I had a really super day exploring this re-vamped and extended museum. It’s a shame that the old building needed a refurbishment, I loved it as it was. The new exhibition space and improved story of the history of working people is well thought out and engaging. The building isn’t quite finished and the loos are far too high - they don’t tell you that Beveridge was a Liberal but all in all – I look forward to taking my students!

I took a group of my students to the exhibition exploring marriage of different faiths and cultures across Manchester at the Cathedral this afternoon - local Mothers Union members had researched and put it together - it has been a huge piece of work for them - the students loved it - and were also able to talk with Mother’s Union creators, about it.  None of my students had ever visited the Cathedral before either; all thought the building very beautiful.  Students talked about their own faiths and marriage cultures too - it was really interesting, listening to them.  They also offered to write little thank you messages in the exibition visitor’s book, their words demonstrating their interest.  The exhibition is on just this week - where the Fire Window is and well worth a visit!  Thank you, Mother’s Union!

On the day that new statistics show the number of young people unemployed for more than six months has doubled in two years, Nick Clegg has announced our Lib Dem party’s plans using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - click this link -

These proposals would ensure that young people do not spend more than 90 days on Jobseekers Allowance before they get more training, education, an internship or a place on a work programme.

Today’s announcement forms the next step in our Liberal Democrats’ economic stimulus and job creation package. The plans will invest almost £900m in increasing the number of further education places, giving students financial support to return to college and creating a paid internship scheme.

Sitting looking out onto a greenish garden, after ages of snow, I wonder why the lids off the compost bin.  A job for next weekend will be clearing away debris and looking for signs of spring!  There’s little green shoots showing from the onion patch and the garlic appears okay.  Before wading in to pull things up – I’ll see what’ll recover first.  Today’s chores are weighing and bundling political messages ready for dispatch as well as finally rid my home of a leaflet I started to deliver when the snow came and I gave up skating up and down steps when I almost went through a glass door of somebody’s porch.

Much of this Sunday morning has been spent with the Observer.  As hubby left for a London bound train at 7am, I didn’t have to share and had time for a good read!  Reading reports and Twitter feeds about Haiti after moaning about icy pavements for days, I feel so guilty that we have homes, power, fresh water and our lives!  I was also a little perplexed about plans to distribute a new guide for fathers about their role and with advice about their partner’s pregnancy.  I agree with plans for helping Dads get their heads around how to give breast feeding support.  Separate Dad sessions for anti-natal classes so they can ask things they might not in front of pregnant partners is very necessary.   Why produce separate books for both parents to read?  We read things together and discussed/planned what we’d do – why treat both parents as individuals when patenting means together? 

So, more three year olds will be forced to use a pencil. The Government is not happy that our little boys achieve sufficiently. However, it’s great that there will be more training and support for childcare workers.  Children need to have much more fun as they learn, than recommended along with smaller groups and more space!

My boys used to draw huge chalk pictures on the pavement in our garden, dig huge holes to see if they could get to Australia, paint the fence with poster paints, peel carrots, bake, sing silly songs about what ever they needed to learn and go for long walks in the park. Learning was experiential and fun! My 6th Form students usually rave about primary school - its secondary school where they find fault. And it’s their spelling and grammar that I wrestle with, too.

However, too much forced learning and pencil-holding, too soon, in large groups IS NOT GOOD FOR CHILDREN!!!!! We need smaller classes all through primary and secondary!   There’s going to be more language learning support in primaries too.  But this needs coordination and planning.  Some of our local primaries have half or an hour of language input each week - but different primaries offer different languages and sometimes this is different to the language they then develop further at secondary school.  Learning needs to be interesting, motivational and where young people want to go to and enjoy learning!

Is where youth representatives of each of the six towns of Bury have an opportunity to explore, discuss and air views. Unfortunately attendance was not as expected after school this afternoon - possibly as schools are just going back and it’s been the second nice evening this summer! However, issues explored related to the closure and re-building of Radcliffe Riverside and Millwood Special Schools, a youth conference, issues relating to young people and work in their areas - especially lighting in parks so that ball-zone facilities can be used on winter evenings. Youth Parliament Reps also reported back on their work - great stuff on transport being explores such as their 50p bus fayre (something we’ve been campaigning for, too). Pity I had to leave early - now on route to another event (AGM and talk) - popped home for a cuppa and to open the post!

We leafleted lots of local resiudents to stage a “Save Heaton Park” protest and how you can help rally on Sunday - we’re worried about plans to create a large commercial sports centre on part of the park.

Over 150 local residents were joined by six of our local Councillors to make clear their opposition to the proposed Goals Soccer Centre which is planned to be built near the St Margaret’s Road entrance to Heaton Park. The message was clear: Save Heaton Park!

