Slip some truth serum into Lord Adonis and, yes, I suspect he will admit the flaw in proposing new combined primary and secondary schools. Not that they won’t work, but because the idea that the politicians know how best to educate children has been tested to destruction. The Tory proposal would let new schools set up in the most poular formats – if there was a demand for new sprawling school, aged 5 to 18, it would be met. More likely the demand will be for small, manageable boutique schools of around 300 pupils, a third of today’s average size. For as long as poliicians are pontificating on exam structure, school size or teaching methods nothing will improve.
Adonis will also realise the absurdity in Ed Balls saying he wants local authorities to come up with a plan to turn around failing schools. It is precisely these local authorities that have made a mess of the schools in the first place: what makes him think there is a reserve of hitherto undiscoverd good ideas in them? Only in politics would this happen.
I found it interesting this morning how Radio Four went to a failing school in Clackton on Sea and commented how stunning the building looked after its facelift. That’s this government all over: desperate to spend money, while failing to get results. Its not the infrastructure that bedevils British state secondaries, it’s what happens (or doesn’t happen) inside. In Sweden, the new breed of independent schools, which Gove would introduce to Britain, are usually in a few floors of an office block. Parents couldn’t care less if they have a long drive or a snazzy science lab, as long as the quality of teaching is up to scratch. The lesson is clear: education is too important to be left to the hands of (local or national) politicians. Let parents be the tsars, and all else will follow.
Comments