Ed Waller

Vas Vassiliou (604)

James Turner (581)

Dan Lyndon (570)

Gary Loughran (570)

Alex Davies (562)

John Simkin (554)

Ben Turner (553)

Paul Cockerham (547)

Ed Waller (494)

Dafydd Humphres (453)

Positively racing up the table...

Can't see Spurs doing that in the near future... Ramos and Poyet for Newcastle? Odds of 45/1, just like their favourite formation??

What is the difference between Spurs and a cocktail stick? A cocktail stick has got two points.

We are now very much like a cocktail stick... 2 points with limited nourishment potential!

League after two games. It seems Ed has too many Spurs players in his team.

I fear this is true.. well one too many anyway, who has now departed my team...

Now I've replaced him, he's bound to score a hat-trick, make 100 tackles and blocks, successfully deliver 50 crosses...

And whether this is in my dreams or his dreams is a matter of debate!

I think Dawson is better than Ferdinand. I don't think Ferdinand is very keen on living in the North East or being managed by Roy Keane. Maybe Keane can do for Anton what Ferguson did for Rio?

But without the drugs tests...?

And you must have a very low opinion of him if you think Dawson is better! Marking ability of an octogenarian with zimmer frame.

Some of the newspapers today are suggesting that Spurs will be buying Anton Ferdinand. What is your opinion on Ferdinand?

Well, as he appears to have gone to Sunderland...

Hadn't been that impressed, but has seemed competent, although to say he's an improvement on Dawson, or some of our other defensive players isn't necessarily a lot of praise...

It looks as though Berba could end up in Spurs' reserves I'm sure he'll be focused enough to do well there!!

I was disappointed to see the number of athletes 'flying flags of convenience' having formerly competed for a different nation.

Are we to expect, as part of the move from amateurism to shamateurism to professionalism in olympic sports, the burgeoning of competitors making sound economic judgements and moving to countries who will pay them most and/or provide best facilities?

If I was you I would transfer Berbatov. He will not perform while he wants to get away. I am not sure that he will end up at Manchester United either.

When I picked the b******, it seemed a move to Manyoo was hours if not minutes away... And i felt that Tevez and Berba would make a good combo while Rooney was injured and/or suspended, and when Manyoo decided to go three up front!

Best laid plans and football... not necessarily a good mix.

I'd like to apologise to all the fans for the poor start Inter have made to the season.

You see, being a Spurs fan (masochist) it's just the way we have to start these days...

But I'm sure we still have the potential to break into the to 4...

Mr Walker seems to be hedging bets until the very last!

Internationale Milton have joined the Forum League.

In time-honoured tradition, the squad is announced here:

Keeper Almunia Arsenal 6.4

Keeper Cavalieri Liverpool 3.9

Def S Campbell Portsmouth 4.8

Def P Senderos Arsenal 5

Def J O'Shea Manyoo 4.4

Def G Bale Tottenham 5.1

Def J Terry Chelsea 9.1

Def-Mid V Diaby Arsenal 6.4

Def-Mid J Mascherano Liverpool 8.3

Mid Bentley Blackburn 7.7

Mid Modric Tottenham 7.2

Mid Giggs Manyoo 6.5

For Tevez Manyoo 9.7

For Berbatov Tottenham 9

For D Kuyt Liverpool 6.3

Initial subs (3-2-3-2) Cavaleri, O'Shea, Cambell, Kuyt.

Player Value £99.8

Colours (as Inter) Blue/Black Stripes, Black, Black.

Home Venue: Sands Here No Stadium, Southsea.

"In the weeks before the 1950 budget, further pressure was applied on the Cabinet by their civil service advisers. Morrison was advised that 'unless the Government can show that it knows how to adopt a pace of development of the Health Service which the national economy can bear, something will have to go before long'. The Treasury had come to the conclusion that the economy was overloaded, and that by elimination, the only avenue open to substantial economies was the health service. This analysis came a year after supplementary estimates totalling £50 million were expected in health. Supplementary expenditures on the defence budget for that year were £62 million."

From my PhD...

When the choice is welfare or warfare, there really never has been much of a contest. In 1950s Britain the choice was to fight CP or TB. There was only one the elites really cared about defeating.

I met Richard Jones-Nerzic in Heerlen when attending an E-Help event as an associate. His reputation as an outstanding teacher was very much confirmed at the event.

My own students regularly look in awe at the dv work of Richard's students. The comments made on this thread by former students I can fully understand, and, as has been said before, are an eloquent testimony to his work with young people.

Having read the information here and in similar places, the IST appears to have made a foolish decision at best, and likely a malicious and/or mendacious choice.

It would be understandable for Airbus to try to reduce costs given its current state. However what seems to amount to an attack on the education of its employees' offspring is indeed the unacceptable face of capitalism. An attack today on the education of employees' offspring will only be the start of a longer process of eroding staff benefits. All Airbus employees should be concerned at this action.

The silence of Airbus, in the person of Les Albiston of IST, is an indictment of the treatment meted out to Richard. As a Trade Union representative in the UK, I would urge all members of Trade Unions associated with Airbus and IST to show that it is unacceptable to treat Trade Unionists in what appears to be this callous and cavalier way.

Dr Ed Waller

David Cameron said earlier this week that if the Conservatives gain power they would insist that all pupils aged 14-16 take history and a modern language. History at key stage 4 was originally ditched by the Conservatives when in government, modern languages by Labour.

Is it a good idea to make these subjects compulsory? Is it possible that students in history and modern languages are more motivated because it was their choice to study the subject?

Arguably those who enjoy it and chose would still enjoy it and be motivated were it compulsory. If Cameron and co think their idea through they will see that the costs of such a move (financial and within the education agendas of citizenship, pshe, work-related learning et al) would in all likelihood be prohibitive.

