logistical problems mentioned by trout.
there is no solution for that, my point was more why put them back for a single day and not just leave it until after easter.
my point was more why put them back for a single day and not just leave it until after easter.
Same sort of reasons as people on maternity leave have 'keeping in touch days' and those returning from long term absence do phased returns.
Just go then , I stay in East Lothian and have been down the valley in the last couple of weeks since the non announcement.
You're a bit of a tit then.
They're just making stuff up now....
Key information from our revised guidance published 12 March:
Scottish Cycling continues to seek clarity from sportscotland and the Scottish Government on the discrepancy that exists in transiting through multiple Level 4 areas on an informal or organised group ride. The current Scottish Government guidance continues to prohibit organised group rides from transiting through multiple Level 4 areas.
Whilst Scottish Government Guidance allows for a group of up to 15 adults to take part in Club activity, Scottish Cycling strongly recommends a maximum group size ride of 9 from unlimited households for Club rides. This is consistent with our guidance for adult MTB, MBL and Led Rides.
Anyone in the Deen got an idea why our cases here have been consistently going up for the last week or so? I know we are all frazzled with the restrictions but if/when we go above 50 per 100k then were going to be confined within our local authority....
I think there's a few areas where figures are stubbornly going up or staying higher.
In Stirling area we've had an transmission among a couple of communities/schools. The rest of Stirling region, nothing. But the south east of the city and south eastern villages are a raging hotbed of infection.
Thanks for that. That confirms as I suspected it is community transmission.
There really are some selfish twonks around here which is really starting to wind me right up.
@juanking there is a lot more movement of people/ far more people out and about so community infections do seem to be a key part.
If you look at the local map though the areas where infections were occurring are much tighter rather than spread across the city.
Think there has been a psychological phenomena of people taking greater risks in there contact with others as the vaccine programme steps up.
Aberdeen also has a relatively low number of people vaccinated compared to Galloway - a reflection on the age/ health profile.
https://www.travellingtabby.com/scotland-coronavirus-tracker/local
can't link to the map but if you zoom in you can see which areas are the "hot spots"
@sparksmcguff, hadn't occured to me that folk might/are willing to take more of a chance due to the vaccine rollout. Also as you point out Aberdeen is lagging behind elsewhere for a combination of reasons.
I've had my first jab and and frankly dont see me changing my risk profile much at all for at least this year.
@bruneep, I use the travelling tabby to monitor local trends which is really useful and lead me to spot the increasing community transmission.
Why is clackmannanshire so high on the lists, is it just due to being a smaller population as cases dont seem too bad? Only asking as due to go there in a couple of weeks
Clacks seems pretty busy. Lots of folk about. Some nice mtb around too.
glen ochill prison in clackmanashire ?
east ayrshire was high last week or so due to kilarnock prison
they have been doing testing at the prisons ,because of outbreak , hence the reason the numbers are higher in certain areas ,
I think you’ve got a bit of a distorted view of how bad this situation is, academically speaking at least.
I think >90% of my certificate classes will get an award that’s in the same ball park to what they would have got under normal circumstances and will therefore be ready and eager to move on to the next stage in education/employment.
@Spin - I’m glad you said that I was beginning to think my children were the exception who were pretty much progressing as normal. It’s not their accademic learning I’ve been worried about it’s their social interaction.
But let’s also be clear the children of COVID-19 have learned new skills and techniques that our generation never had - masters of MS Teams; able to search the internet for video tutorials rather than blindly follow their own class teacher; technical ways to support each other and probably an understanding of MH/isolation issues we didn’t have; and I’ve seen more walking/cycling etc by people who are used to being chauffeured.
Those who will need advanced calculus will still have learned it or quickly catch up. Those who will not have learned a range of other skills people don’t get qualifications for. I doubt there is any job or university course that can’t easily compensate / train for a bit of missing knowledge - after all we already level our people with highers, advanced highers, a-levels, int baccalaureate etc, and in many cases people who got a B or C in some of those (so missed a fair chunk of understanding on at least some part) still get places.
What chance does a non-academic or frequently unavailable parent stand trying to teaching calculus to a reluctant teenager?
@downshep - I think you’ve misunderstood how home schooling is working for 15 yr doing maths. Ordinarily the parents are not directly involved (I don’t get involved at all with my 17yr old, and probably once every 2 days get asked to help my 12 yr old understand something - which is usually in a humanities type subject I’ve not studied since I was 14, but is about being able to read the question or rephrase what’s asked).
