Friday 12 March 2010

No Ed, private schools aren't staffed by racists...

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Leaving aside the foaming at the mouth from various people about BNP-supporting teachers (not least the truly awful General Secretary of the NAS/UWT union), we should concern ourselves a little with the Government’s response. Indeed Ed Balls, the secretary of state has – surprise, surprise – used it as yet another excuse for an unwarranted attack on independent schools:

"Many independent schools belong to associations which have their own membership criteria. The associations provide advice and support, and their individual requirements provide a degree of self-regulation and discipline. All the available evidence suggests that these associations have high expectations of their members and have their own procedures for handling cases where problems arise.

"However, I remained concerned about Maurice Smith's observations about the independent sector and therefore I have asked him to explore further whether the current arrangements strike the right balance between allowing independent schools autonomy, operating in accordance with their ethos and values, and protecting the young people attending those schools from teachers displaying racist or intolerant views or behaviours that could be harmful."

So you see – all those public schools are staffed by tweed wearing, racists. Or worst still Tories! So we’ll have a review about “protecting the young people!!

Ed, not only are BNP supporting teachers not a problem but private schools aren’t a problem either. Maybe you should look instead at the abject failure of state schools – schools where two out of ten kids leave without the basic skills needed to get on in life.

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