DfE repeats dodgy data as charity warns poor children less likely to attend school – but bigger fibs told in Parliament

Janet Downs's picture
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Difficulty in paying for basic essentials, never mind school-related costs such as uniform and transport*, can result in children not attending school regularly, says the charity  Buttle UK.  Poverty also prevents poor children from studying certain subjects and taking part in out-of-school activities if these could incur extra cost to parents, the charity finds.

Battle UK surveyed 1,200 support workers across the UK and found ‘a worrying picture of the education system as an unequal playing field’.

If children are to benefit from education, they must attend.  That’s obvious.  If they don’t come to school regularly, they’re likely to underachieve.

Nevertheless, the government expects all schools to ensure that disadvantaged achieve the same results as more advantaged children.  It’s called ‘closing the achievement gap’.

The Department for Education’s response to the report was rather half-hearted.   That’s not unexpected, perhaps, given current proceedings in Parliament. But even this lack-lustre comment managed to reprieve the false statement about ‘66%’ of schools being good or better in 2010.

It’s only a few days since the DfE media blog published the correct figure of 68%.  But the robotic DfE spokesperson, writing on the DfE media blog yesterday, cut-and-pasted the wrong data. 

Last night, the father of the House Ken Clarke, purged from the party he’s served for decades, accused Boris Johnson of lying:

I do think the Prime Minister, with the greatest respect, has a tremendous skill in keeping a straight face while he’s being so disingenuous.

In this context, it appears a minor quibble to complain about incorrect data being regurgitated by the DfE.   But this distortion of data, deception and false information has been pouring from the DfE for years, particularly under the tenure of Michael Gove, who now sits on the PM’s left hand on the front benches.

Today’s Times carries a cartoon showing Jacob Rees-Mogg lolling on the front bench in the languid attitude he adopted two nights ago.  Next to him are Sajid Javid, ears enlarged, Boris Johnson, eyes blinded by hair, and Michael Gove, goldfish mouth gulping.  They resemble a subversion of the three monkeys who hear, see and speak no evil.  The caption is in a speech bubble floating from Rees-Mogg’s mouth:

What’s all the fuss about?  I’m not the only lying front bencher!’

BREAKING NEWS:  Jo Johnson, the PM’s brother, has just resigned his Cabinet post and will not stand again as an MP.  The Times reports he is unable to reconcile family loyalty and the national interest.  That says it all.

 

*Children under 16 outside London can receive free transport to their nearest school if their home is over distance from that school.  This stops at age 16 and affects all 16-18 year-olds in rural areas.  16 and 17 year-olds living in London receive free transport for all bus/tram journeys, not just to go to school.  Younger children can also benefit from free travel in London. John Howson discusses this unfairness here. 

NOTES: Roger Titcombe argues that the ‘attainment gap’ is a fallacy.  See here. 

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Comments

agov's picture
Fri, 06/09/2019 - 09:05

"That says it all"

Well, possibly you should get out a little more often? Others found plenty of other things to say. Just four quick examples -

"Orpington is very LEAVE. Jo Johnson was not liked or respected. 1. He wanted a 2nd ref in the face of the local members who voted for no deal. 2. He was parachuted in and promised to move his family to Orpington and never did. Anyone who complained about him was removed."

"He stood for election in 2017 on a manifesto that promised to deliver Brexit & stated that No Deal was better than a bad deal. He has just now resigned the whip He lied to his voters."

"Another hypocrite who stood on the Conservative manifesto but had no intention of honouring it."

"Goodbye Joe - we may never care."

Presumably the BBC etc having had their little outing into Project Crocodile Tears will later today get back to their routine Project Fear propaganda.

By the way, he was not a member of the Cabinet -

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jo-johnson

But here's another cartoon -

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5898c38aa12e99c64cbcfb6d78a4c5b92d5...


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