In terms of calculus - when you or I learned it back in the day you went to a class the teacher wrote on a blackboard and there was a text book. Now the teacher is talking on teams (either pre-recorded or live), there are the equivalent of text books, but there are links to BBC bite size, YouTube etc - no longer are you drilled to one teachers bad blackboard skills but have animations multiple presenters etc. The challenge may be one of motivation or interest rather than the ability of parents to impart knowledge. I don’t know how other children and schools are doing - but I think mine are managing well. The kids missing out will be those without IT at home or whose parents are not ensuring they actually get out of bed. Those are also the kids who typically perform poorly at school - but are likely to have been offered in school places beside key worker children.
Now for P1-4 I think it probably is a nightmare home schooling because they need so much more support, but I noticed when my two were at that stage that there’s a lot less formal “learning” than just doing and absorbing (and working out how to behave in a classroom - which will be a missing piece).
There should of course be mechanisms for children to go back and redo the year but that’s probably the exception not the norm - and I recall that happening when I was at school both with people we would probably call ASN now and a good friend of mine who spent a significant part of S4 in hospital.
Before I go looking, has there been any change to the ban on outdoor drinking as a result of these latest relaxations?
I better stop taking a can of IPA on my walks then.
I think Aberdeen is always going to struggle given the number of people who pass through it (from all over the world) to go on and off shore. I know they've got procedures in place, but it's always going to be an extra level of risk I guess.
@stanfree
Yup. East Lothian.
Been trying to behave a bit but me and the boy are demented as everyone on my strava is there every other day.
A friend in Inners says the weekends are stowed out.
Have lost patience now for sure.
Don't disagree with any of that poly, it's the massive uncertainty and inconsistency in learning that may adversely affect so many students to an unknown degree that worries me.
it’s the massive uncertainty and inconsistency in learning that may adversely affect so many students to an unknown degree that worries me.
Having seen what pupils were like after the first lockdown the lost learning doesn't concern me nearly as much as the behaviour and mental health impacts.
A friend in Inners says the weekends are stowed out.
Police were at Buzzards Nest this morning checking where folk had traveled from. They said they had sent loads of people away. They were taking number plates as well to check other car parks throughout the day in case folk just move elsewhere
I’ve been up a few times in the last three or four weeks and it’s been quiet. Today was much quieter though!
Now the teacher is talking on teams (either pre-recorded or live), there are the equivalent of text books, but there are links to BBC bite size, YouTube etc – no longer are you drilled to one teachers bad blackboard skills but have animations multiple presenters etc.
Maybe that is your experience, but our youngest is in 3rd in South Lanarkshire and there is absolutely nothing on Teams or Zoom or anything remotely interactive in any of his subjects. He logs in at the start of each ‘class’ where he is presented with a list of tasks and a submission date.
The current class timetable has each subject with a 2 hour block. The set work takes him between 5 and 15 minutes each time for all subjects. He is a clever kid but still hugely impacted, he’s had virtually no S3 class time, bar a bit in the Autumn and going back next week will involve a total of 6 hrs class time per week. After Easter he starts S4... total farce.
3rd in South Lanarkshire and there is absolutely nothing on Teams or Zoom or anything remotely interactive
A friend's wife teaches in S. Lan and she said they were told in the first lockdown not to do any live lessons or record any audio or video.
Similar story with my son. There have been a few 'live' lessons, but very few. Recently they've had them logging in with whoever would be teaching them at 11am for a catch up. He gets the work at the beginning of the week and we spread the tasks out over the week,it takes him much less than half a day each day realistically to get through it. I know there is a lot of wasted/non-teaching time in school with one thing and another, but it's very minimal what he has to do.
our department has been proactive since the start with live lessons, I made a YouTube channel for senior and BGE classes. We have loads of videos produced since August along with Microsoft forms quizzes. We use drawing tablets during out live lessons and pummel the kids with questions.
The issue has been motivation and engagement of the pupils. Some parents have been really good others I'm guessing not so much. When I go back in on Monday the kids will be either in during the morning or the afternoon and will be following their timetables. I'm teaching 14 out of 21 lessons I would normally do although I will be repeating them.
Obviously some schools and teachers are much better than others, but I taught keystage 1 and 2 in England many moons ago and some on the work my S1 son has been getting is quite pathetic with word searches and the like for topics that you'd give a 7 year old.
Home ec the other days was make a potato pie. It was cheesy mashed potato, then put in the oven. No seasoning and using marge 🤢😂
Woo hoo! Just got my appointment for the jab on Monday. 50yo.
Police were at Buzzards Nest this morning
Think they would notice me parked in George street and sneaking up Golfie lol.
Literally demented not getting out in the Tweed Valley. Life is too short for this shit.
