As an ex secondary Headteacher I have a very good handle on education.
In my view the last six years of Tory education policy has been an absolute disaster. They have brought in Free Schools, Religious Schools, Academies and Grammar Schools. All of which are hugely expensive and have siphoned funding away from mainstream schools causing all manner of damage. Not only that but all of the new initiatives have been abysmal. They have reduced pay and pensions for teachers, demoralised the staff, brought in layers of bureaucracy, unwanted change, politicised Ofsted and wasted money right, left and centre.
Free Schools
An attempt to get education on the cheap that has backfired. The Free School programme has allowed any idiot or person with vested interests to set up their own schools. We have had religious nutcases, political and business interests all wanting to get their hands on our children.
They are expensive to set up and many have already gone bust and shut due to mismanagement.
Of the ones that are still running there are many totally undesirable people looking to indoctrinate our children with their religious beliefs or strange views.
They employ unqualified staff, provide dubious teaching stands, and substandard education.
What an absolute horror of an idea. You couldn’t make it up.
Religious Schools
They are promoting more religious schools. Yes I’m sure religious communities want that but do we really want our young children indoctrinated? Do we want them segregated from other children and brought up apart? Or do we want them integrated and educated to think?
Education should not be indoctrination. We do not want Muslim, Jewish, Catholic or Protestant children isolated from the broad society outside, Surely that isolation leads to separation and fanaticism? Are we sowing the seeds for a future generation of terrorists?
I think integration is desirable.
Segregation through religion leads to trouble. So short sighted.
Academies
Schools were bribed with promises of extra funding to become academies. What a mistake. The funding promises did not materialise. They were lied to.
The true purpose was political – to undermine the power of the local authorities.
Academies are left without support or a network and with a huge extra burden of bureaucracy and extra work. They have to go through processes of buying in the services previously provided by the local authorities. They have changed schools into businesses. But education should not be a business. Children’s education should not be run as a business.
Grammar Schools
Selection at eleven (or 13) is a terrible thing to put our children through. It creates winners and losers and scars many children for life. If you pass you are great. If you fail you are useless.
The successful become arrogant. The failures become demotivated.
10% are successful. 90% fail. How can that possibly be good?
Of course it panders to the Tory voters, the more affluent. They pay for private education or tuition. They put in the cash to ensure their children pass the exam. It is not a level playing field.
If you want to know how to put in an education system that is brilliant and fair then try reading my book on education. Just click on the link:
