Grade A mess
Planet Normal
Louisa Wells
4.7 • 2.9K Ratings
🗓️ 11 August 2021
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Tim Stanley, Telegraph columnist and leader writer, joins Allison Pearson on this week’s podcast, while Captain Halligan is on his very own Aegean Odyssey (AKA a Ryanair flight to Greece). The pair award the education secretary an F for allowing top A-Level grades to be handed out to almost half of school leavers - a move our hosts agree isn’t really that generous after all - and reflect on the latest Covid confusion. Our new co-pilot is a loyal follower of Boris Johnson, but has his loyalty been shaken by 17 months of inconsistencies within his pandemic response? Not so… Tim explains all.
Also on the podcast: education reformer and “Britain’s strictest headmistress” Katharine Birbalsingh lets Allison in on the real reason behind this year’s grade inflation, lays out why she thinks calls to decolonise the curriculum are “appalling” and explains why - cue groans from our younger listeners - exams must stay.
Allison and Liam will be replying to comments beneath this article on Thursday 12th August 11am-12pm: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education-and-careers/2021/08/12/planet-normal-need-have-conversation-grade-inflation/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |
Read more from Tim: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/t/tf-tj/tim-stanley/ |
Listen to Hong Kong Silenced: www.playpodca.st/hongkong |
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Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Telugu... |
| 0:02.0 | ...podcasts. |
| 0:09.0 | Five. |
| 0:10.0 | There is a war going on over the best way to teach kids. |
| 0:14.0 | Four. |
| 0:15.0 | David is the golden gift to excuses. |
| 0:19.0 | Three. |
| 0:20.0 | I've lived through a number of brilliant woppers, |
| 0:23.0 | and so I assume as a baseline that governments are lying and incompetent. |
| 0:27.0 | Two. |
| 0:28.0 | One of our children said, no, you're wrong. |
| 0:30.0 | It was actually this year, and he said, no, no, no, no, no, I'm right. |
| 0:34.0 | Actually, I'm Boris Johnson. |
| 0:36.0 | One. |
| 0:37.0 | We have a job. |
| 0:44.0 | Welcome to Planet Normal, the Telugu-Graph podcast this week, |
| 0:48.0 | minus co-pilot, Haligan. |
| 0:50.0 | Liam has parachuted into the Aegean Sea for a well-earned break |
| 0:54.0 | from my hospital bed occupancy data. |
| 0:57.0 | I'm joined today on the rocket of right-thinking by the Telugu-Graph's own Tim Stanley, |
| 1:02.0 | columnist and leader-writer extraordinaire. |
| 1:05.0 | As well as being a leading conservative thinker, |
... |
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