Tuesday, March 23, 2010

OK, I listened to the radio this morning, I couldn't help it.

Tip for Graham Badman: Basic sums:

Of the entire UK population, 0.2% of children are known to Social Services.

Within that entire UK population, there are all the Elective Home Educating families, of whom 50% are known to the authorities as Elective Home Educating Families and 50% are not known.

Of the 50% of EHE children who are known to the authorities, 0.4% are known to Social Services.

Of the 50% of EHE children who are NOT known to the authorities, none are known to Social Services (because any who ARE known to Social Services are automatically added to the list of children known to the authorities, ie the first group of 50%).

Therefore, of the entire population of EHE children, 0.2% are known to Social Services, just like everyone else.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems hard to believe that someone wouldn't 'get' that simple fact, doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

People don't understand statistics. That's unfortunate, but it's nothing new. (OTOH, it could be malice, not ignorance. I'm likely missing part of the context.)

alison said...

Rest assured, it's malice. He knows perfectly well it's bollocks and persists in repeating himself.

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