Damian Hinds blogspot

11 Feb 2014 We all remember classmates who got few O-Levels or GCSEs, but went on to become surprisingly successful in their careers. Likewise, there are always those who do very well at school but for whom success fizzles out later. So, what’s the difference? There is a wealth of research that suggests an individual’s character traits, as much as how bright they are or what exams they get, determine their path in life. The ‘recipe for success’ tends to include self-belief, the patience to pursue long-term goals, the ability to ‘bounce back’ from failures, recognition of the relationship between effort and (sometimes distant or uncertain) reward, and the persistence to keep going. For many years, our educational focus as a country has been all but exclusively on exam results. Now, leading education jurisdictions such as Singapore are increasingly adding an emphasis on the ‘character development’ agenda.  As John Cridland CBE, Director-General of the CBI has warned, “there is a dang...

8 Oct 2013 In his Conference speech last week, Michael Gove set out clearly the moral purpose of policy: not only to raise standards for all, but just as important, to narrow the yawning achievement gap between rich and poor.  He described the Conservative mission to ensure “that every child has the opportunity to flourish”.  Though progress has already been made, in 2012 there was a 26 percentage points gap at GCSE (5+C+ including English & Maths) between kids on free school meals and their more affluent peers. But addressing this gap with teenagers is way too late.  The performance gap appears very early and widens through the school years.  In  Seven Key Truths about Social Mobility , the all-party social mobility group identified that the point of greatest leverage to equalise opportunity is the very earliest years. Of course kids from all backgrounds go on to do brilliant things.  But overall and on average, the correlations have a smooth predictab...

18 Oct 2012 It is a great pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate International Credit Unions Day. And it is a particular pleasure to be here alongside Simon Hughes and Roy [Lord] Kennedy. The all-party group works very well across the parties and credit unions do have great goodwill right across the House. Matters connected to debt – and savings – and related to Credit Unions, are much in discussion at the moment, both over the road and in society at large. From coping mechanisms to deal with the cost of living and the development of payday loans, through the gaps left by our traditional banks and unwelcome changes to our high streets with the proliferation of Money Shops and the like, to the potential for jamjar accounts and the huge role that can be played by volunteers and the voluntary sector in what I will dare to call our Big Society. Today I pay especial tribute to all who are involved in the Credit Union movement whether as staff or volunteers. That’s a funny word, “mo...

27 Feb 2010 -  Letters to the Editor, Herald Newspapers Sir, In his letter in the Herald of 12 February, Simon Joslin of Oakhanger raises important points about the debate on global warming, points which cannot simply be ignored. There have been three key errors made by some (not all) of the leading proponents of action against global warming. The first error was to re-define ‘belief’ in global warming as some sort of article of faith, which should no longer be open to question. This is misguided; nothing in science should be immune to challenge. Calling those who do raise questions ‘flat-earthers’ is only likely to wind them up, and understandably so. The second error was to over-simplify the subject, to suggest that the world is just getting hotter, and that all studies confirm the same thing. In truth something as complex as world climate will always throw up anomalies, and trends will be more jumpy than straight-line. To pretend otherwise was asking for trouble. No wonder gains...