Cllr Tim Pickstone, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Holyrood ward, addressed the crowd. He said “More sports facilities are great, but this is in completely the wrong place. The park has been here for the people of north Manchester and Prestwich for over 100 years. It’s open parkland where people can play football, have a picnic, walk the dog or play in the sun. All of this will be lost forever if it is a £40 an hour soccer centre.”

St Margaret’s Road resident Paul Toner, who helped organise Sunday’s rally, said “None of us are opposed to sports facilities, but the impact of this development on the local area would be terrible - parking, traffic, illuminated pitches.”

Parks are common land for people to enjoy - Councils who think that they are free building plots need to htink again!

Tonight was a chance to get up to speed with curriculum development, the school’s self assessment processes and new policies. Governors at this sub-group were joined by other governors, teachers and parents for the annual meeting of the governing body with parents. I am always proud of parents who are able to juggle their own hectic lives in order to get back into school to find out what’s up and coming and discuss their concerns, too. Afterwards I was shown photos of the very first family bike-ride, last Sunday, (which I had hoped to attend but was in Plymouth doing end of uni year, ‘please pick up my stuff from my digs, but I’ll be staying on and not coming home, …. yet’). The bike ride attracted over fifty families – and is so important. If parents aren’t confident to take their children out on their bikes after school-based cycle safety classes – why do the classes? Clearly this was a fabulous event and needs nurturing and supporting.

Daytime, I work in a college. Today was a special preparation for university conference. I was delighted that all of my tutor group were in and actively engaged with exploring possibilities for their futures. We’ve also started their UCAS (university) application process (a very complex on-line form that will drive them bonkers before they finish it). Many of them have amazing plans for the future but so many are overwhelmed by the diversity of choices too – one student was focused on nursing but is now toying with occupational therapy or social work. Another is now focused on the police – another on something to do with ophthalmics, another medicine. We were talking about putting together their personal statements to sell themselves to their chosen university courses – one young man was explaining about a building in Malaysia with so much interest and passion for the structure and building materials as well as how the building fits with the landscape – I hope he gets to work on amazing great designs. I’d love to be able to give up work and have the opportunity to study full-time again - but you need to settle down and pay the bills sometime!

I spent a precious few hours at a local primary school, where I am on their governing body, the other day. It’s a welcoming place, where staff work exceptionally hard to enable the children to do really well. They also work hard to develop good relationships with their parents to encourage them to work together. The place is bright, welcoming and the younger children were well behaved and actively learning, using electronic write boards for their after-dinner phonics lessons. Older ones were having a fun-style sports afternoon with parents invited. It’s worrying to see schools where staff and children are doing well on tight budgets in very outdated buildings. I just wish I had a million or so to fund the re-build that they’d benefit from. What’s also a huge problem is that as access for physically disabled people is so poor, children end up being taken to another school – away from their friends. There is only a proportion of lower school that’s disabled friendly. Why do I mention this? There is one particularly cute little tot in the reception class ……with a walking frame …. the other children are really supportive of her …. it will be a great shame if she has to go and resettle into another school .. for all of the children.

Our lodger has returned to Spain to sit their Civil Service exams for prospective primary school teachers. Since last October, she’s been staying with us and working at two of our local primary schools as a Spanish language assistant whilst also improving her English. She’s been good company and we’re sorry to see her go - good luck Lady ‘C’! She’s been an asset when it comes to leafleting and envelope stuffing, too - thank you!

Her father and little brother came to stay and help her pack. I was interested to find out, from ‘Dad’, how our MPs expense scandals have been reported in Spain. He thought had this been about Italian, French or Spanish MPs then this would be expected, as people believe that there is corruption. But the amazement, that it has been British MPs has been particularly surprising to the Spanish press. Each day there have been further reports, as our reputation for fairness and transparency withered away. Where is the discussion about the damage to our international reputation in our press? I care – does anybody else? I’m also surprised that the reporting of the whole sorry mess abroad, hasn’t appeared in our papers newspapers or the ripple effect as our EU partners begin to look at their own MPs and their expense claims!

I really enjoyed Conference debates this year – so much work had been done to research and develop new policy documents which were fabulously presented in order for people to understand the why, what, how aspects of them. As my hubby was on a Conference Stand or in meetings, he managed to transfer his Voting Card over to me – so I got to vote for quality new policies to roll out to voters and get over the message that we have democratically developed party policy, we are able, trust worthy as well as hard working. Some of the debate speakers were amazing, with hugely diverse backgrounds spanning gender, cultural as well as social divides.

This is where I am a new school governor at a large, old but superb primary school. Although new bits and pieces have been added over the years, its pre-war classrooms are needing up-dating and we’re hopeful that we’ll get Government grants to do it. I offered to join a working group to draw together what’s needed to be able to make the school DDA compliant (barrier-free). Creative thinking will be important too, there will be a very tight budget. Doing a lot with a little will be important!

