REFERENCES FOR BLOGGING ASSIGNMENT

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/schools2010/1006291/?lang=en
www.sefcymru.org
http://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,2987,en_32252351_32235731_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
Bradshaw, J.,  Ager, R.,  Burge, B.  and Wheater, R. (2010). PISA 2009: Achievement of
15-Year-Olds in Wales. Slough: NFER.
http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/NPDZ02/NPDZ02.pdf
Common inspection framework - Estyn
http://www.satsguide.co.uk/what_are_sats.htm

Guest Lecturer Assignment.

Our very first guest lecturer was Professor Ken Jones who talked to us about the local authorities in Wales as well as Wales' educational progress and standing across the world.   Although the content he was speaking about could have been seen as dull had it been presented differently, I feel he really pulled us into the topic and made it very interesting for us. He also included general background knowledge of Wales, which is always very useful.  He told us that 50% of people living in Wales, either live in the south or south-east, and because of this, there are many rural schools in the north, central and south-west Wales. According to the statistics given in this lecture, only 20% of Primary schools and 15% of Secondary schools use Welsh as a main language. He went on to say that there is also a shortage of Welsh-medium headteachers with the NPQH. I believe this shows that sadly, the Welsh language is slowly dying out, specifically in the south. Personally I think this is something that desperately needs to be addressed both in our schools and everyday life. The Welsh language is a big part of our individual culture, something we should be eager to preserve.


Prof. Ken Jones also provided information on Wales' Local Authorities. Where previously, in 1999 there were eight Local Authorities within Wales, there are now twenty-two. According to the Welsh Assembly Government's Annual Schools Census released in 2010, there were twenty less Local Authority maintained schools than in 2009 with 2,500 less pupils, there were also four more independent schools than in 2009. This maybe down to the vast number of Local Authorities within Wales. With so many Local Authorities trying to work together, mistakes are going to be made and standards are going to fall somewhere. Through evidence that Welsh education as a whole can improve, it has been proposed that the twenty-two local Welsh authorities should change into four consortia. 

After finding out a few years a go that Welsh children were not performing as well academically compared to children of the same age all over the world, there was large focus on the education system in the country. In the 2006 PISA report (A report produced by the OECD every four years which makes children across the world sit the same test) it was showed that Wales did make progress, but it was uneven and needed to be further advanced. However, when looking at these results,  it is important to take into account that Wales does not publish league tables, unlike many other countries, so the schools chosen to do the PISA tests in other countries may well be towards the top of their league tables and therefore not necessarily on a par with the Welsh schools chosen. Despite this, the Welsh education systems aim to improve the curriculum and teaching, leadership, working with others, networks of professional practice, intervention, support, improvement and accountability.

We also had a lecture taken by an employee of Estyn, Russell Grigg.  Estyn inspects quality and standards in education and training providers in Wales and provide advice to the Welsh Assembly Government on the quality and standards of educational environment. Mr Grigg made a point too, of informing us that quality and standard are not the same thing. Standard is seen as the level you reach whereas quality is your experience, both very different things.  Their main goal is to spread and promote good educational practice inside Wales. According to Estyn, the three main things to consider when inspecting are accountability, ways to improve and to inform. Most of Estyn's employees are ex-teachers as they have experience of educational settings and would not look at an educational establishment solely through the eyes of an inspector. These Estyn employees write two types of reports, reports on individual educational institutions and Thematic reports, which are on Wales as a whole.
   When inspecting there are three things to consider which are also known as the common inspection framework:
1) How good are the outcomes?
2) How good is provision?
3) How good are leadership and management?
Through these three main assessments, the inspector can produce a good conclusion about the school or educational institute. Like OFSTED, Estyn use a ranking system to assess different aspects of a school. For example attendance would be classed as 'excellent,' 'good, 'adequate' or 'unsatisfactory.' It was interesting to see their use of adequate, Russell told us that the word was not very liked, yet, still, Estyn chose to use it, as it encourages the educational institute to do better.This lecture has led me to believe that Wales having our own inspection board is a very good thing as it helps us focus on how we are doing internally as a country, rather than comparing us with the rest of the United Kingdom. I believe a system that did this would be less beneficial as, England for example, have a ranking system for their schools, something Wales does not. A system where we were comparing our schools to those of the likes of England would have the same effect as the PISA tests, it would force us to compare some of our less well performing schools with the better performing, higher ranked schools within England. In turn, this would cause us to lose focus on our progress within Wales itself. Through having our own inspection board, Wales as a country can clearly see and focus on even the smallest improvements in our educational systems which in the long run will help us to improve our standard of education as a whole.

