Comment posted Major success for Argyll and Bute Council education staff and for Kilmodan school by Integrity? Not in the ConDemAll.
Regarding the update which reads ‘Auileen Goodall is an Educational Development Officer – not a Quality Improvement Officer. This keeps the pressure on the question of just what the very many QIOs at Argyll and Bute council actually do and whether that is worth what it costs us’
This is an important point of discussion. It would be interesting to know what are the remits of both roles and how much overlap is there. Based purely on title (which can obviously be misleading) they certainly appear to be roles which must have a lot of similar responsibilities. Are we getitng value for money from these two roles?
Integrity? Not in the ConDemAll also commented
- Yet another success for a school the previous administration, and in particular Cllr Marshall’s criteria, would have us believe is failing.
A little encouragement and a little support and our rural schools can, and do, demonstrate quite how effective they are and quite how well they deliver education.
Recent comments by Integrity? Not in the ConDemAll
- Argyll and Bute Council Coalition Cup 2013: runners and riders
Agreed – a little ‘horse play’ after weeks of turmoil in Castle Kilmory is not to be sniffed at. - First Minister’s choice not to condemn mob behaviour proves Farage point
Hi JamieI do take your point about Salmond and the Saltire and that was what I was getting at in my last paragraph. I am pretty sure if, for example, Sturgeon or Swinney was greeted in England by a crowd of similar size singing that about the Saltire then Salmond, and many SNP supporters, would condemn it widely.
Personally I wouldn’t take it as racist though. The union flag has, unfortunately, as an image has become associated with racist connotations due to being ‘adopted’ by groups in the past such as the National Front and, more generally skin heads (who obviously are not all racists either). The flag of a nation is symbolic of the entire nation, not a minority group, or a particular mind set. Equally the Saltire is not a symbol of the SNP, or the independence movement. It is the flag for every Scot be they unionists or nationalists.
I do agree the protest was somewhat unsavoury but I still don’t think the First Minister should be expected to make a public statement about it. I would acknowledge that it might have been good practice to do so, and a political opportunity to distance the independence movement from any potential accusation of fostering anti-English sympathy however I don’t think it should be incumbent on him to do so.
In a more general sense, as an Englishman living in Scotland, I don’t personally feel there is a particularly anti-English sentiment amongst nationalists. I have experienced anti-English ‘incidents’ in my years living in Scotland (and also witnessed the reverse in England) but I have always felt it is a very rare occurrence and don’t feel the independence movement has exacerbated it in any way. I think it would be a shame if this incident (which really was a small number of people) is used to evidence Anglophobia to a scale that really doesn’t exist in Scotland.
- First Minister’s choice not to condemn mob behaviour proves Farage point
I am far from the biggest fan of the First Minister although don’t hate him in the way some do. I probably had more respect for him 12 months ago but have not been impressed by him (or a number of other politicians on both sides of the independence argument) over the past year. However on this issue I agree with him not apologising to Farage. The only footage we have of the incident (at least that I have seen) does not paint as bad a picture as Farage is claiming. Yes it is fairly volatile but there was no physical violence and I didn’t hear anything that I would classify as anti-English racist abuse (and I am English).Farage is an obnoxious man and when you take a position at an extreme then it will prompt extreme behaviour from those opposed to those views. Freedom of speech does of course protect people (although not always any more) but that freedom of speech is afforded to both sides of an argument.
It is not the First Minister’s job to apologise for, or condemn, the actions of a fairly small group of people who haven’t actually broken any laws (as far as we know anyway).
However, in the interest of balance, what I would say is that I wager if Salmond was received like that in England by 20 odd people the reaction to it from a number of SNP supporters would be no different from the reaction of those demanding condemnation by Salmond. It is the hypocrisy of politics that we see all too often now.
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Newsroom I think you got the Alliance guide slightly wrongSingle horse stable, easily confused with stubborn mule, supporting cast maintained in pens, run with blinkers, first horse to fit hooves in ears. Protected by stable hands unclear what their role is.
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Isn’t there ones in Greenock and Dunfermline already?
