Wednesday, October 03, 2007

So are our 9,000 11-plus failures sheep or goats...ask the Tories!

According to the Daily Torygraph, the Conservatives made clear yesterday that there would be no return to grammar schools.

Michael Gove, shadow spokesman for the children, schools and families signalled that there would be no revival of the two-tier education system that split pupils into the "fortunate and the forgotten".

He told the party conference: "Instead of two nations, instead of the educationally rich and the knowledge poor, sheep and goats, the fortunate and the forgotten, we should have an education system which overcomes disadvantage, unlocks talent and unites our country. That is my vision and it should remain our mission."


Well that's clear then.

Of course, Mr Gove was anxious not to re-kindle the self-inflicted Grammar Wars within the Tory Party. So he didn't mention that following Cameron's priceless u-turn in the summer, official Tory policy is for MORE Grammar Schools to be built in places that already have them.

Like here in Lincolnshire, for example, where more than 9,000 children attend 19 Secondary Modern schools because they failed their 11-plus.

Are these the sheep or goats, Mr Gove?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

no mention of the post office closures?

Anonymous said...

Dear anonymous,

I think you can be safe in your prediction that Fair Deal Phil will stay off the subject of Post Office closures.

Which is a shame because we are crying out for a bit of honesty on this subject.

An example: Bailgate in uphill Lincoln.

This is the last Post Office in Britain that anyone should consider closing.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm ! Sounds a bit like the outcries after Dr Beeching's review of the Railways.

Everybody wanted to save the branch lines - Nobody wanted to use or pay for them !

Anonymous said...

Dear GW in Green Anorak,

The Beeching comparison is valid in two respects.

1. The axe was justified by resource to straight managerialism without proper costing of social benefits.

2. They have been regretted ever since.

With hindsight it is clear that the East Lincs Line (not a Beeching cut, but October 1970) should not have closed. It would be standing room only at peak times now and helping regenerate East Lindsey.

So put that in your anorak pocket next to the thermos, GW.

Anonymous said...

Like I said Nobody was prepared to use or pay for the Branch line railways, or sub post offices !

GW

Anonymous said...

GW's logic would leave us without street cleaning, armed services, schools, hospitals.

There are things that are valuable in themselves, GW.

I'm sure you know that really.

Anonymous said...

Grammar schools help the overall standards of education. Comprehensives may at first seem fairer but overall the results are lower.

They are also less keen on teaching science at A level. There is no evidence to show comprehensives work. Intelligent pupils only end up being mercilessly bullied. Any parent with any money will take their child out of the school and sending them private instead. Comprehensives are essentially secondary moderns. There's not much difference between the results of the Deepings School or Robert Manning.