Jane Davidson AM, ex Minister for Education and Life long learning, also came in to give us a lecture. She gave us a history of education and the National Curriculum. She told us how in 1983 Margaret Thatcher introduced the National Curriculum, which meant that children attending state run schools all over the United Kingdom were taught the same thing. However, independently run schools can still set their own curriculum.  This also brought with it the introduction of Standard Assessment Tests (SATS).  They were taken at the ages of seven, eleven and thirteen and were used to asses the progress of children of the same ages all over the country.  
   1993 brought with it Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI). These inspectors could turn up to a school at any time. This was needed as with the whole of the state run schools in the country following the same curriculum, it was important to ensure the National Curriculum was being taught to a satisfactory standard all around the country. Children were currently being put into "streams" of ability at the age of 11. This would determine where they would go onto study for O levels or CSE's later in their school career with O levels being the better, more academic option.  These qualifications would determine what sort of work you would go into and whether you could go onto higher education or not, it is in my opinion that 11 is far to young to decide this much as many children may be "late bloomers" and may go on to settle in and become more academically inclined whereas other children may peak to early and not do as well in their exams as first expected. 
1997 brought Labour back into power and with it the promise of 'education, education, education'.  Labour promised to improve education across the country, however, their strategies made many people angry as it was believed that they were simply "teaching to the test". This in turn, caused a referendum in Wales for the National Assembly so that the people of Wales would finally be responsible for the Education within Wales.  In 1999 the Welsh National Assembly was established. It had both a pre and post 16 committee with an Education Minister for  each. This was later changed to both committees being brought together under one minister. This seems like the better option as then there could be more fluidity between both committees and less confusion for young people during the journey from one to the other.
 I believe that I have learnt a lot from these lectures about how the education system within Wales works.  These lectures have shown me how, although Welsh education may not be the best within the world or even the United Kingdom, it is improving all the time. As a result of these lectures I also now strongly believe that the act of comparing our education system and standards to those of other countries may do more damage than good as it will only succeed to highlight the failings rather than the improvements.  Overall, these guest lectures were very beneficial to us as they gave us the first hand knowledge of people who have worked and who are working within our education system. 

Project update

So my project is nearly done. All the writing in my sketch book is finished, as it is, I could hand the sketch book in. I'm about half way through my final piece but I am having problems printing out the last few pictures which is really stressing me out! Finishing it should be simple but there always seems to be a problem.

I've also finished my evaluation, which I hope is good enough. I wasn't 100% sure what to include but I've done what I think is right, so fingers crossed.

I will include pictures of my finished sketch book when I get home, as I don't have any pictures on this pc.

Project update

As part of my sketch book, a friend has agreed to let me use her story about how her sisters multiple failed suicide attempts have affected her. I said I was going to change her sisters name in my sketch book so no one would know it was her story. So I have changed it to "Laura". The story although obviously sad, is beautiful and something I would never have been able to produce myself. She really explains how watching your little sister go through something like that affects a person, how you can't just put it into one single emotion. It fits perfectly with the theme of my project and shows another side that I wouldn't have been able to include had she not been so open and supportive.

Project update

I had 12 replies to my questionnaire. The most shocking to me, were the answers to question 2. Before conducting this survey, I would never have guessed that one person would know up to 6 people who had experienced suicidal thoughts.


