Birmingham Post - News Blog

Choosing a secondary school - it's every parent's nightmare

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:44:01 +0000

"It's a bit like throwing your kid to the wolves" is how one of my colleagues described sending their child to secondary school.
And he's right. Parents across the land currently deciding which secondary to send their precious ones to will understand what he means.

Gordon's vacuum is putting Right on Left track

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:10:49 +0000

I see the Conservative Party has taken up the fight against the inequality gap within our schools.
Hardly surprising really, given the sad vacuum left by New Labour in this area. Gordon Brown's problems are not just about his unexciting public image. Nor do they stem completely from his dithering over holding an Election or the failure of his "safe pair of hands" to save us in the teeth of a recession.

Lessons from the Fonz

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:56:39 +0000

I met the Fonz the other day. He's a childhood hero and the only person I've ever asked for an autograph. Never thought I'd actually get to meet him.
Before going I asked a few friends if they had any questions for him.

When it comes to schools, is the local authority all gloss but no action?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:47:46 +0000

Now then. I went to a conference the other day held by Birmingham City Council which was all about "Creating a Brighter Future for Children and Young People in Birmingham".
I always get a bit confused by these things - there was a glossy booklet to go with it (why do they have to waste public money on top quality paper?) spelling out the "Birmingham strategy" that had a lot of diagrams in it. There was talk about "priority outcomes", "multi-disciplinary leadership", "evidence-based initiatives" and "population-wide prevention".

Students learn that cheating pays

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:00:00 +0000

It appears students are increasingly cheating. As well as cutting and pasting the work of others off the internet, they are now paying freelancers to do their work for them. It's called contract cheating.

It's not education but...

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:35:46 +0000

I've met a few people of note in my time as a journalist. Heads of state. Sporting heroes. Dames and Knights of the Realm. Religious leaders. Celebs. But none have impressed me as much as Maureen Mitchell.

Government is right to call time on failing schools

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:26:18 +0000

You've got to admire the Government. It's basically hung an axe over the head of 638 secondary schools it believes aren't doing well enough.
These schools now either need to shape up or face the consequences, which could include being shut down.

Education gives our kids a lesson in inequality

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:25:12 +0000

Scandal is the word that springs to mind. I'm talking about a Government report that shows children from the poorest areas have the least qualified teachers.
It makes you wonder what education is for in this country. Is it to perpetuate social inequality or is it to help children no matter what their background make the most of their lives?

And the award goes to...

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:09:07 +0000

Awards. What are they good for? Advancing careers, mostly.
These days there's an award for everything, from best restaurant to best inside leg measurer. OK, I made up that last one. But you get the point.

Council needs a lesson in plain speaking

Tue, 27 May 2008 15:12:13 +0000

Take a look at the diagram below. Still awake? Or have you sunk into a state of near death.

If you work for Birmingham City Council's education services you should be very excited by it.
Tony Howell, head of the service, certainly is. It appears beside an article penned by Mr Howell in the latest edition of Brighter Futures, a glossy magazine produced by the authority that goes out to everyone working in children's services in the city, including headteachers.

Black and white issue for schools

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:48:10 +0000

I met the Jamaican Prime Minister the other day and among other things, asked him what he thought about the under-achievement of black African Caribbean boys in this country.
It's a problem that has perplexed educationalists for a long while. He said he would look into it.

The truth about SATs

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:22:57 +0000

What do we make about the latest round of criticisms against SATs? This week they got a right kicking from the education sector in the wake of a damning report from the Government's own schools select committee made up of MPs.
The night before Panorama put the boot in as well with an edition called Tested to Destruction which featured a load of educationalists saying how damaging national testing is to children.
In the face of all this, Ministers remain unrepentant and insist SATs are a key tool in raising attainment.
Knowing who to believe is a bit tricky.

Lets be honest about state education

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:45:18 +0000

Well done to Chris Parry, the new head of the Independent Schools Council, for saying it like it is.
He's come under fire for claiming the quality of state education is "very poor" and is forcing thousands of parents to go private.
This week he was put under question by a Government talk shop made up of MPs who focus on education.
Whitehall veteran and head of the so-called "education select committee" Barry Sheerman took offence to Mr Parry's description of private schooling as "paid for" education, claiming state school parents also pay through their taxes.
Mr Parry's retort was brilliant.

Do teachers have right to strike?

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:41:09 +0000

The biggest teacher strike in recent decades will soon be upon us. Some schools - including my sons - will be shut for two days this week.
The disruption to parents, many of whom will have to sort out alternative childcare arrangements - will be major.
The mood among many parents I have spoken to is one of frustration and even resentment. It is, after all, the teachers and Ministers who constantly tell us how damaging it is to miss even one day from school. They tell us off for taking holidays during term time highlighting the impact on our children's education.

Does the Ecuador tragedy mean we need to better protect our children?

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:27:47 +0000

One can only imagine what the parents of those poor young women killed on a gap year trip to Ecuador are going through.
Their children were cut down in their prime, a lifetime of possibilities ahead of them. Today the inquest into the death of one of them - 19-year-old Elizabeth Pincock - started and Inevitably the thought will have crossed her parents' mind 'were we right to have let her go'.
The answer is yes. what has been interesting about the aftermath of this tragedy has been the relative lack of people coming forward to criticise school trips.
Admittedly, this was not a school trip, but an organised expedition run by Warwickshire-based company VentureCo which specialises in gap year students.