Lies, damn lies and statistics

This evening has been entirely taken up with data analysis, which I am sad to say I quite enjoy.

My whole day has revolved around statistics - earlier today it was outrage and annoyance at the current secretary of state for Education (Mr Balls) and his erstwhile 'Boss' Mr Brown who apparently can decide that schools are 'failing' based on 1 statistical measure, but then when many of these failing schools are looked at in terms of a different (and more relevant) measure the same schools can actually be making outstanding progress with the same students that they are apparently failing with!!!!!...I won't get myself wound up again, but I am going to write a letter to them both, when I have composed myself. I wish these bloody people would actually come and visit the places that they decide are failing, and see what is really going on in them - they should come and tell the teachers, and the pupils, that they aren't doing enough - see what response they get.


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

So it seemed appropriate (and desperate at 11.45pm) to blip the pages of number crunching I have waded through this evening.

Now getting a horlicks and going to bed. So much for the early night.