CazH

@stvystv @OperaSocialist People do benefit from other degrees eg where would history teachers come from if you treat this subject the same And there are other skills and disciplines that benefit society as a whole even if the degree isn’t vocationally directly linked

I know very few people who work the field of their uni degree. History is a popular one that seemingly never leads to a related role (I know several who are in IT tho). There are also many modern degrees which sound impressive but actually have no modern application. Agree on Dra, Lawyers etc, except thats not the majority.

"Why should half the country who don't go to university pay extra tax so that you don't have to pay to go to university?" Because everyone benefits from doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers and creative thinkers. It's called an egalitarian society.

@OperaSocialist So the solution is to loan fees etc and then have lower interest rates for tuition (9/10 students take loans for student tuition) and then give loan relief for specific careers or length of work & taxing in UK

@Withinger @OliDugmore I don’t agree. Often it’s a small change that makes a difference. Also, the costs of coming back to visit remaining family etc… can be prohibitive and not everyone wants to leave the country or is able to leave the country

@cazhaz @OliDugmore That's not enough to incentivise people to stay working 60 hour weeks here and losing all childcare benefits the second they do an extra shift. When they can just move elsewhere, get paid more and not constantly talked about like dirt in the press.

Rachel Reeves should be very careful arguing only graduates should pay for their degrees Would be a lot of cold pensioners without our generation’s taxes. I don’t make much use of the nuclear deterrent either Education is a public good, not a commodity

@stevo750 @AdrianBethune That sounds sensible. Our school doesn’t do this, doesn’t have lockers they can access easily (paid for lockers only, available at lunchtime) and they have to carry around all their stuff. This is HUGE for year7, compared to primary

@cazhaz @AdrianBethune Did my PGCE long placement years ago in a large comprehensive (1800 on roll, split site). Y7-9 classrooms were grouped round a 'base' for each year group; a good stepping-stone, I felt. Less intimidating after primary school. Don't know if schools still do this now...

The fall in children's wellbeing in the UK is *mostly* a secondary school problem (massive drop in Y7!). We could improve things massively by increasing the amount of physical activity in secondary (more PE, increased playtime, more sports, daily mile, etc). Discuss 🤔

@Withinger @OliDugmore Agreed. It is important we educate to a higher level those whose skills we need in the UK. I don’t agree we need to fund entirely, but we could certainly incentivise graduates to remain and work in the UK by wiping portions of debt after no. of years working in the UK

@cazhaz @OliDugmore Has it passed you by that every doctor, nurse, civil engineer, pharmacist, architect etc etc is university educated?

@AdrianBethune Not to mention: puberty hits y7/y8. Sports, getting changed, lugging kit, hating sports all multiplies through puberty.

@AdrianBethune What about the obvious problem: secondary schools are HUGE in comparison to primary. They go from the same classroom all the time Yr6 to moving constantly in yr7. How about more of a transition - yr7 classrooms and teachers being mobile (specialist rooms excepting)

@GRCCrazymummy @AdrianBethune Disagree with this. Kids are not all ‘at school’ at this age - some stay at a school environment but it’s still 6th form, some are at college. Many work. All the 16-18yr olds I know reject formal PE but play sports or go to the gym outside of school

@AdrianBethune Include sports for the 16 to 18 age bracket. Zero requirements post 16 to engage in any sports activity.

@peterrhague @AposematicHate Babies don’t need art materials, text books or subscriptions, tutors, buses, toiletries, musical instruments, costumes etc…

@peterrhague @AposematicHate Actually their physical needs differ but it can be argued that emotional needs increase as children get older. Why does it have to be either/or, more/less and a one size fits all approach. Babies are simple in comparison to teens

The UK should front load child benefit. You do not need an extra £20 a week to look after a 15 year old. You need a lot more than that to look after babies and toddlers. We need to make it a lot easier to have kids before our civilisation vanishes.

@peterrhague @AposematicHate Entirely depends on the teen and the area. Many businesses don’t hire teens and to be honest I’d rather mine spends time studying GCSEs or A levels

@AposematicHate But with a child that old you have a lot more time on your hands to earn money.

@TheVikingDane @AlexTheGuiri @Mislein There’s an advert at the moment by a supermarket (can’t recall which one) that less items … Drives me insane

@AlexTheGuiri @Mislein 😄😄😄

I might do a poll of the most irritating grammar or spelling "errors" ever..... Would the winner be: 1. "Should of" 2. Color, etc 3. Oxford comma 4. Split infinitives... Etc 🤔🤔🤔😂😂😂😂

@TheVikingDane My pet peeve is the yourself/myself vs me/i/you use. So many people thinking they sound either posh or educated by saying: ‘please send this to myself’ 😂😂

@MartinSLewis I have few objections to WhatsApp 121 messaging or groups with a few members directly known and close to the user. Larger groups eg parent WhatsApp groups=usually a nightmare. If parents can’t use these properly (and they usually struggle) then what hope is there for their kids?

@MartinSLewis Many social media platforms are 16+ and parents still let their kids have it. WhatsApp is a messaging service but crosses into the social media arena when group members aren’t all personally known to the user. Most adults don’t understand this.

Today's Poll: Do you support the UK banning social media for under 16s (& does this include What'sApp and similar social messaging platforms)? Which of these options is CLOSEST to your view

@DeborahGuina1 @Jan_Leeming And I think not all parents put in effort to provide non screen entertainment plus not all kids are entertained by things like writing and colouring.

@Jan_Leeming I would say it’s more because it’s not natural for children to sit around the table for 2 hours drinking and debating the state of the world

Just had a thought. The reason why English children don’t behave well in restaurants is possibly because so many families do not sit at a table to share a family meal as they do on the continent. There, from an early age they join in and aren’t given something to keep them quiet

@JohnPretty2o2o @MichelleDewbs Oh and you can be kind, it’s not a crime to be kind. I’d rather be this way than punishing innocent kids, keeping them locked in a life of poverty and a pattern like this than be stingy and against feeding kids

@JohnPretty2o2o @MichelleDewbs Like I said, social leveller in case of hardship for any reason. And before you say you should be able to feed your kids, of course you should but sometimes stuff happens. Why punish the kids because some parents are struggling? How do we get those kids out of that poverty trap?

I too grew up in a working class family. I was one of 6 & we often struggled to have enough food go around. My parents never saw it as the schools job to give me breakfast tho. These days, there are food banks & charities popping up left right & centre and a welfare system bigger than grannies bloomers… If parents genuinely aren’t feeding their kids breakfast, they should be looked into. But no, instead it’s yet another parental responsibility that will be handed over to the state as we high-five ourselves and pretend it’s “free”. Sometimes I despair. And no, before some of you ask; I don’t think kids should starve… I simply think parents should be responsible for their own children. Old fashioned, I know 🤯

@worstall One of the main reasons they don’t pay it back is because of the interest charged. Even people paying substantial amounts each month find these payment outstripped by the interest rate

The interest rate on student loans is high because someone, somewhere, has to pay for all those loans never repaid and so written off. It's simply expensive to do this. Perhaps we should just have fewer people going to university, fewer universities, and so a cheaper system?