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Yet another success for a school the previous administration, and in particular Cllr Marshall’s criteria, would have us believe is failing.
A little encouragement and a little support and our rural schools can, and do, demonstrate quite how effective they are and quite how well they deliver education.
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Well done Kilmodan! Great school, great kids and great community.
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So, is this Aileen Goodall one of these much maligned immprovement officers we keep hearing newsie and FA rubbishing??
Mmm??
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We could do chapter and verse on QIOs in general and in particular but it seems thrawn to do that right at the moment because our hope is that things will improve under new political guidance.
ARSN was always aware that QIOs follow instructions from their employer and indeed it was obvious that some were uncomfortable with the roles they had during the closure consultations, not least the dreadful scripts they had to read from (Vygotsky indeed!).
Now that there’s a new administration, we hope to see more of the kind of work Aileen Goodall is doing. Given all the negative tensions involved in the closure debacle, I’m sure it’s what our QIOs would rather be doing.
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Didn’t you read the Update at the foot of the article Simon?
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A bit unfair, B2. Simon’s reply was posted before newsy posted the update.
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Just checked our time logs. We posted the update at 08.23 and Simon’s comment to which Barmore 2 refers was posted at 09.09.
Apologies.
I had done this time log check myself and had not noticed the days, only the hours.
Simon posted his comment on 3rd June at 9.09pm.
Our update to the article was on 4th June at 08.23am.
Lynda
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It is certainly very interesting to hear what has been happening in Kilmodan.Has this been successful in the other schools across Argyll?
I would love to hear from the teachers and support staff on the closure story now that they are allowed a voice without
the threat of disciplne.Or have all the bosses seen the light.Still a lot of money being paid to the QIO,s or is this new title a change or additional staff?
I would hope that the education department and Carol Walker,s so called leadership will be examined very quickly by the new council along with giving us the answers to spygate and Jo Smith.Is she still sitting at home being paid to get a sun tan.
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Well done Kilmodan…!
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Well said Barmore 2. Kilmodan deserve our congratulations, as do all the wee schools who keep clocking up one prize or another for doing really special and wonderful work.
I reckon Argyll & Bute always had the best chance of implementing the Curriculum for Excellence because the wee schools already had to operate that way to an extent and the teachers really know how to make it work. Let’s hope they’re allowed to flourish now so the kids, and their communities, can move forward with security and confidence.
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Yes – well done to EDOs, so why shouldnt all the QIOs become EDOs?
And I hope that Neil McIntyre gets the answers to his questions quickly – I cant think of a good reason why he shouldnt.
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Regarding the update which reads ‘Auileen Goodall is an Educational Development Officer – not a Quality Improvement Officer. This keeps the pressure on the question of just what the very many QIOs at Argyll and Bute council actually do and whether that is worth what it costs us’
This is an important point of discussion. It would be interesting to know what are the remits of both roles and how much overlap is there. Based purely on title (which can obviously be misleading) they certainly appear to be roles which must have a lot of similar responsibilities. Are we getitng value for money from these two roles?
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I think the best people to enquire this with would be Head Teachers across Argyll & Bute and perhaps ask them to list the areas they have received help or have found QIOs and QIMs to actually have been a benefit to them.
I already know the thoughts of one area – so I would expect much silence to follow such a request.
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Thank you for the subtle prompt on the latest typo.
Aileen Goodallhas now been reunited with her proper name.
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Surely after the chaos of the rural schools proposed closures the points made by Integrity and Crazy in response to this story would be a great place to start for our new councillors The investigation into duplication of responsibility across the whole spectrum of council departments will surely follow.Jobs can be created and services improved if someone has the sense and guts to do it.
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I expect the new Lead Councillor on Education, who knows his area of reponsibilty , possibly better than his appointed staff, to lay down the law to his staff as to policies and guidance. The days of paid staff laying down policy, and failing to give correct information to the elected members and the Council as a whole, are over. One such occurrence such as we have seen in the last few years will lead, I hope, not to resignations and “settlements” but to termination with no recompence. The first real test will probably come in the next 2 weeks with the report on Spygate and the dealing with the culprits in that affair.
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