Michael Gove vs the Blob

16 January 2010

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Dennis Sewell says that the political cage fight between the Tories and the educational establishment will be the most thrilling contest of Cameron’s first hundred days

In 1978, the novelist Kingsley Amis was amongst a group of former left-wingers contributed to a book entitled Right Turn — Eight Men who Changed Their Minds. He was appalled by the decline in education, and enthused by the Tory plans to reform it. He liked Tory plans of parental control (they were toying with what was to become the Swedish schools model) and looked forward to an increase in teacher-pupil ratio. These were not delivered. The edited extract from his piece, below, shows what little progress the most dedicated reformers have made against ‘the blob’.

For some years now (the actual number is disputable) academic standards in this country have declined, most noticeably in primary and secondary education. The causes most commonly adduced for this decline are the new, or newish, informal teaching methods, lack of classroom discipline and truancy.

Any future Labour government is likely to press on with reducing standards, because its educational aims are likely to be even less educational than its predecessors’. We can look forward to the abolition or invalidation of various exams on the grounds of their ‘divisiveness’.

Little of the above will surprise anyone who has glanced at the relevant Labour policy documents. A glance at the relevant Conservative ones is reassuring. Restoration of direct-grant schools, maintenance or restoration of parental choice. Then — expansion. An improved teacher-pupil ratio, eventually an all-graduate teaching profession. What was all that crack about more meaning worse?

One of the very few positive lessons we can learn from the Soviets is to be derived from their early introduction of a non-selective educational system — and their later abandonment and reversal of it, as obstructing the much-needed upward flow of ability from the poorer classes.

The powers of a minister are and ought to be limited. And he will often do better by doing nothing than by doing something. For example, not providing schools with costly hardware of dubious educational value. Or not introducing an ‘O’ Level in environmental studies (proposed as I write this).

In general, I find Tory educational policies quite different enough from Labour ones to attract my unhesitating support. But I wish they were more different still. At present, like Tory policies in other matters, they seem touched with timidity. with what used to be called me-tooism, with a hedging inclination to promise more of the same only better. Notions of political possibility or impossibility should not be allowed to influence objectives.

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DNA2012

January 17th, 2010 10:14pm Report this comment

So simple. Direct school funding for all state schools i.e.

All funds to the heads of each school who would then ‘purchase’ services i.e. training, use of playing fields, swimming baths, consultancy, resources at a competitive price from any ‘approved’ provider which could include councils through a ‘transparent’ tendering system with ‘set prices’ similar to NHS GP’s purchasing treatment for their patients from the private sector. Whereupon the ‘quality of service’ will be the key criterion of retaining the suppliers services for the following academic year.

Charlie R

January 18th, 2010 9:53pm Report this comment

It is not 'The Blob' - it has far more structure than that. It is 'The Matrix'. Nice to read someone who has taken the Red Pill...

Minnie Ovens

January 26th, 2010 1:08pm Report this comment

Good luck, Mr Gove, many of our problems in recent years are bcause the Blob has dumbed down students ability to analyse and think for themselves.
I remember in Los Angeles the LAUSD (united schools district) for years insisted that to maintain the best education for all there had to be an expensive and extensive bi-lingual programme in all schools.
This went on for years to allow Spanish speakers to become fluent in English.
Then Mayor Rearden decided it wasn't necessary and was too expensive. A terrible fight lasting over a year broke out but Rearden won in the end.
Guess what! After the first term all students were fluent in english.
Two points:
When children want to learn their developing minds allow for this easily.
The Blob is desperate to maintain their hold because developing minds are easy to influence to their philosophies and look what has transpired!
Mr Gove would do well to talk to Mr Rearden if only as a courtesy.