You...

are well earned.

Stayed in bed late again today because the prospect of movement did not appeal one little bit. However, eventually I had to rise from the pit in order to tackle phase two of the mountain of work, listed in my diary.

9 hours in total, trying to form a coherent conclusion about an aspect of school life which is impossible to do. Many people think that I am driven by statistics, but I am not. I am good at generating them, at interpreting them, but I am still fundamentally uncomfortable about their use in judging school performance. Why? Because we aren't working with machines, we are working with, shaping and enhancing the lives of individual human beings (whether they want to be enhanced or not!). There are too many variables to make statistics 'sound' when considering performance, and certainly too many variables to allow fair comparisons to be made.

AND it is made all the more difficult by the fact that "the powers that be" move the goalposts every other year AND change their statistical methods so therefore like for like comparisons become even more difficult to make.

So, I have put my own statistically sound spin on things.

Now I just have to see if the method holds up to scrutiny from esteemed colleagues tomorrow - otherwise it is back to the drawing board.

For now though, I am forgetting about it. Wine is my friend. Then bed. Now I am not focussed on work, my mind has started pondering how Tuesday's appointment will proceed. Tomorrow night I am engaging in thorough preparation by writing everything down that I need to query, or point out etc. Suggestions for questions I might ask the consultant...sensible ones only. I am also a little worried that the thing that I think I need - investigative surgery - is likely to happen rather more imminently, given that I have opted to bypass the Not Helpful Service. I am still uncomfortable about this but my desire to be well again is over-riding my principles.

How easily swayed I am. No moral fortitude at all.

Now, where is that chalice of wine?