The Student Room Group

Michael Gove axed as Education Secretary

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He'll have an enhanced role in campaigning and doing broadcast media interviews.


:rofl: Could there be a worse role possible for Gove?
I thought Gove was doing really well. He recognised british education systems are behind compared to the likes of china and India and all he was try to do was bring about reforms that would make British systems just as rigourous as international counterparts.

Now he's gone our education system will remain the hot mess it was. I did my exams in may, i barely remember what i learnt in the course that i did just like most people. Our current secondary education systems place a lot of emphasis on memorizing, not much emphasis on consolidating our understanding of a subject so that we can still remember and use the knowledge we have well beyond our exams.
Original post by anonymouspie227
How old are you?

edit: did you experience this rigorous education you're talking about?


1. I've just graduated from university and planning to go into the university sector
2. I'm talking from what my mum has said and from the fact that after having a fairly long discussion with my lecturer, he said the maths syllabus for example had content taken out to make it more accessible.
3. Do not treat me like I'm some 15 year old whop doesn't know what they are talking about.
Reply 23
Original post by TheTranshumanist
I doubt this will really change anything in terms of the Tory's approach to educational reform.


Indeed, now things have started on the reforms nothing much is going to stop them. I guess we can still hold out hope that free schools might get the axe at some point, but GCSE/A-level changes are basically set in stone now.

Original post by CocoaPowder
Our current secondary education systems place a lot of emphasis on memorizing, not much emphasis on consolidating our understanding of a subject so that we can still remember and use the knowledge we have well beyond our exams.


Gove's policy was to get rid of coursework in favour of more exams. And also to get rid of intermediary exams and resits meaning the whole revision process will be more concentrated than ever.
So happy he is gone
He's been unless and far too keen in causing controversy, bringing bullying special advisors and ignoring the advice of education professionals and experts.
Original post by danconway
Strange. He's been doing (good-ish?) work in GCSE / A level reform. I suppose he initiated the change - there's not much left for him to do. Also, when Michael Gove and Theresa May argue, May will always come off best. That dispute didn't do him any favours.
no way. His GCSE and alevel changes were mostly not good. The limited and resctrictive curriculums he brought in, the rushed time scales of rolling them out, the continuous changes to 'league tables'. It's all lead to chaos with no one sure whether the new qualifications being introduced are going to be any good.

Gove was, underneath it all, a control freak who ignored anyone why disagreed with him, causing untold damage to our education system.

It's just a shame the PM has taken over 4 years to remove Gove...even now he's not strong enough to totally remove him from Government.
Original post by CocoaPowder
I thought Gove was doing really well. He recognised british education systems are behind compared to the likes of china and India and all he was try to do was bring about reforms that would make British systems just as rigourous as international counterparts.

Now he's gone our education system will remain the hot mess it was. I did my exams in may, i barely remember what i learnt in the course that i did just like most people. Our current secondary education systems place a lot of emphasis on memorizing, not much emphasis on consolidating our understanding of a subject so that we can still remember and use the knowledge we have well beyond our exams.

If those are your concerns about our education system, then Gove really was the wrong person for you. His massive overhaul of the history curriculum for example was reducing it to a list of facts, rather than understanding and interpretation. In maths he has prescribed that people can be marked down for using 'inefficient' methods for long multiplication. Looking at what he classed as 'inefficient' we're mostly more modern techniques which aim to explain to the child why they are doing things to understand the process. 'Efficient' techniques are basically the ideas of carrying a one over to the next column and things like that - all you need to do is follow rules and and can get the right answer without any understanding of what you're doing. So really, Gove was trying to reverse understanding a subject and increase the learning and memorising of facts and methods.

Of course, he never said it like this, but the reality is, he was taking our education system backwards.
Original post by RK
If those are your concerns about our education system, then Gove really was the wrong person for you. His massive overhaul of the history curriculum for example was reducing it to a list of facts, rather than understanding and interpretation. In maths he has prescribed that people can be marked down for using 'inefficient' methods for long multiplication. Looking at what he classed as 'inefficient' we're mostly more modern techniques which aim to explain to the child why they are doing things to understand the process. 'Efficient' techniques are basically the ideas of carrying a one over to the next column and things like that - all you need to do is follow rules and and can get the right answer without any understanding of what you're doing. So really, Gove was trying to reverse understanding a subject and increase the learning and memorising of facts and methods.

