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The article is pretty trolling with it's wider commentary about political placemen. If anything one of the problems the current government has is that it hasn't

by cmdkeen 13y ago

The article is pretty trolling with it's wider commentary about political placemen. If anything one of the problems the current government has is that it hasn't been placing those sympathetic to their agenda in wider society. Gove is currently in trouble because he isn't renewing the contract of someone he initially appointed. She happens to be a former Labour politician. I'd be far happier if the technically minded politicians were those holding schemes like this to account rather than running them. Running a scheme like this involves lots of skills, none of them technical. She isn't writing the curriculum, she's navigating it through the corridors of power and dealing with all the vested interests for and against it.

lil_cain 13y ago
She does have to understand what's involved in the curriculum though. And claiming that teachers can learn to program in a day shows that she doesn't have that.
lyso 13y ago
>she's navigating it through the corridors of power and dealing with all the vested interests for and against it. Yes, but she doesn't seem to know what "it" is.
Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
Agreed that she doesn't need to be able to code herself (though if you claim that you can learn it in a day then there is a valid question "why didn't you") but one of the things that is part of her job is promoting the programme in a positive way and based on this interview it's hard to say she's doing that. In terms of the government placing people sympathetic to it's agenda in wider society, the role you talk about (the Oftsted role) isn't meant to be a political role. The head of Ofsted is answerable to whatever party is in power but isn't part of the government in a party political way. If you don't do that you end up changing large swathes of the government every five years or more (it's not like governments don't change tack mid parliament) which isn't in anyone's interest. These roles should be on competence rather than political vision.
fauigerzigerk 13y ago
Knowing how long it takes to learn something doesn't require technical skills. Someone in the corridors of power might ask her what the scheme costs, what the staffing requirements are or why employers can't teach those skills on the job if it takes just a day.
alistairSH 13y ago
"Running a scheme like this involves lots of skills, none of them technical." While I agree that this statement is correct, I would suggest that one skill that is required is the ability to use Google. She really should spend a few hours learning something, anything, about the subject matter she is expected to represent in the corridors of power. She obviously has failed to do that.

by cmdkeen 13y ago

lil_cain 13y ago

She does have to understand what's involved in the curriculum though. And claiming that teachers can learn to program in a day shows that she doesn't have that.

lyso 13y ago

>she's navigating it through the corridors of power and dealing with all the vested interests for and against it. Yes, but she doesn't seem to know what "it" is.

Tyrannosaurs 13y ago

Agreed that she doesn't need to be able to code herself (though if you claim that you can learn it in a day then there is a valid question "why didn't you") but one of the things that is part of her job is promoting the programme in a positive way and based on this interview it's hard to say she's doing that. In terms of the government placing people sympathetic to it's agenda in wider society, the role you talk about (the Oftsted role) isn't meant to be a political role. The head of Ofsted is answerable to whatever party is in power but isn't part of the government in a party political way. If you don't do that you end up changing large swathes of the government every five years or more (it's not like governments don't change tack mid parliament) which isn't in anyone's interest. These roles should be on competence rather than political vision.

fauigerzigerk 13y ago

Knowing how long it takes to learn something doesn't require technical skills. Someone in the corridors of power might ask her what the scheme costs, what the staffing requirements are or why employers can't teach those skills on the job if it takes just a day.

alistairSH 13y ago

"Running a scheme like this involves lots of skills, none of them technical." While I agree that this statement is correct, I would suggest that one skill that is required is the ability to use Google. She really should spend a few hours learning something, anything, about the subject matter she is expected to represent in the corridors of power. She obviously has failed to do that.