Question 1) Do you know someone who has entertained suicidal thoughts? (Whether it be you or another)
1: Yes
2:  yes 
3: Yeah
4.  No
5: Yes
6: Yes
7: Yes I do, myself and friends.
8: Yes, myself included.
9: Yes
10: Yes, me and others.
11: Yes
12: Yes
Question 2) How many people do you know who have had these thought? (Please include yourself if it applies)
1: 1
2: 3 
3: Jess, Will and My Dad
4: None 
5: 5
6: Three
7: 4
8: 5-6
9: 3-4
10: 5
11: 6
12: 2
Question 3) Do you feel you can talk to friends / family about any problems you may have? (FYI, you all can always talk to me at any time! It'll always stay between us!)
1: Yes
2: yes 
3: Friends mainly. I don't feel as connected to my family anymore with everything going on with Jess so I tend to keep any problems away from them now.
4: yes always my friends, not always family members
5: Not all the time.
6: Nope, definitely not with suicide, as it is something which has affected both sides of my family.
7: Can’t talk to my family, there are a few friends I would trust enough. Two at the most.
8: I don’t really talk to my family about problems as we don’t get on very well and I don’t have many friends but there’s a few close people I talk to. 
9: Friends - Yes, Family - No
10: No ,I feel that it’s easier if I keep my problems to myself because I don’t want to hurt others.
11: No
12: Yes
Question 4) Do you feel there is enough outside support for people with suicidal thoughts? e.g. not friends or family.
1:  Samaritans-I know someone who worked for them and even for the Samaritans it is horrible to hear on the end of the phone when someone is about to commit suicide and the phone goes silent.
2:  im not sure 
3: Definitely not, Jess tried to end her life 10th of January and she still hasn’t had a single counselling session, nor have doctors attempted to help her with her depression, so she tried again on the 28th, and even now, we're still waiting around for them to do something. In regards to having someone to talk to before you go through with it, I think there is, however it's not that well known of, I think I only know of one place which is BulliesOut, and even that is quite a small little organisation. 
4.possible not as much as what it can be, but then again im unaware of any support there, if there's any already
5: Yes
6: Definitely not.
7: Only with doctors, but even they are pretty touch and go. They kinda pick and choose when they want to act interested. 
8: There is always the option of counselling but I feel it did not help me at all. I always find talking to my friends and them cheering me up works much better than any councillor could do. 
9: It’s still a taboo subject in my opinion, not enough people take it serious enough, especially in today’s society.
10: No and if there is, it’s often hard to find.
11: Yes there is plenty of support but hardly anybody looks for it.
12: I think the support is out there but people aren’t aware of it and maybe too ashamed or down to get it. 
Question 5) Do you know of any outside organisations / companies that help people with suicidal thoughts?
1:  No
2:  yes 
3:: Just Bulllies Out.
4: .no
5: Yes
6: Nope.
7: I know there are charities and organisations that are in place to help but I can’t  think of any off the top of my head.
8: I only really know of the Suicide Hotline and the Samaritans. I’ve never used either though.
9: There’s a couple of help lines in Scotland, some specialise in different age groups.
10: Not really no.
11: Yes
12: None that I can think of off the top of my head.
Question 6) Do you think there is enough awareness of suicide, the thoughts and it's effects?
1: No, I think that there should be more awareness raised for people considering suicide.
2: I’m not sure
3: Definitely not, The media shove obesity, celebs, tv storylines and everything else down our throats and don't bother to actually inform us of the effects/awareness of suicide, it's bloody stupid. I think it would benefit people more than knowing who's put on a dress size! It would also, have a knock on effect of less numbers of kids with anorexia etc! 
4: no I think it should be made more aware
5: no
6. Nope.
7: I don’t think there is nearly enough awareness. Its not something that is approached in schools or at work. 
8: In a way yes and no. Yes because of the word spreading thanks to social networking sites such as Tumblr and the like. No because of sites like Tumblr where people still send anon hate to people which causes them to feel really down about themselves and possibly take their own lives. 
9: There isn’t enough awareness because it’s a taboo subject in my opinion.
10: No, most definitely not.
11: No, people need to know why some people actually feel like committing suicide so they don’t say the wrong thins to the wrong people. 
12: Nope, definitely  not.
Question 7) What are your personal thoughts on suicide and people who commit / attempt to commit it? 
1: I feel that they should have the support and help they need because no body wants to see 
someone’s life ruined especially if there is the help and support out there for them
2: I feel it is a selfish act although most people do not understand what that person is going through and for someone to go against all natural survival instincts there must be something wrong. 
3: I think it's a damn shame that people feel as if they can't talk to anyone anymore about their problems, and that it's there only way out. It's heartbreaking to see someone go through it, I can't even put it into words. It's just a damn shame that the government are more fussed about stupid things like raising the price of fags instead of trying to get the UK suicide rate down by enforcing better suicide awareness and getting people to go into schools etc, 
4: my personal opinion is that i think a person who commits suicide must be in such an awful place, mentally. I wouldn’t say that im against people who do it, as im unaware of their mental state to even have those thoughts to start off with. However, a person who does that and leaves their family and friends behind absolutely devastated i think is unforgivable, as people get taken from their families every day against their own will. 
5: Sad and sometimes frustrating. 
6: My mum's dad and dad's mum both committed suicide before I was born and know it was because of illnesses. But I know people commit suicide for different reasons. I believe people have as much right to die as they do to live if they choose. But I know the after effects of suicide are horrible, I can't speak to my mum and dad about their parent's suicide- I don't even know how they died. BUT, I do respect their decisions to do so. I know a lot of people believe suicide is a coward's way out, but I think it must take a lot of courage to end your life.
7: I know first hand what it’s like to feel you don’t have a way out. The one thing I hate is when people brand suicide attempts and success as selfish. Suicide can be a cry for help, but it is also an ultimatum with yourself, which is a personal choice in my opinion. 
8:  I’m not sure I’d be the best person to ask this, seeing as (albeit a rarity) I still sometimes get those thoughts. It’s weird because I feel that self harm is absolutely pointless (In the sense that it did not help me in the slightest). Yet suicide is mainly a more last-resort thing. Even though some people use it to try and run away from problems without trying to solve them first. 
9: Personally, it’s a cry for help. A final answer for everything. The person who attempts / commits needs help and if we can’t allow that person to open up then we’re basically assisting it. We can’t be responsible for thinking it’s shameful to talk about when we could be saving lives.
10: I think that suicide is a long term solution to a short term problem, but I can understand why people do it, wanting to and once attempting to myself. I think that some people are past help and the keep them here when they are miserable and just want to die, is horrible, just like killing someone who want to live. 
11: I feel sorry for somebody with suicidal thoughts / attempted suicide / has committed suicide. Some people say it’s cowardly / selfish but they have no idea what that person has been through to feel like that. 
12: I think for people to consider or even attempt suicide then it is obviously because they are so unhappy and that is all they feel they can do to escape. I can understand the view point that people find it the most selfish act as they leave a big mess and a lot of hurt loved ones behind, however I don’t agree really and think it is a personal choice and obviously a last resort. 