@Brads fair play for sticking to the rules , we did up until about 2 weeks ago and as Poah says Im obviously a Tit for it. I think I may kinda of know you as you asked advice on moving to tranent. If you want a good sesh and not break the rules head down the A1 to Penmanshiel which is well within the 5 mileborder of east lothian and the Scottish borders. We rode there over new year and there are 4 really good techy trails that are a proper test . If you need any info message me.
Literally demented not getting out in the Tweed Valley. Life is too short for this shit.
Quite a lot of idiots are travelling there from Glasgow. Hopefully they get infected from their stupidity.
The Clacks numbers aren't related to the Prison as far as I know. The epicentre of the current outbreak seems to be Clackmannan. A few days ago there had been 40+ cases in the previous 7 days in this Intermediate Zone alone. Stirling seems to be struggling too.
I see that Jason Leitch was commenting that new case numbers had been falling until this Monday (8 March) and have subsequently started to rise a bit. It could be a coincidence that 8 March was 2 weeks after younger children returned to school. It is almost inevitable that pupils returning to school will lead to an increase in case numbers. I just hope it is manageable.
I’d second that! Was over last month, great set of trails and more in the making
Did my first road ride of the year today. A simply staggering amount of cars on the M77 as I was riding alongside it. The overwhelming majority are not bothering with the local authority travel restrictions any more
Quite a lot of idiots are travelling there from Glasgow. Hopefully they get infected from their stupidity.
Hopefully they don't as, the more people who are infected the more/longer the restrictions for the rest of us.
Home ec the other days was make a potato pie. It was cheesy mashed potato, then put in the oven. No seasoning and using marge 🤢😂
Is that what they normally do though? HE seems an easy subject to transplant if you are happy to still have them cooking - give them the recipe they would have followed in the class - possibly with a video of any technique. I don't think my S1 has actually been doing any practical stuff - all theory/nutrition/ingredients/food safety stuff. S6 doing Nat 5 Practical Cookery has been - and is typically doing one of our meals during the week.
Don’t disagree with any of that poly, it’s the massive uncertainty and inconsistency in learning that may adversely affect so many students to an unknown degree that worries me.
There's massive inconsistency in teaching anyway! Good teachers, bad teachers, good schools, bad schools, parents with £ to pay for tutors, subjects with "choices" of components (set texts in English, software languages in computing, etc). There's not even consistency in the number of subjects pupils study, or in some cases whether they pass straight from Nat5 to Higher etc. The point of school (in 2021) is not really that everyone leaves at the same level - but everyone leaves with some idea of how to learn and some foundations to work on.
A friend’s wife teaches in S. Lan and she said they were told in the first lockdown not to do any live lessons or record any audio or video.
Yes I think W Lothian was similar in the original lockdown - but this time the message is different; so much so that parents complained they were spending too long each day starting at screens and they now have one period each day which is to be "screen free" and they are told to either go outside, read a book or (my favourite!) do some housework!
Maybe that is your experience, but our youngest is in 3rd in South Lanarkshire and there is absolutely nothing on Teams or Zoom or anything remotely interactive in any of his subjects. He logs in at the start of each ‘class’ where he is presented with a list of tasks and a submission date.
Thats is poor, and the messaging from Scot Gov is that should not be happening, and so I'd have been an annoying parent if my children's school were seemingly not delivering.
We do have inconsistency with some teachers better than others. But that's always the case - the English teacher is crap and technology incompetent - but when I asked my son in S6 about him - he says he's got a reputation for being crap normally, its not a lockdown thing. When I see the effort that especially the younger teachers are putting in I'm pretty inspired - its clear they've seen this as an opportunity to do things a bit differently and break the mould. If I'm a bit cynical, if you've been teaching the same stuff for 20 years and have a nice rhythm going with all your materials organised this is probably a bit of shock to the system.
The current class timetable has each subject with a 2 hour block. The set work takes him between 5 and 15 minutes each time for all subjects. He is a clever kid but still hugely impacted, he’s had virtually no S3 class time, bar a bit in the Autumn and going back next week will involve a total of 6 hrs class time per week. After Easter he starts S4… total farce.
So often teaching has to run a the pace of the slowest learner (or at least the bottom quartile) that I've thought the bright kids could do O-grade/Standard-grade/Nat5 in a year anyway. It sounds like your school hasn't been providing any extension work for people who are running ahead - that's a real shame, because IN class nobody wants to be seen to be doing the extra work and a swot, but at home in classes that interest them my S1 has said she's done extra work she'd never have done in school because of the stigma of being bright! The inverse though is she isn't being pushed to do extra practice in subjects where she's not doing quite so well and probably needs it more - but I've no idea if she would be in school, the difference is now I see what's going on. In the classroom, the disruption, the discipline issues, the non-curriculum stuff, etc is all opaque to the parents.
make a potato pie. It was cheesy mashed potato, then put in the oven. No seasoning and using marge
FFS! That's not a pie. It needs pastry top and bottom. Bloody teachers are carp.
