Former journalist Phil Dilks is chairman of Deeping St James Parish Council in south Lincs.
Served 8 years (2001-09) on Lincolnshire County Council (Labour lead on Education and Children's Services).
Former member Lincolnshire Police Authority (2002-09).
Member of Royal Anglian Association (former TA CSM), Co-operative Party, and GMB trade union.
Promoted by Phil Dilks, DSJ, PE6 8HD. A personal view and not that of any organisation of which I am a member or associated.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Tory hypocrisy on schools...
New blogger Hopi Sen exposes the hypocrisy of the Tories who are calling for a central edict to impose blazers in every school - at the same time as demanding less Whitehall interference...!
A few years ago I calculated that fewer than ten Labour MPs, out of a (then) total of 416 had ever run a business. THIS story in today's Telegraph exemplifies the effects of what happens when politicians have no idea how businesses work. Ok, a school is not a business, but in this case acts like one. It builds up a capital sum over a number of years to spend on an expensive project - maybe a refurbishment, or a new classroom. Now the government comes along and says that it must hand over 5% of any end of year surplus to the local authority in some sort of new tithe system. All this does is penalise good schools who manage their assets properly, and encourage all schools to spend every single penny of their budget for fear of being penalised for not doing so. Typical socialist economics of the mad house.
According to Hopi Sen, Michael Gove is also calling for proper school lunch breaks.
Step foward Alan McMurdo, Headteacher of Thomas Deacon City Academy in Peterborough, who has built a career on the idea that school students don't want breaks of any kind.
Let's have a debate by all means, but has anyone asked the kids?
Successful Schools Penalised by Labour
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I calculated that fewer than ten Labour MPs, out of a (then) total of 416 had ever run a business. THIS story in today's Telegraph exemplifies the effects of what happens when politicians have no idea how businesses work. Ok, a school is not a business, but in this case acts like one. It builds up a capital sum over a number of years to spend on an expensive project - maybe a refurbishment, or a new classroom. Now the government comes along and says that it must hand over 5% of any end of year surplus to the local authority in some sort of new tithe system. All this does is penalise good schools who manage their assets properly, and encourage all schools to spend every single penny of their budget for fear of being penalised for not doing so. Typical socialist economics of the mad house.
According to Hopi Sen, Michael Gove is also calling for proper school lunch breaks.
ReplyDeleteStep foward Alan McMurdo, Headteacher of Thomas Deacon City Academy in Peterborough, who has built a career on the idea that school students don't want breaks of any kind.
Let's have a debate by all means, but has anyone asked the kids?