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“Sorry I’m
Late… I ran out of clean shirts”
BRITAIN’S
best excuses for getting out of meetings
are now revealed. A recent poll carried out by the organisers of
National Meetings Week has revealed some of the most elaborate and
some of the worst excuses that are used for being late for or
getting out of meetings altogether with 72% of respondents admitting
to using excuses for being late to or missing a meeting. National
Meetings Week takes place from 3 October to 7 October and aims to
raise awareness of the power of face to face meetings and the
contribution that the industry as a whole contributes to the
economy.
When a cross section of the public across the country were asked
“what is the worst excuse for being late to a meeting that you have
used or heard?” the answers seemed to be extreme to say the least!
Amongst some of the most ‘creative’ excuses were reasons such as
“Sorry, my wife was giving birth” and “I was
waiting for a delivery that arrived by canal boat”. With
such elaborate excuses being concocted one has to ask if their basis
for such deviousness is really valid. Surely it should be the case
that meetings are constructive and enjoyable rather than dreaded and
avoided?
Other classic excuses included:-
* “I stubbed my toe in the shower”
* “I got stung by a bee over the weekend and my arm is still
too sore”
* “I ran out of clean shirts”
* “My credit card was refused while shopping”
* A surprisingly high figure of 34% of excuses were either pet or
transport related. Most of these included blaming the tube or a sick
pet for being delayed.
Martin Lewis, organiser of NMW comments:- “The results of this
survey show us that meetings need to be more constructive in order
for people to feel that they are worth attending. An astonishing 72%
of people have admitted to making up excuses for not attending
meetings or for being late. This figure is a good reflection of how
people currently view the importance of meetings. Hopefully National
Meetings Week will begin to change this distorted view of what is in
fact an extremely important part of business and of all walks of
life.”
THE
LITTLE BOOK OF BUS STORIES REVIEW
Review by Warren Ankrah, aged 9.
THIS book was put
together from kids all over England who entered a competition to
write and illustrate a story about bus travel, and these 7 children
are the ones who won. They also win a book of their choice every
month for a year.
I enjoyed this book because it was written by children. It was a
book for all ages to read as it was written by children aged 7 to
11, I am 9 and I still enjoyed reading it on my own or reading it to
my little brother.
The best story was The Moon the Umbrella and The Cucumber which was
written by Josie King aged 7. There were a few stories so you didn’t
get bored, and I think they were all very good and deserved to win.
Verdict:- 4 out of 5.
 
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LIVERPOOL'S 'WAVE' OF NEW SCHOOLS
TEN crumbling
Liverpool schools are to be rebuilt or refurbished in the first part
of the £280 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project.
Liverpool is included in Wave Two and Wave Four of the government's
BSF scheme, which will overhaul secondary education in the city by
building new schools and refurbishing existing ones to provide 21st
century facilities for all pupils in the city.
The ten schools included in Wave Two of the scheme, costing around
£140 million, have been chosen due to the extremely poor condition
of the current buildings. The project will also assist with the
council's aim of integrating pupils with special needs into
mainstream education.
The schools to be included with in Phase One of Wave Two, with work
expected to start in 2007, are:-
* West Derby Comprehensive School, which will relocated on a single
site where it will be co-located with Ernest Cookson Special School,
enabling special needs pupils to have access to better facilities
* Alsop High School, which will be refurbished on its existing site
including a new dining hall and sixth form and improved special
educational needs facilities
* King David High School, which is in a poor state of repair and
will be rebuilt
* Croxteth High School, which will be refurbished and incorporate
facilities for youngsters with Complex Learning Difficulties who
currently attend Meadow Bank Special School
Also included in Wave 2 will be Cardinal Heenan High, Broughton
Hall, Gateacre Comprehensive and New Heys.
Councillor Paul Clein, executive member for children's services,
said:- "This huge project will transform education for
thousands of Liverpool schoolchildren and is another major step
forward in the regeneration of the city.
Crumbling school buildings will be swept away to make way for state
of the art 21st century learning facilities.
It will improve the prospects for current and future generations of
Liverpool youngsters."
Liverpool City Council's BSF project director, Ann Melville, said:-
"This is a huge and complex scheme which is taking shape.
When complete it will provide flexible, cutting edge, inclusive
education for every secondary pupil across Liverpool.
It will be a great opportunity to make sure all our children have
the facilities they deserve, to raise aspirations and deliver high
quality education throughout the city."
The remaining secondary schools in the city will be refurbished or
replaced in Wave Four of the scheme, which will also cost around
£140 million, with work expected to start in 2010 and be completed
by 2016.
A partnership of councillors, head teachers and governors has been set
up to deliver the project.
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