Oh dear, seems that the one of the union officials behind that presentation I posted earlier isn’t happy that it made its way on to Coffee House. Here’s an email exchange — leaked to me by a different Department for Education source — that starts off with one from that union official, Brian Lightman, to various union and departmental types. Names and email addresses have been omitted to protect the innocent:
From: Brian Lightman Sent: 18 May 2012 15:40 To: Numerous union officials and Department for Education staff Subject: RE: Education forum
Sorry – the first half of this message was sent before it was complete.
To all members of the Education Forum
I was shocked to discover via series of tweets sent out by @toryeducation that the presentation Mary Bousted and I used to initiate the discussion at Education Forum this week has been posted on a blog hosted by Spectator magazine with a commentary which I will leave you to read
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/7854978/the-unions-lazy-opposition-to-schools-reform.thtml
As members of this group you all know that the proceedings are confidential and that the background to this presentation was a wish to have an open and frank discussion about an issue of enormous concern to the profession. Obviously Mary and I would like to know the identity of the person who felt it appropriate to leak this information in this way but this whole incident calls into question the role of the Education Forum which has little purpose if we cannot speak frankly behind closed doors.
I am deeply disappointed at what has happened and shocked that the conservative press office feels that this kind of sarcastic approach can do anything to further the goal we all share of creating a first-class education service.
From Brian Lightman
General Secretary
Association of School and College Leaders
From: CUMMINGS, Dominic
Sent: 18 May 2012 17:13
To: Numerous union officials and Department for Education staff
Dear Brian
I have read your email [above].
Unfortunately I could not attend the Forum – I was talking to professors of maths and physics from Oxbridge about the lamentable collapse in educational standards they have had to suffer over the last two decades and the way in which trade unions’ refusal to face reality over grade inflation and the dumbing down of exams has made improvement so hard.
I hope the leak enquiry is more successful than the last one was into this leak on the front of the Guardian –
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/23/michael-gove-school-admissions-selection?INTCMP=SRCH
Your questioning of a future role for the Education Forum is interesting and I will discuss it with Michael and officials.
Best wishes
Dominic
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