PROPOSALS from the Liberal Democrats for big improvements to schools and teaching will see around £11 million of extra cash for schools in Bury to boost the education and life chances of thousands of children.

Party Leader Nick Clegg and Shadow Secretary of State for Schools, David Laws MP, call for raising standards in all local schools; closing the gap between children from rich and poor families and ending the era of Government meddling in education.
Speaking about the proposals to a meeting of members and residents, Councillor Tim Pickstone, who leads the Lib Dems in Bury said: “There are a number of radical ideas to ensure all young people get the best start in life. The extra cash will make a real difference in our local schools. I am particularly pleased that funding is proposed to cut infant class sizes to private school levels of 15.”

As a teacher, I am too aware of how much time is wasted, getting children through hoops in order to achieve performance targets – which is very often different to children really learning and apply their skills (with enthusiasm for learning, too). These proposals will be debated at our party’s spring conference in Harrogate in March. It looks to be a positive and enthusiastic confernece in a super place, too. Perhaps this year I’ll also make the effort to find time to use the baths, too!

How was it for you?

We’ve enjoyed a super lazy day – Radio 4, walk in Heaton Park and coffee with much loved in-laws followed by ‘The Heroes of Telemark’ (Norwegian jumpers, good deeds and 2nd WW fighting) while the curry cooks. I was going to make a chocolate cake for my birthday tomorrow – but luckily there’s so much Christmas Cake and other stuff left to offer guests, I’m let off!!! The supermarket had champers for half price – a really special treat!

I’ve been reading the diaries of Nella Last over the holls – I’ve heard snippets of Housewife 49 but only came across the book at the Church Christmas Fayre. She is such an amazing Woman – just years older than me – I can only read a few diary extracts then need time to take it all in and think about it. It’s also filling me in with info of the time, bringing everything to life like never before - I’ve watched the TV. read biographies of important leaders, visited the Cabinet War Rooms, an amazing contrast! She reminds me of ‘Joan’ I forget the author (sorry), of the voices of the ordinary (but special people) through history.

Such a pity I have to go back to work on Monday and have lessons to plan. How lucky we are to live in a country at peace, with well-stocked shops! How many others don’t? We enjoy, in a small global village, when others don’t – so thinking cap back on, PASS GO – get on with it …

One of the presentations was by young carers, talking about their lives and how their support group is vital. Staff are looking to expand as well as find more young carers to help too. However two of the young people talking about their lives worried me. One is seventeen and cares for his Mum and two sisters; he had to give up his job to do it. Apart from the young carers group, they appeared to get no other forms of support. Another fifteen year old talked about caring for her two brothers – personal care for young men not able to feed or toilet themselves. As well as a brother older and younger than her, she helps support her Mum too. Something they said that they need more than anything, is understanding for when they are late at school or need to take a phone call as they are the main carer. We are failing these children, caring for their families more than the usual expectations I had for chores, of my youngsters. They need help to look after their families, too. This needs looking at!

It’s great to be involved with Park View Primary school again. I worked there many, many years ago and now I’m back as a school LEA governor. It’s really changed, buildings refurbished and governors are highly motivated and committed. I’m looking forward to my next four years (period of appointment), with them.

Have you had a letter telling you how to repay a student loan that you don’t have ? I’ve got one - and now I’ll have to take time out of busy work time to try and get to the Student Loan company on the phone to ask then what it’s all about! I’ve had my student loans and I’ve paid them all back yonks ago as well as having to ask for a refund as they took too much!

I’ve been on a teacher IB (International Baccalaureate) training course in Greece this week. Athens is a superb venue for a study week although hot and expensive. I couldn’t find much traditional Greek food and was shocked at the pot holed roads, pavements and graffiti! Our puffy ankles, dicey tum and mossie bites are recovering. It’s been a break from politics to study with five colleagues and almost 800 other teachers who are from and work in schools all over the world. The training course was superb and I’m full of ideas and new approaches as well as an international network of contacts for us to start organising trips and events with.

The highs were the teaching, ideas for next year, company, high winds of Greece which cooled our hillside classrooms and partly shielded us from the heat and a tour of ancient Athens (which cost me €50! but well worth it). The lows were the toilet facilities (holes in floor with cold water to wash with) and catering which caused many of us to be ill. Due to bad weather in Munich, our return flight connection was in doubt and we had minutes to get off one plane and run the concourse to our connection. Unfortunately many our colleagues didn’t make theirs to Milan, Birmingham and Colne and faced an overnight stay at the airport (Borris had been wishing that he hadn’t got to teach Fri morning but I don’t think he’d wished for this!). Back at Manchester we were amazed that in just twenty minutes from our plane landing, German efficiency had managed to transfer our luggage and we could take it away with us.