Category Archives: News

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(A)  School and college staff need resources or alternative arrangements for attendance, in order to cope and provide the necessary support to their students. Without such support, there will be long-term consequences.

We have become acutely aware of the stresses and strains felt this term by the staff and students in our schools and colleges.  There are reports of absence rates varying from 95% down to the low 80%.  Some staff and students have had difficulty getting tested when necessary. Many schools have a very large increase in the number of students with safeguarding issues, often with long-term effects making huge demands on the  pastoral teams that might not be sustainable through this academic year. This is in addition to the expected mental health needs.

(B)  We believe that the case for cancelling the examinations is increasing. Even if a vaccine is found, it will be administered too late to make up for the learning lost by so many students, especially (though not only) those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We are hearing increasing comments about examinations in 2021 bringing additional stress for staff and students, because  they will not be a fair assessment of performance of individual students. Many students will be disadvantaged by lack of learning this year and lack of proper preparation or inability to sit them.

The teacher unions’ joint statement before the start of term made sense. However, their proposals for assessment of those disadvantaged by the pandemic have not been adequately taken up by government. This week (9 November 2020), the EPI (Education Policy Institute) has published a report outlining what should happen, with some good suggestions. The National Tutoring programme is being implemented too slowly at too much cost to schools and we understand the National Mentoring programme is targeted by area rather than by estimated student needs in each school. The government cannot continue to claim that formal examinations are the fairest way to assess all students in the current circumstances.

We call for the government to prepare and publish a detailed strategy this term worked out in consultation with teacher representatives stating:

EXAMINATIONS CANCELLED, detailing a fair alternative assessment system; we suggest this be along the lines of teacher assessment including in-course assessments and a ‘mock exam’  directed by exam boards but flexibly marked by teachers as recommended by the EPI.

Nigel Jones

Chair, LDEA

(November 2020)

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In February 2018 we published this response to the Joint Local Plan Consultation, including our position on the plan to build housing on Keele Golf Course. It is still relevant, so we have posted it again here. We note that there has been no response from the council since then.

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I hope you are all well during these challenging times.

An update on what I am doing at the Council on your behalf.

I find it quite a stressful time at the Council as we continue to do most of our decision making via virtual meetings. It is really not the same as face to face contact, and it does mean debate is sometimes harder to do, because there is very little interaction between people. It is a lot more regimented. Most of the scrutiny committees are suspended, but Planning Committee and Licensing still happen via zoom, albeit on a reduced membership. There is a danger that those who were elected to the committee but not chosen to attend feel isolated . I attend both at the moment but my colleague June cannot attend either by Zoom. I feel very strongly that the Council needs to look at ways we can resume some face to face meetings in September. It is my wish as Vice Chair of Planning that this is one of the first meetings to return to some sort of normality safely. Most officers work from home at the moment but again I am hopeful that a reduced number will return to the office on a rota basis shortly.

Some brief items

1. Full Council meetings in May and July were cancelled, however by law we have to hold our Annual Council meeting in September. We are looking at a venue which will hold all the Councillors in one room at a safe distance. Our biggest room is still not in use due to ongoing repairs. Quite appalling that a new building should need to put rooms out of service for long periods. I am constantly asking when they will be put back into use and constantly told it is imminent! One of the problems is a ventilation issue, but there are others. As a last resort we may have to have some attending in person and some by zoom, I would be very unhappy if that was the case, as there would be an imbalance between those in the room and those on zoom. It is at the Sept Council meeting we elect our Mayor, and Councillors to sit on our various committee meetings. I am expecting quite a reduction in Liberal Democrat places on committees due to the resignation of Ian Wilkes during the year. We are no longer an official group now, I am quite surprised that places on committees have not been taken off us already… this is their opportunity!
2. Despite us not being a group officially, I am very much involved in the group leaders meetings which happen on a regular basis during lockdown. It does seem it is this group of 4 who have made the decisions about lockdown. I find it quite time consuming and quite a responsibility. It does keep the Liberal Democrats in the front line of decision making however. Although the Tory Cabinet are still the policy makers.
3. The hard work of appointing senior staff into posts due to vacancies is now showing its rewards, despite lockdown. The separation of planning from business development is making a significant impact now. Shawn Fleet as Head of Planning has really turned round that department. A significant amount of work has taken place re enforcement control, with every planning officer involved. The new white paper draft recently published will also be the biggest change in how planning decisions are made since the 1940’s. Some very big changes on the horizons there as to how we can work within the framework set. Some of you will have been following in the Sentinel how town centre development is changing under the direction of Simon McEmery. Merrial Street will look very different if these plans come into place, and there are plans to better link in that area to the Ironmarket. One of the areas I am watching the space on, is how the many student accommodation blocks are filled, now students are not able to take up their university places in the immediate future. Already some developers are wanting to change their guidelines. However some developments were given permission based on student needs of not wanting car parking! Very different if the guidelines are changed to accommodate other sections of the community.
4. Many of you will have been affected by the Walley’s quarry odour issue in Thistleberry, but it does affect surrounding areas also. The traffic routes to and from the quarry are also under review as is the amount of tonnage allowed into the quarry. Is it better to increase the tonnage and get it over with or keep to what we have? I am part of another task and finish group looking at how we can improve the situation. It is a difficult solution because the operators are working within the law. It is government law which needs changing! However there is work to be done with regard to highway issues. Our MP has raised the odour and management issues in Parliament but a change in legislation will be too late to help in this instance. Might help another problem in the future should we manage to change the law.
5. The Council is heading for a substantial deficit in income due to the money spent on Covid-19 law and loss of income. The Conservative administration are keeping the figure very close to their chest but all will be revealed soon. There is a very sickening trend emerging, where the Tories blow their own trumpet continually and tell the rest how successful they are in everything and how they have improved the Borough so much. They use their chairs of committees to ask the question they want to give us information on. The Labour group do seem very quiet and do not put up the opposition they should be doing at meetings.

I hope this gives you a flavour. Do contact me with your questions.

Marion Reddish

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For the forthcoming GCSE results, we are pleased to see that government  is likely to use teacher assessments of each student’s grade; they should then allow individual students to appeal if necessary. Teachers know their students and assess their grades on the basis of mock exams, a student’s previous performance and their current circumstances.  These matters cannot all be individually assessed by a computer algorithm.

The colleges and employers to whom the students move on are perfectly capable of understanding the current exceptional circumstances. We believe also that students will need more support than normal as they start their new course of study and work.

Liberal Democrats believe the whole system needs to change to one in which tests and exams first and foremost serve the learning and progress of each student, not the overall performance of a school.

We also believe the system of GCSE assessment at age 16 needs to be replaced.  It is no longer the definitive stage from which students move out of education or training and a much more local and less expensive system needs to be in place.

Nigel Jones

17 August 2020

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