Still, there's no reason to suspect any politician would really think it through.

It's worth teaching RS (and the idea of creationism within that) as a means to broaden understanding of faith. From that we might (stress might) develop tolerance of difference.

If you want to change education with a financial or fiscal measure, remove charitable status from public schools, and let them run as the businesses they really are. Divert the funds given back to them to the state school system.

I thought I would start a thread that would allow the Aussies to take the mickey out of us.

What is your prediction?

1) They (aussies in general) will sledge us (poms in general) mercilessly.

2) They (aussie cricketers) will beat us (pom cricketers) several to few. I'd say by 2 clear (2-0, 3-1)

The Dutch government embraces the idea of a History canon.

Or simply:"what every citizen in the Netherlands should know about Dutch History". How far can governments go to prescribe the facts of History? Or is it a good thing to start a debate on what's really important? How's the situation in GB, F, D, E, I?

Since its initial design in the 1980s the GB national curriculum (NC) has tried to promote a 'preferred view' of (British) history. In broad terms we have to teach Britain 1066-1900, a 'european study' before 1914, and a world study (a )before and (b )after 1900. The preferred view is of 'Great' Britain and a few 'great' Britons.

Of course the idea of teaching a 'fact-based' history curriculum in the 21st century is odd given the way the subject has developed. Within the broad remit noted above it is possible (even including the 'facts' that the right wing politicians who designed it wanted included) to give an entirely alternative view to the 'preferred' version. Naturally, those of inclined to do so tend to pick and choose the moments and eras and events to provide 'other' versions.

You can see /@id=3301&POS[@stateId_eq_note]/@id=3301]the GB version via that link.

I'd be quite surprised to find a school that didn't mention Slavery somewhere in its SoW, without it being 'compulsory', especially as the politics hacks who run parliament are desparately trying to bring it back in education!

Just to buck the trend of the above (although can relate to 'because nobody else wanted to do it'), I recently didn't get an SMT job at my school and my observations came up 50% outstanding and 50% Good with outstanding elements.

I know of a member of SMT is a member of NUT and an excellent teacher and similarly very good manager, ie not one who is a bully or 'unpleasant' like John's foreman.

And I know somebody else who is a rubbish teacher and never been within 20 miles of being a member of a union was given a Deputy Headship this year.

Quite so. however I have become however rather disillusioned with the NUT - especially how pathetically meek they were over TLRs....... my hopes aren't high

Mine neither, to be honest, although am pleased about strikes recently reported in certain areas of the press. However, NASUWT position on these things deserve the soubriquet "patheticissimo"... Must have a meeting of NUT school sub-branch....

5.8 Reviewers are responsible for ensuring rigour when objectives are set. Objectives should focus on priorities. They should be time bound, challenging but achievable, and reflect the need for a satisfactory work/life balance. A reviewee’s objectives should reflect any relevant team, year or whole school objectives.

See also ‘RIGOR’ as in mortis

Performance target, work/life balance: I got outstandingly drunk on 11 occasions, threw up on 5 others and made a reasonable start on the 3-part drinking session a number of other times.

There will be three hours of classroom observation for performance management

OOOh goody… According to a recent inset, there should be a meeting before an observation to discuss what is being looked for, and another meeting after for review. Consequently every observation will cost five cover lessons. I think we can guarantee people will be up to the 38 hour maximum in no time!

It might be more than 3 hours – Heads and Senior Managers can still “drop-in”!

Do what I do, stop teaching and engage them in conversation. “Oh, Hi, XXXXXX, was there anything in particular I could help you with?”

The Headteacher can still step in to overrule line managers’ decisions.

Christmas is cancelled! But my friends and I are having a piss-up on the proceeds of the Perf Management savings.

Don't you just love the Labour party? Not to mention the RIG unions...

West Ham have not won a game since their mysterious foreign imports arrived. What conclusions can be drawn from this?

I'm sure there's a conspiracy theory out there somewhere to do with MSI driving down the price of West Ham...

Perhaps there's the chance of BOGOF with a deal for the equally rubbish Spurs

The title should have read "New". Ooops

But I think "ew" as a negative response akin to distaste isn't a bad second to "New".

I'm led to believe that our 'friends' in RIG unions, following their success in bidding down teachers' pay through TLRs, are 'on board' with this idea of more robust Performance-Related Pay (PRP).

Does anyone think that secretly the Labour Heirarchy is trying to promote the NUT (and similar less compliant unions) as a means to promote socialist revolution, and that the Left has misunderstood the Blair project all this time?

Sounds like a half baked market "solution"

Do you really think it was baked this much?

'Pupil Premium'... as if education needs another set of sound bites! And when did a sound bite ever do any good (although I'm discounting the sound of the biting off of a few heads!)

A better solution would be to insist that local children go to the properly funded local authority controlled local comprehensive and that competition between such schools be outlawed.

Here here... A good local school for every child would make selection a nonsense, ease a lot of 'school run' traffic and be of benefit to the community.

Very much into John's idea of closing the 'Public' school system. Apart from the obvious joy of such a two-finger-salute to privilege, it should give the richer sections of society an interest in getting state education right, and that migh end some meddling.

It happens to me all the time. I am also aware it happens to others and whenever I see double posts I delete the second posting.

Probably a task best not undertaken after the third bottle of wine....

I heard a woman being interviewed on the radio who had set up a shop selling cheap versions of school uniforms. She claimed that local schools had put her under pressure to close down. Apparently, they were getting some sort of rake-off from the shop who had been given the right to sell expensive uniforms.

In a land where education is undervalued and thus underfunded, I can understand that schools would want to maximise income opportunities. When resources become scarce, behaviour becomes ever less genteel.