I did however, read Dave’s email on grammer schools and thought it was pretty
sensible. It is better to simply stream classes.

This is what they did in Ireland with very good results.

I do think though that teachers in many subjects work damned hard for what they get paid. I’ve never understood why you can’t have streaming/whole class teaching and set lesson plans designed by professionals. There is more than enough for teachers to do without going home and reinventing the wheel for every new lesson.

The job should be made easier. There should also be posts that pay very well to attract talented graduates. Its silly to pretend that all subjects/teachers are valued equally. When you pretend that this is the case you create a situation where talented people with skills that are valued highly in the private sector leave.

Returning to the issue of discipline/streaming etc.
Its not an election winning line to take but the reality is you can’t actually provide a fantastic education for every British child. The British are too varied in a way that Fins Danes and Koreans are not to make universal high attainment a reality.

You now have good sometimes vulnerable kids sitting next to violent, thick students who haven’t the faintest idea what is going on in the world outside their ipod and intergang relationships.

I don’t think its worth while getting uptight about the poor results of some students. Addressing their problems is too complicated and diverts energy and money away from other students who will provide the community with much higher returns over time.

If there was a way that like could be schooled with like British kids would be better off. Educationally Britain will never be able to compete with the Finns but at least you can make the best of what you’ve got.

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to suggest that the solution to this problem lies merely in the disciplining of students is vastly ignorant, but a stricter system of punishment would deal with a great deal of the problems the education system faces. i cannot see pedros point that students should be scared of teachers. judging by the level of constraint that some of my peers show, that would be asking for a chav attack.

i have lost faith in schools. without extreme self motivation, students are left without any reason to work or achieve anything that could be considered outstanding.

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The school in Hythe that I mentioned earlier might be a model in certain situs. It incorporates a working farm as part of the school. This provides excellent experiental training for all natural sciences, as well as for more agrarian studies and management/accountancy skills. This school also divides buildings by subject in a more campus style. One can observe accepted behaviour modify as children move between departments.

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Children are already tested at 11 and seperated into ability groups within state schools. This really is just as elitist as a seperate school – worse in my opinion to be the ‘bottom set’, knowing you are the lowest of the low.

By the age of 11, like it or not, there are already significant differences between the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ in every aspect.

Academic achievement is the only focus in this whole debate. For some reason, removing the most academic children from a class lowers the quality of the school. Is ‘quality’ delivered by these pupils? No wonder schools fail.

Far better to allow all schools to specialise and select.

Selection in not necessarily ‘top 5% academic only’ – otherwise our schools would be 95% empty.

We are already used to the idea of schools having a specialism (science, sport etc) however they cannot interview on that basis. Let them.

Let the sports academy select the children with athletic prowess and provide a good basic education.
Let the science academy select the children with aptitude and interest.
Perhaps schools with a focus on Music, Art ….. I’m sure head teachers will come up with remarkable ideas tailored to the needs of the local community.

Bespoke education solutions for our children please, not this formulaic “one-education-fits-all-prescribed-by-central-government-politicians-who-opt-out-of-it-themselves” failure of a system.

Come on Boris, sort this shambles out – you can do it!

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I prefer idlex’s idea of using the internet to make your own newspaper.

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Did you mean your comment about the Daily Telegraph – really?… go on, I dare you — try it! and if you read the J Daley column you’ll be hooked

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