Yes, its a long headline, but it needs saying.
Patrick Snowball, the Chief Executive of Norwich Union spoke in Norwich about how education was letting children down.
The EDP reports that he "launched an astonishing attack on Britain's education system yesterday - calling for the return of competitive sports days and the egg-and-spoon race to help prepare pupils for the world of work."
Just how out of touch is Mr Snowball ? I am in my seventh year of teaching and at every school that I have worked there have been competitive sports, competitions, and an encouragement for children to work co-operatively in team events also.
Mr Snowball's comments smack of someone who knows nothing about what what is going on in the education system and he seems to have his head stuck in the mid 80's when there was a move away from competitive sports, which has long been reversed.
Its funny how also how Norwich Union can lecture the education system on not turning out people who able to work for Norwich Union when Norwich Union themselves are sacking highly trained workers, already trained to work for them, to replace them with battery farm workers in India ,employed under worse terms, for lower wages and without the legal shackles of financial services regulations that protect customers.
As one Norfolk headteacher puts it in the EDP article,
“It strikes me that NU are under pressure for cutting jobs locally and are looking for something to blame. His comments also show a lack of knowledge of what is going on in schools. We've been running egg and spoon races for some time.”
Perhaps Mr Snowball should visit a school sports day in the summer with some of the hundreds of sacked Norwich Union workers. I guess Norwich Union would see it as giving extra time for parents to be with their children.
Patrick Snowball, the Chief Executive of Norwich Union spoke in Norwich about how education was letting children down.
The EDP reports that he "launched an astonishing attack on Britain's education system yesterday - calling for the return of competitive sports days and the egg-and-spoon race to help prepare pupils for the world of work."
Just how out of touch is Mr Snowball ? I am in my seventh year of teaching and at every school that I have worked there have been competitive sports, competitions, and an encouragement for children to work co-operatively in team events also.
Mr Snowball's comments smack of someone who knows nothing about what what is going on in the education system and he seems to have his head stuck in the mid 80's when there was a move away from competitive sports, which has long been reversed.
Its funny how also how Norwich Union can lecture the education system on not turning out people who able to work for Norwich Union when Norwich Union themselves are sacking highly trained workers, already trained to work for them, to replace them with battery farm workers in India ,employed under worse terms, for lower wages and without the legal shackles of financial services regulations that protect customers.
As one Norfolk headteacher puts it in the EDP article,
“It strikes me that NU are under pressure for cutting jobs locally and are looking for something to blame. His comments also show a lack of knowledge of what is going on in schools. We've been running egg and spoon races for some time.”
Perhaps Mr Snowball should visit a school sports day in the summer with some of the hundreds of sacked Norwich Union workers. I guess Norwich Union would see it as giving extra time for parents to be with their children.
Lessons for education from the likes of Norwich Union are things we could do without. I have worked for Norwich Union and believe me, there is nothing we can learn from them !
2 comments:
The Irony is that Notre Dame High School is 50 metres away from him in Surrey Street. John Pinnington (the Head, and one of the edp letter signees)would be glad to show him the English and Mathematics standards that Notre Dame achieves.
Notre Dame is the No1 Voluntary Aided state school in Norwich, a Teacher Training Centre, Science, Eco School, Beacon School and Language Status College. Just 2 minutes walk away. My advice to Mr Snowball, go to John Pinninton for a school visit, look though the cirriculum, talk to the pubils and observe several Maths and English lessons.
Also get Notre Dames Yr 10s and Six Formers involved in Work Experience at NU to get a feel for the work skills required. If he can't be bothered with a 2 minute walk to Notre Dame, I can't really see the Educational point Mr Snowball wishes to solve, other than bashing the confidence of hard working schools, teachers and pupils.
Typical NU drivel. I worked for them. All corporate geek speak these days and no substance at all.
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