Is that what they normally do though? HE seems an easy subject to transplant if you are happy to still have them cooking – give them the recipe they would have followed in the class – possibly with a video of any technique. I don’t think my S1 has actually been doing any practical stuff – all
I wouldn't really rate boiling, mashing and adding cheese to potatoes as great practical work. Even he said there's not even any mince and onions under it 😂 Other practical work included making a cardboard mug in D&T. Ok,bit practical and I guess life skills if you've never boiled a spud, but even the least supported kid has made junk models.
Anyway I'll be glad when he gets his two days on 25th & 26th before Easter to get some more routine, the way of school again and see his mates.
I understand it must be a nightmare for teachers, I just worry for his education with this year, but thankfully he's only S1 so plenty of time to catch up before things start really counting. I really feel for those in and close to exam years.
Just to add both me and my wife are both post degree educated and I've worked as both a Primary teacher and with secondary kids out of main stream education, so we're motivated to, and able support him, but we're both also trying to do pretty involved jobs at the same time. I know many are too.
Was my year wfh anniversary yesterday by the way!
I could be wrong about clackmananshire, i read a few weeks ago that there was an outbreak in glen ochill and kilmarnock prisons , but that was a few weeks ago, the only reason i paid much attention was they were keeping west dumbartonshire from the top ,
for some reason wd dropped very very rapidly then falkirk and stirling went right up. biggest increase this week has been western isles, weirdly 50% of that authority has been vaccinated , the highest percentage in scotland
when i say biggest rise , its in comparison to the week before , 15 cases is enough to put them up into 64 cases per 100 thou.
I would imagine it would drop away very quickly,
it will be very hard for any central belt la to stay out of level 3 when they introduce the shitty level system again especially since they have tightened it up
If you want a good sesh and not break the rules head down the A1 to Penmanshiel which is well within the 5 mileborder of east lothian and the Scottish borders. We rode there over new year and there are 4 really good techy trails that are a proper test . If you need any info message me.
Penmanshiel is my local more exciting riding - about 10 miles from home! I ride there for a couple of hours at least once a week at the moment. Give me a shout if you want to know local conditions or anything.
So often teaching has to run a the pace of the slowest learner (or at least the bottom quartile)
Which is half the damn problem because the brightest kids get bored, demotivated and before you know it they're doing nothing and getting tested to see if they're "slow" when they're really bored shitless.
That was me and I'll be damned if I'm going to let my daughter end up that way. She's in primary 3 and recently covered how to tell the time. Again. And the two times table. Again. Their homework last week was forming words with oa sounds. Except all they were doing was moving scrabble tiles on a screen to make whatever word they were told to. Absolutely no challenge.
I can't blame the teacher too much, she's hardly seen her but its the same every parents evening.
it will be very hard for any central belt la to stay out of level 3 when they introduce the shitty level system again especially since they have tightened it up
Yup and it's going to be similarly hard for them to keep people sticking to the rules if enough folk decide they've had enough. Jesus I sound like a broken record...
Yes , people wont stick to rules if the neighbour five miles down the road is having more freedoms . i live 100 metres from argyle and work in argyle ,so does partner , however i live in wd , they had alot less restrictions last year ,i was asked to go for a pint a few times but it wasnt the right thing to do plus i thought it would be a beamer getting questioned ,
this summer if people are in different levels people will travel to these areas. especially if we are in this position and the english have no restrictions
I dunno, Edinburgh, East and Midlothian are all below the magic 50 now. Fife and East Ayrshire just above. It looks like it's doable... London still below 50 per 100000 too. The big question obviously being how much the rate changes when you go into tier 2... I get why they've gone with such a low rate and I hope it works but I don't think it's viable if it leaves big chunks in indefinite tier 3 and others flipping like a lightswitch.
could be wrong about clackmananshire, i read a few weeks ago that there was an outbreak in glen ochill and kilmarnock prisons ,
Last week it was Alva leading the way, and this week Clackmannan. Not really a lot of info on why, local paper suggesting it was connected to the schools in Alva and Clackmannan. Alva secondary is the main school for surrounding towns / villages and disproportionately large for the size of Alva.
https://www.alloaadvertiser.com/news/19157074.covid-scotland-places-coronavirus-cases-week/
but I don’t think it’s viable if it leaves big chunks in indefinite tier 3 and others flipping like a lightswitch.
