Looks like
lifeistooshort is a dyed in the wool rabid Daily Mail reader and disappointed that he can't get the national diatribe version up here ... ho hum.
Of course there are areas in Scotland where there is bigotry and racism .. just like the rest of the UK. That can be England, Wales, or look across the sea to Northern Ireland as well and I'm sure you could say exactly the same if you moved to certain areas, based on your accent or religion. Not too long ago though, there the consequences could be a little bit more harsh than bullying in NI, don't you think
lifeistooshort ?? I've had the old 'sweaty jock' routine whilst down in England, but hey, I laugh it off and get on with things. Or give as good as I get. 'Life is too short' to do otherwise.
The guys and girls who had to move to Swanwick might technically only be making a 70 mile move, but how many of them actually lived in West Drayton do you think ?? Many more lived far away from that green and pleasant place. The fact is that whether you move 10 miles or 1000 miles, your lifestyle will generally go through some changes. If you don't want to make the change, don't make the move and do something else in your life. Interestingly, the Appeal Courts have now laid down a judgement on the legality of moves when an establishment closes down. Read the latest Prospect newsletter to see why any legal challenge by MACC ATCOs won't work.
I think you'll find most folks up here have a degree of sympathy with the MACC folks. If it had been the other way around then we know we'd probably be in the same frame of mind. But since this move has now been on the cards for a long time and the move to 'O' date is marching on, there comes a time when you just have to accept it's going to happen, make your decision to move or not, then draw a line under all the arguments for/against the change and get on with it. I think we've passed that point.
The quality of teaching here in Ayrshire is verging on the criminal .(Don't take my word for it. Look up the website 'upmystreet.com' for the local schooling stats as to how many kids actually get any qualifications at school, and compare it to your local school -YOU WILL BE HORRIFIED!)
We have named a reporting point after this ... best said in a Northern Ireland accent .. it's BALIX. My local secondary school in Troon was inspected by the Government (as it is every year). The 2007 report highlighted as the schools strengths:
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
• Pupils’ overall attainment in Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examinations, their broader achievements in developing skills of citizenship and enterprise and their pride in their school.
• The school’s reputation in the community and its links with parents.
• A broad and flexible curriculum which met the individual needs of pupils.
• The range of extra-curricular activities, positive ethos and good relationships between teachers and pupils.
• Pastoral care and the effectiveness of the school’s approaches to supporting pupils.
• Leadership of the headteacher and his depute headteachers.
As there is only one secondary school in Troon, it's not hard to work out which one. Perhaps you could move here
lifeistooshort ?? There's a new development just up the road from me, with streets named after lifeboatmen. Full of folks with their 4x4's so it would be almost like living in Chelsea
The achievements of the pupils are not too bad ... considering they are being taught in a criminal manner.
The following comments are based on Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data, using the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)2 for the three year period 2004-2006 and also draw on the overall evaluations of the quality of learning, teaching and meeting pupils’ needs.
At S3/S4, the overall quality of attainment was very good. The proportion of pupils attaining five or more awards at SCQF levels 3, 4 and 5 was above the national average. At SCQF level 5, the school performed better than similar schools. At SCQF levels 3 and 4, boys performed better than girls.
At S5/S6, the overall quality of attainment was very good. At S5, the proportion of pupils attaining three or more and five or more awards at SCQF level 6 was well above the national average. At S6, the proportion was above the national average. The school performed much better than schools with similar characteristics.
Want me to get you a brochure ??
This will NOT be the same for the Manchester guys because moving to Scotland is like moving to a foreign country - especially if you are English. I should know as I made the mistake of moving here 9 years ago.
We had a bunch of guys move up here around then, who didn't make it at LATCC (for one reason or another). Some had previously been based here and fancied the move South but didn't make the grade. Others who move up tend to be on compassionate or welfare postings. If you are one of the former, why didn't you take your own advice and ''jump ship whilst the going is good''. After all, you must have done some research about Scotland before coming here ?? Or was there no other job option for you except to be what is euphemistically called a 'retread' ?? In which case, you should possibly be a bit more grateful that NATS found you somewhere to work and earn your salary. (Note: there is no slight intended to anyone who has gone through such a process. We have lots of people at ScACC who have walked that road and have had absolutely no problem validating and continuing to perform as operational controllers. Not many of them still harbour sour grapes over what has happened to them.)
One good thing when you get here, at least for a small number of people at ScACC, is that the breaks from controlling are in the order of 45+ minutes. Thanks to the OPM system, such folks are easilly tracked. Are you one of those as well ?
Gives lots of quality time to gripe in the canteen