Project update : Frieda Kahlo

I have decided to use Frieda Kahlo as my artist. She was a Mexican artist who was born in 1907. She had a very personal and dark artistic style. In 1939 she produced a painting that depicted the suicide of a well known American socialite at the time.

The painting was for a friend of the socialite but was a lot more graphic than she had asked for. It detailed every step of the socialite's suicide.

This is where I got my information from
 http://www.cheapoilpainting.com/blogs/frida-kahlo/3967172-kahlo-painting-study-suicide-of-dorothy-hale-1939

I think the story of this painting fits in well with my theme. I can also sympathise with the friend of the socialite, receiving a painting detailing every step of a loved ones suicide must of been like a sledgehammer to the guts.

It's not only the painting that fits with my theme however, Kahlo herself had a very hard life and often thought of suicide. One of these times was while she was producing this painting.

I find her life and the troubles she went though fascinating. She was left paralysed after a car accident and had an abusive husband, these are just the tip of the iceberg that was her problems yet she produced 200 paintings, drawings and sketches throughout her lifetime. A lot of these were self portraits because, as she said, "I am often so alone....Because I am the subject I know best."

Project update

Yesterday we all had a chat with Suzie and explained our concerns about the project. She talked us through it and confirmed that we were actually doing it right and that we had no need to worry. This has really helped me get on with it as I now don't have any concerns that what I'm doing is wrong.

I have now written up everything that needs to go into my sketch pad so it is now simply a matter of re-writing it and making it all look pretty and presentable. I am going to need to find some more pictures to go into my sketch pad however. I just need some that are going to tie into a story about two sisters that I have. Unfortunately I can't use pictures of the actual sisters as then people will know who they are and that isn't what I want.

So, so far, everything is coming along nicely. I have always known what I'm going to do for my final piece, so that was never a worry and shouldn't take me long at all.