Totally agree with this , it’s not fair on people who own or work in hospitality , gyms , salons etc to expect them to open and close on a 3 week cycle .
I think patience and support for restrictions is wearing very thin with a lot of people but I fear once the schools are fully back there will be a fair jump in infections which would leave us trapped in tier 3/4 for a while yet if they are strict with the per 100000 system .
Totally agree with this , it’s not fair on people who own or work in hospitality , gyms , salons etc to expect them to open and close on a 3 week cycle .
I think patience and support for restrictions is wearing very thin with a lot of people but I fear once the schools are fully back there will be a fair jump in infections which would leave us trapped in tier 3/4 for a while yet if they are strict with the per 100000 system .
I agree with all of that, the trouble is that it won't be possible to run with a higher level of infections without things rapidly spiralling out of control.
Yep I get that , every rise in infections increases the risk of a variant that the vaccine won’t work with then your back to square one . But there must be a tipping point where the restrictions are causing so much harm in other areas such as mental health , education, damage to the economy and the subsequent loss of jobs and poverty that we’re actually doing more harm than good . I have no idea where that point is though and I’m glad I don’t have to make those decisions and if I did I’m pretty sure I would be inclined to be on the cautious side .
every rise in infections increases the risk of a variant that the vaccine won’t work with then your back to square one
It's not just that, it's more to do with how quickly things can change with exponential growth. It would be really difficult if not impossible to keep everything open and run at the higher rates of prevalence that would lead to without it getting out of control and overwhelming health care. We seemed to a reasonable job of keeping numbers down over the summer but that's got a lot harder with the new variants and winter weather.
Like you I'm glad I'm not making these calls!
Meanwhile on today's ride Dunblane-Braco area there was lots of riders out.
Loads of couples and three's
Also groups of 6, 10, even 18(!) at one point. So odd to suddenly see such groups out again - and even though allowed, I'm not getting why they don't split into smaller groups...
I'm from Tranent yeh (panner now likes)
Penmanshiel is pretty good. Been there a couple of times and can hit it after work as its next door.
****wd a rib and an ankle there though lol that off camber loam is a shit.
Was loving Carberry till they killed it as well.
Am trying to hold out but honestly, hitting golfie is high on my list lol. It's went on too long.
Distinct lack of strava uploads this weekend though. Wonder why? Haha
I wouldn’t really rate boiling, mashing and adding cheese to potatoes as great practical work. Even he said there’s not even any mince and onions under it 😂
See he’s learning! But I think you really underestimate the steepness of the HE learning curve. From what my two have reported - there are people in their class who have never peeled a potato, don’t know cheese comes from cows (let’s not confuse them with goats), and we aren’t in a particularly deprived area. I went to uni with a guy who had absolutely no idea how to make mashed potato - and that was in 3rd year!
Other practical work included making a cardboard mug in D&T. Ok,bit practical and I guess life skills if you’ve never boiled a spud, but even the least supported kid has made junk models.
I’m hoping there was actually some subtle learning about design process or something in there - like draw what you are going to make before you make it, then make it and then review how close it came to the original design. Or make a mug then understand how to draw that in various views etc. Sometimes really good teaching you were unaware what you were learning. Sometimes really bad teaching you were unaware what you were supposed to be learning!
****wd a rib and an ankle there though lol that off camber loam is a shit.
Was loving Carberry till they killed it as well.
Am trying to hold out but honestly, hitting golfie is high on my list lol. It’s went on too long.Distinct lack of strava uploads this weekend though. Wonder why? Haha
Very easily done!! I had a bit of a tumble last weekend but fortunately got nothing worse than a bruised calf. Did my ribs on the jump at the start of old school a while back though.
I'm on the verge of heading to Golfie as well. I am in the borders so don't really know if I could technically be turned away or not.
Noticed the same thing on Strava for the last couple of weeks now.
I’m on the verge of heading to Golfie as well. I am in the borders so don’t really know if I could technically be turned away or not.
Perfectly legal. I’d go now - it’s going to be chaos when rules are lifted!
Local primary shut today after positive test, not saying whether staff or pupil or whether lateral flow or pcr test.
Closed for deep cleaning and reopening tomorrow...
That's me astra-zennica'd. 50yo.
Which region are you in, Longdog?
Shetland. Half the population (over 11k) done now. My wife's had her second dose too,but she's in health care.
🙂 Thanks
Was sooo nice being back at school today, well apart from the 4th years but can't have everything perfect.