The triumph of Blairism

[oraclesmith]

According to NL spin nothing:

6. Record levels of literacy and numeracy in schools

8. Funding for every pupil in England to double (since 1997) by 2007-08

Would you agree with NL that the comprehensive system in the UK is producing world class students, easily employable and in demand by industry?
Do you also subscribe to the NL view that selection is wrong and all Grammar schools should be abolished?
Is your local comprehensive is so good that you would have no hesitation in sending your children there?

All grammar schools were going to be abolished years ago, when I went to school. Therefore I went to the local comprehensive and it was quite good - we had proper teachers that knew their stuff and a small percentage of us went to the 6th form and got A-levels.

Your original comment "I take it you're a product of comprehensive education - I will adjust my postings accordingly" was not about the comprehensive system of today. You were implying that because someone has had a comprehensive education, that they were somehow less worthy or intelligent. In other words, Mr Troll, you are an intellectual snob.

[CaribbeanPirate]

<mode id="Old jokes are the best">
I went to a good school - it was approved.
</mode>

[Troll]

All grammar schools were going to be abolished years ago, when I went to school. Therefore I went to the local comprehensive and it was quite good - we had proper teachers that knew their stuff and a small percentage of us went to the 6th form and got A-levels.

Your original comment "I take it you're a product of comprehensive education - I will adjust my postings accordingly" was not about the comprehensive system of today. You were implying that because someone has had a comprehensive education, that they were somehow less worthy or intelligent. In other words, Mr Troll, you are an intellectual snob.

If you are happy with your experience with comprehensive education, then that's fine

[Ardesco]

I went through comprehensive school while most of my freinds went through private and without a doubt I will be sending all my children to private. The private schools give you far more useful contacts than comprehensive schools and it's not what you know, it's who you know!

[malvolio]

Actually, no not fine. Going back to my original ironic comment (remember irony?) it was Cambridge High School and Harrow Tech I attended, among my fourteen schools since my family were in the Forces and I got around a bit. I had four grammar schools (hint - don't change curriculum in the 5th form) and I always maintain I got an education and four decent science A levels despite school, not because of it. On the other hand, I've been reading since I was three, so perhaps some of it has stuck - I'm still a black belt at Trivial Pursuit (and agreed, that is not about intelligence, merely rote learning)

So if you're sufficiently smart to hold yourself up as a comparator for good schooling, Mr Troll, you may have worked out that it's not clever to make unfounded assumptions.

[wendigo100]

But what is your IQ? Mine's bloody large!

And being good at quizzes is not all about rote learning. Many answers can be worked out, perhaps by elimination, or by recognising connections between facts.

[malvolio]

I passed a Mensa qualification test, so presumably I'm above average - but I agree that an intelligent guess can be made on most multiple choice questions.

It's the old argument about what defines intelligence isn't it? I certainly don't think it's anything to do with IQ, that merely means you think the same way as the test setter. I prefer the biological assessment as being the abiltiy to correlate apparently unrelated bits of information to produce something new - chimp learns that ants climb sticks, chimp learns that sticks fit into holes in anthills, chimp works out that putting a stick in an anthill means you can get at the ants. But I doubt that chimp could predict the next in the sequence JFMAM... (assuming he spoke English!)

[DimPrawn]

I don't think boasting about how clever you are on a public BB is a great sign of intelligence.

[malvolio]

No, of course it isn't. And you will notice I said "passed", I didn't say I joined - bunch of self-congratulatry wuckfits in my experience.

Definition of an "intelligent terminal" by an ex-boss of mine - one that runs out of the room when you shout "FIRE"...

[wendigo100]

I don't think boasting about how clever you are on a public BB is a great sign of intelligence.

Bloody huge though, my IQ. Enormous! A large portion!

I must have got Prescott's share as well.