A Mail on Sunday article has been pulled apart after the headline caused uproar.
The article read: “Boy, 8, turned away by NHS because he is a private school pupil, amid claims by MPs that Labour’s raid on fee-paying schools has triggered ‘class war’ and ‘discrimination’ in our public services.”
It sounds shocking, but there is a lot more to it.
Hacked off
Haked off shared the sotry and wrote: “This piece in @DailyMail Mail on Sunday is understood to be substantively misleading. Differences in provision of state-funded services for private school pupils were introduced by the Conservative Government, and are unrelated to Labour’s VAT changes.”
A thread went into more detail on the story.
The story was also picked up by @MonkEmma, who is getting noticed for forensic analysis of newspaper stories.
1.
“What do we think?
“Hmm…. A Daily Mail headline so clearly designed to make you furious. Being shared by salivating Tory MPs who love a good rage farming story! So, what’s going on here? Let’s take a look!”
2.
“It’s a story about a young boy who was told he couldn’t be referred to their NHS Occupational Health therapist because he went to private school. There are a handful of other examples in the article – all children being “denied” NHS education related occupational health care.”
3.
“So why would that be? Well, the Children and Families Act 2014 meant that educational services such as speech and languages therapy and occupational therapy provided by the local authority to state schools, aren’t available to non special independent schools.”
4.
“Who was in power in 2014? Oh, that’s right – it was the Tories
“Which is weird because the DM spoke to 3 different Tory MPs (no Labour obvs!) who seemed really rather angry at this “vile class war, “quasi-Marxist class war” and “unfair discrimination.”
5.
“Basically, the NHS is providing the therapists but it is the local authority who is paying for it. And that’s a service they are responsible for paying for for children within the state school system.”
6.
“Now I can understand that parents may not know that’s how the system works. Their school should have explained it to them and should help them access the support they need – but it won’t be funded by the Local Authority once you opt out of the state system.”
7.
“As for @NeilDotObrien and the other Tories wailing about “vile class wars” and it being “unfair”? Do they not know that this system is happening under legislation brought in by TORIES in 2014? Ignorant? Or just love a bit of rage-farming Labour bashing?”
8.
“And you’d have thought that the Daily Mail might have gently pointed out to the mother who “complained bitterly and asked who created these eligibility criteria” that it was indeed the Tories. But no, why would the DM do that when they can attack Labour instead?”
9.
“The DM drop in that little paragraph highlighting that this is ONLY to do with OT treatment- only to do with the educational support services. Yet they want to scare people into thinking private school kids will be DENIED NHS care That’s a horrendous, scaremongering claim”
10.
“They even throw in a story about a young cancer patient to try and widen the coverage. But that was about the cost of tutoring on the ward. The council provide it for state schools. And for whatever reason the private school weren’t offering it for their own students.”
11.
“So as ever – when you see a headline that makes you furious:
“Stop and take a breath
“Does it really sound plausible
“Could there be more context?
“Do the people sharing the story have an agenda?
“Have a little dig around! Because there is ALWAYS more to it!”
12.
“Thanks @sparky300 for the suggestion! It did indeed get my creative juices flowing.”
13.
“For more of this kind of thing please check out my Substack. It’s free to everyone (unless you choose to pay to support my work!).”
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