Of course, he never said it like this, but the reality is, he was taking our education system backwards.

PRSOM
Thank ****! But would have been better if he wasn't even an MP
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 28
Original post by CocoaPowder
I thought Gove was doing really well. He recognised british education systems are behind compared to the likes of china and India and all he was try to do was bring about reforms that would make British systems just as rigourous as international counterparts.

Now he's gone our education system will remain the hot mess it was. I did my exams in may, i barely remember what i learnt in the course that i did just like most people. Our current secondary education systems place a lot of emphasis on memorizing, not much emphasis on consolidating our understanding of a subject so that we can still remember and use the knowledge we have well beyond our exams.

I disagree with you. Gove was merely interested in implementing conservative values a system where students of all backgrounds were flourishing. All this talk about putting the UK in line with China and India are a myth.

However, I do agree with your latter point and that is why I think he has done nothing to improve the education system. Several years ago, students would have tried to take on board what they learned, rather than just memorizing. This year I did my exams in June and it was all about memorising. Memorizing a lot of information doesn't help you to use the knowledge in the future. I couldn't remember everything that I revised for when I sat my exams and I speak for a majority of students.

The imminent introduction of having exams at the end of the two years of A levels is complete and utter *******. A levels have adapted so much to AS in January and A2 in june that the changes will be a complete disaster. They are A levels not International Baccalaureates.

I believe that Gove has indeed ruined our education system and something needs to be done immediately before more damage is done.
Reply 29
Thank god. I disagreed with pretty much all of Gove's reforms, but who knows what magic this Morgan woman will come up with. :rolleyes: I doubt much will change re: policies.

This reshuffle is naturally, for the most part, going to be just trying to butter up voters before next year. This looks like a drastic move but it isn't really...
Original post by BWCW
Thank god. I disagreed with pretty much all of Gove's reforms, but who knows what magic this Morgan woman will come up with. :rolleyes: I doubt much will change re: policies.

This reshuffle is naturally, for the most part, going to be just trying to butter up voters before next year. This looks like a drastic move but it isn't really...

Indeed. Let's hope it isn't a case of better the devil you know....
This is the best birthday present ever.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
Indeed. Let's hope it isn't a case of better the devil you know....


I am just hoping that things will slow down for a bit now - the pace of change was becoming (or probably had already become) unsustainable.
Original post by Jantaculum
I am just hoping that things will slow down for a bit now - the pace of change was becoming (or probably had already become) unsustainable.

Indeed so. There is a theory of management called 'disruptive innovation.' I think we've been seeing quite a lot lately. I am glad to be getting out of the job, because it's clear to me that virtually nothing is being done from a basis of what is good for education/children and it's pretty much all for the sake of making a name for the politician so s/he can climb the greasy pole. Really hope it's backfired this time.
Reply 34
So will the reforms still be pulled through if the new secretary doesn't agree with them..?
I really hope that she reverses the decision to remove american novels from gcse english reading lists. that was arguably the worst thing that Gove ever did.
Original post by zedaa
So will the reforms still be pulled through if the new secretary doesn't agree with them..?

I imagine so. Schools are already starting to implement them, or take the decisions which need to be taken in order to do so. It's too late now. Besides, I imagine the new person won't disagree. It'll just be a question of putting a slightly less abrasive outer coating on them.
Good news :smile:
So Gove has been promoted to Chief Whip and will be "Call me Dave's" chief gopher in the run up to next years General Election and as such he will have an enhanced role in campaigning and doing broadcast media interviews. Doesn't Dave realise that Gove comes across as a smug dickhead?
As much as I hate Gove because he's really stupid and all he's done is **** on things, it's even worse that his successor only got the job because she's a woman.

Ironically it's ****ing sexist. She doesn't even have any experience in education.

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