Comments on: We need more school choice, not less

By: Simon_C

Simon_C — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:45:46 +0000

For what it's worth, I am also deeply opposed to faith based schools. To my mind the only place there is for religion in school is for teaching what the faiths bellive and their history. To me, it is abhorrent to polute young minds with what I view as religious superstition.

As I say in someone's tag line. "You keep your religion out of our schools, I'll keep my thinking out or your church"

By: mikestallard

mikestallard — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 08:39:19 +0000

It might be helpful here to say how things feel at grass roots.

We have some really bad Comps round here. The average GCSE pass rate this year hovers round the low 40%s. Our biggest Comp is is fresh start. So little hope there.
Our Grammar School (wisely) went independent. It is excellent in every way. But it costs

By: John Wrexham

John Wrexham — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:12:02 +0000

It looks like nowadays about the only thing the Government does not allow your choice of school for your child to be based upon is academic ability and potential:

where your parents live, how easy it is for you to move house, whether you are good at sport, music, art or drama; being very poor, being very rich, believing a certain religion, going to the right church – all these have a huge influence on the school you might end up in… seems like time for a change!

By: Francesca Preece

Francesca Preece — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:07:50 +0000

On the Catholic question, I expect these Labour MPs are critical as they seem to believe that there isn't a tradition of Christianity in this country.

It seems absurd to them that some parents may want their children to follow the Catholic flock, especially since many of these politicians have helped to undermine the Christian faith and are overly keen to promote atheism.

As for the state vs private school war, I wish the Government would acknowledge its failings in comprehensive education rather than to attack private schools for running their businesses successfully.

Very few or none of these public schools have state funding so why do the Government single them out as scapegoats of their own ills in providing education to its young citizens?

Public schools do not necessarily give a better education and it is unfair to suggest otherwise. You are what you make of your education.

A little elbow grease and diligence go a long way, irrespective of your place in society or school.

By: Mike H

Mike H — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:11:43 +0000

While I support your call for greater choice in education, I am opposed to the establishment of more faith-based schools. I accept that they provide a better education (according to Ofsted) than many state schools, but I am concerned that they also have the potential to create yet more division in society.

The root of the problem lies in the poor standard of schools provided by the state in some areas. If the state schools raised their game there would be no need for the faith-based alternative.

Would the introduction of faith schools close to an inner-city sink school solve all the problems? I would argue that the answer is 'no'. The more able children and those with parents who cared about education would benefit from the faith-based offering, but the inevitable selection process would ensure that the 'problem' kids remained at the sink school. The underlying issue would therefore remain unresolved.

The roots of the problem are those factors that have led to the sink school becoming 'sink' in the first place. That's what needs to be addressed, not just the introduction of more competition. And the solution, in part, is the banishing of the failed fluffy liberal ideas that have plagued much of the state education system for many years, and the re-introduction of effective school discipline.