Ofsted Chairman 'should Not Resign' Over Isle Of Wight Comments

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-36995875

I am surprised that there has not been more comment about this on AB !

I don't live on the IOW, nor have I ever visited, so I'm not sure if any of this can be true. Would there have been so much fuss if he was talking about Norfolk ?

[ToraToraTora]

he should not resign, he is entitled to his bigotted opinion. No I do not live on or originate from the IOW

[Peter Pedant]

or Clovelly and Lundy Island

Here is my sister - who is also my wife ......

[Baldric]

Your Sister is your Mother,
Your Father is your Brother,
You all l*ve together,
The Norwich Family.

[fiction-factory]

I would have guessed that The Isle of White had above average schools and none of the problems of inner city comprehensives but it seems the Isle's schools have had a lot of problems. It was a silly thing to say but I can see how people make such comments when under pressure in front of an audience and perhaps trying too hard to be humorous

[mikey4444]

He said ...." there is a mass of crime, drug problems, huge unemployment."

As I said, my knowledge of the IOW is very limited, but is the above true ?

[david small]

I live on the Isle of Wight. No it is not true. Crime is comparable to most towns on the mainland, though generally of a less serious nature. Drugs, again comparable to mainland, but certainly not swamped. Schooling unfortunately is not up to the requirements needed. There are some very good private establishments, and certain schools try very hard. But generally education here is substandard in my opinion. Unemployment is a problem, and has been for many years. I speak after living here for 45 years.

[New Judge]

"But generally education here is substandard in my opinion."

And no more so than many places on the mainland.

[jourdain2]

There are pockets of underachievement everywhere and quite a few of these have local inbreeding as a problem. I could name 3 that I know of - one of these was in a town at the end of a long, narrow valley. He shouldn't resign, we have to face problems and this does exist.

In France I knew of a few families who bought houses in little hamlets - and fled a couple of years later because of the same problem with the people there. Huge amounts of handicapped people - it was pitiable some days to go round the local supermarkets. French friends explained the inbreeding to me and how it was 'much better nearer the coast because you got incomers'.

I'm just saying what I know and what I was told by local people. I don't know the Isle of Wight, but I can imagine that there may be pockets there. Fortunately it is well accessed by the general population.

[piggynose]

truth hurts

[Khandro]

jourdain; There seems to be much evidence that 'inbreeding' producing cretins, is a bit of a myth, brought about by social mores rather than scientific evidence.
The reason you find occasional subnormal types in remote French villages is perhaps due to alcoholism among an already mentally substandard cohort, though other factors might prevail. I too have lived in remote French villages.

[Mamyalynne]

Interesting article re Education on IOW here from 2014.


http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21594986-bad-schools-and-low-aspirations-used-be-inner-city-problems-not-any-more-island-mentality

[EDDIE51]

^^ That link tells us that there really is a serious problem with schools in the Isle of Wight, the Ofsted chair has a valid point.
The GCSE pass rate of pupils in the IoW is significantly lower than anywhere else in the UK ! Previous 'blackspots' like the inner London boroughs are now far better than the IoW .
He made an error of judgement but he should not resign, something needs to be done urgently to reverse the downward trend in IoW schools.