Friday 27 August 2010

Textbook fakecharity template article over at the BBC

See here.

It's got the lot:

1. Quote some 'report' by a fakecharity (Barnardo's wailing about "social segregation in the schools system").

2. Bung in a counter-quote from a right wring think tank that makes them sound peevish and petty. ("This approach is, to my mind, a kind of social engineering based on animosity to middle-class parents. You need to leave schools free to choose their own curriculum to target remedial measures.")

3. Round off with this, which is the worrying bit:

A Department for Education spokesman said: "The attainment gap in English schools is too wide and far too many students from disadvantaged backgrounds are in weaker schools. That is why we are implementing a comprehensive programme to make opportunity more equal. We are introducing a pupil premium; reforming the admissions system to make it simpler and fairer and getting the best teachers in the most disadvantaged areas."

So we're back to the good bad old days, barely three months after the new government came in, promising to be a bit better than the last lot.

7 comments:

JJ said...

No change there then.

Did you really believe politicians speak would suddenly change?

Anonymous said...

Education is the responsibility of the parent,thick parent=thick child.
Yep keep em thick ,then they will vote for the benefit party again ,who promise to subsidise thickness.
Besides someone has to be the bog cleaner ,we can't all be in nice little well paid quango jobs that's for the rich kids.
Yep keep em thick,keep the elite elite.

Steven_L said...

Why not just separate boys and girls in state schools for core subjects such as maths, english, science etc?

If it's good enough for all the fee-paying schools, surely that's the obvious thing to try, no?

Woman on a Raft said...

One big idea of comprehensive schooling was that it would stop social segregation. Thirty-five years on and we are now finding that instead of grammar schools quickly recruiting bright children regardless of background and getting in there early enough to make a difference, we have entire schools becoming statified, replicating and enforcing the social divisions much more firmly than the selective education system could ever hope to do.

Paraphrasing Libby Purves: we used to allocate school places by demonstrated ability and potential. Now the estate agents do it.

Mark Wadsworth said...

JJ, no, but a lot of other people did.

Anon, indeed. Rentseekers all sucking blood from an ever dwindling group.

SL, it may well be - so allow schools to select/segregate along any lines they wish and let's see what works best.

WOAR, so what's the answer? Above and beyond education vouchers, selection and streaming?

James Higham said...

That is why we are implementing a comprehensive programme to make opportunity more equal.

Groan.

Anonymous said...

"Getting the best teachers in the most disadvantaged areas"? Good luck to them with that, with national pay bargaining!