Sorry, no speaky da lingo, mate.......

...and I've just re-read the original piece after 71's comment about the kids in question not being from immigrant families to see how I could have missed such an obvious statement first time round and discovered this:

"The number of primary school youngsters rose by 779 from October 2012 to 2013 and of those 387 had a mother tongue other than English."


Nowhere in the article does it suggest that these children are from non-immigrant families.

So, I'm left struggling to understand how these children don't have English as their mother tongue, if they're not the progeny of immigrants?


Any ideas, Chris or are you just making stuff up.....?

bwfc71 wrote:

The majority of the children are actually British, so where do you say they should go?

Can't you read, I said there should be a cull of Bolton idiots.

Breadman wrote:...and I've just re-read the original piece after 71's comment about the kids in question not being from immigrant families to see how I could have missed such an obvious statement first time round and discovered this:

"The number of primary school youngsters rose by 779 from October 2012 to 2013 and of those 387 had a mother tongue other than English."


Nowhere in the article does it suggest that these children are from non-immigrant families.

So, I'm left struggling to understand how these children don't have English as their mother tongue, if they're not the progeny of immigrants?


Any ideas, Chris or are you just making stuff up.....?

If 387 had a mother tongue other than English then basic maths means that the rest (i.e. 392) have English as their mother tongue!  And if their mother tongue is English then suffice to say they are British (it could be that that 1 or 2 could be from other English speaking countries where words differ and could be struggling like that - such as US English use faucet for tap and truck for lorry!)

Breadman wrote:"It is saying that more than 50% of the children who are struggling with English are of actual BRITISH origin, ie non-immigrant!!! "


There's a massive difference between being "indiginous English" and being "English born to foreign parents."


That's where the problem lies for me......


By all means speak Urdu or Polish or whatever at home, but make sure your kids can speak English before they start school.


Why should I as a tax-payer have to fork out extra money, just because these kids come from an environment where English is hardly spoken?


If they want free education for their kids, the least they should be doing is ensuring that they can actually communicate with the English speaking teachers in our schools.


But you can't say that nowadays can you because it's racist....?

All Governments do it! Whilst I was living in The Netherlands I got free Dutch night classes, at ROC Flevoland, to help me integrate more (although I had integrated terribly well but did have problems speaking Dutch) and I found out the lessons were costing over €1,100 per person!!!  Suffice to say I passed all the major exams and now very proficient in Dutch.  Not bragging but in Code 1 I actually got 99%!

What the fuck are you on about.......?

It's the 387 who can't speak English (ie almost 50%, as cited in the article) who are the problem, not the 392 you refer to.

Nobody (other than you it seems) is suggesting that the rest can't speak English.

Are you taking the piss and is this why every comment you post on the BN site ends up with a score of -50 votes....?

Breadman wrote:
Are you taking the piss and is this why every comment you post on the BN site ends up with a score of -50 votes....?

Mr Amos is a forum legend, when you slag him off you slag me off.

He once said he wished I was dead, but I forgave him.

Very Christian of you, I'm sure.......

Any self-respecting Atheist would have hunted him down and boxed his ears for him.

Turn the other cheek...?

That's for wimps.

Breadman wrote:What the fuck are you on about.......?

It's the 387 who can't speak English (ie almost 50%, as cited in the article) who are the problem, not the 392 you refer to.

Nobody (other than you it seems) is suggesting that the rest can't speak English.

Are you taking the piss and is this why every comment you post on the BN site ends up with a score of -50 votes....?

Firstly take no notice of the thumbs - it is someone who has a grudge against me.   There are many reports on the BN website I report on and some only get 10 views but I get -50!!!!!  It is someone using technology and I have reported this and the BN editors know about it and, unfortunately can't do anything to stop it.   Plus both I and the BN editors know who it is and ban thy ban the person everytime they try to re-register, but as it is one doesn't have to be signed into register a vote!  Anyway either way it means I get noticed and that person is helping me get noticed with that futile gesture.  Famous or infamy, doesn't bother me as it doesn't stop me posting!

But lets get this right a mate of mine who is English but his wife is Dutch and their 2 children are 1 English and 1 Dutch.  Speak Dutch at home and the children's mother tongue is Dutch but their English surpasses that of many children of their age!!!  The majority of children in Dutch schools already speak more than 2 languages by they time they start school and by they finish primary school they can also add English to that list - so many people in The Netherlands speak, on average, fluently  language - mother tongue, Dutch, English and either French German or Spanish!  Put us English to shame more than anything else!!!

Also, in you read the report it doesn't say that of the children whose first language is not English doesn't mean to say that their English is poor its just that they are multi-lingual already!!!!  Also further in the report it also suggests that those who are multi-lingual are actually better than mono-lingual children at secondary school.

If anything the news report is a bit of a sensationalist story as the first paragraph says, "MORE than half the children admitted into primary schools in Bolton in the last 12 months struggled to speak English, figures show." and then the next paragraph immediatey contradicts the first by saying, "This brings the number of primary school children who have English as an additional language (EAL) to 3,841".  They talk of English as being an additional language and then nowhere else in the report does it suggest that children struggle with English just English is not a primary language for them when they start school!

bwfc71 wrote:a mate of mine who is English but his wife is Dutch and their 2 children are 1 English and 1 Dutch. 

How did they decide which child would be English and which one Dutch?

Right, that's it....I'm voting UKIP and going to church from now on.........

But I draw the line at supporting Chorley.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

bwfc71 wrote:a mate of mine who is English but his wife is Dutch and their 2 children are 1 English and 1 Dutch. 

How did they decide which child would be English and which one Dutch?

Their eldest as born in England when they lived in England then they moved to The Netherlands and their youngest was born in The Netherlands, and now they all live in England again!!!

Breadman wrote:Right, that's it....I'm voting UKIP and going to church from now on.........

But I draw the line at supporting Chorley.

Sorry, but as a Christian you DO have to support Chorley - that's why I am an atheist!

I'd vote UKIP but their policies are not at all Christian.

---

An atheist was walking through the woods, admiring all that the
"accidents" that evolution had created.
"What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!" he
said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes
behind him. Turning to look, he saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards
him.
He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder
and saw the grizzly was closing.
Somehow, he ran even faster, so scared that tears came to his eyes. He
looked again and the bear was even closer.
His heart was pounding and he tried to run faster. He tripped and fell
to the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but the bear was right
over him, reaching for him with its left paw and raising its right paw
strike him.
At that instant the atheist cried, "Oh my God...!"
Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent.
Even the river stopped moving.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky,
"You deny my existence for all these years, teach others that I don't exist
and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help
you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"
The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical to
ask to be religious after all these years, but perhaps you could make
the bear religious?"
"Very well" said the voice. The light went out. The river ran. The sounds of the forest resumed.

..and then the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together
and bowed its head and spoke: "Lord, for this food which I am about to
receive, I am truly thankful..."

How do u give a vote to a post? I want to give amos a down vote, he deserves it.