Is Michael Gove as dangerous as he sounds?

[teamsaint]

But they will care when they try to defend the shambles at a subsequent election.

but it really won't affect enough people to matter, sadly.

My point will still apply, even if they lose the election.

If the people in charge in this country REALLY cared about education, we wouldn't have had to put up with decades of substandard comprehensives.

Tinker round the edges to look busy, but leave the real situation unchanged, is pretty much how it is.

Education is principally a weeding out process for the top universities, and the professions.
Sad, but true.

[StephenO]

doesn't really matter to the folks in charge of the tory (and liberal) party, though.

I hate to be pedantic (sort of, anway!) but can I point out that there is still a Liberal Party in Britain, quite separate from the Lib Dems? It was formed in 1989 by a small group of disgruntled Libs who weren't keen on merging with the SDP. It has around 200 members nationally and 25 local councillors. It came third in Liverpool West Derby in the 2010 election with 9.3% of the vote, beating the Tories into fourth place. Unilke the Lib Dems, the Liberal Party is strongly anti-EU.

Just wanted to clear that up!

[MrGongGong]

we wouldn't have had to put up with decades of substandard comprehensives..

I went to a very "substandard" Grammar school
nothing wrong with comprehensive education if it really is comprehensive, but that's become more or less impossible now..........

[Cellini]

Most of the schools that have converted to academies have been comprehensive (as the majority of schools are). They become selective in their intake.

As for determining who is hired or fired, in my experience (as a school governor in the past) the sedlection panel, made up of governors (including the head) & local authority advisors are the people who appointed teachers. Academy sponsors can appoint governors to the school. I think you will find that when your school becomes an academy you could very well find that the headteacher has rather less say than now. The local authority - & the local community - will also have rather less influence.

Yes, Flossie, you are quite right. I know of a comprehensive that had a special music course attached and it was sold off to a local capitalist and in the end all the specialist music staff either left or were not re-employed. The music department of course went under and all they teach now is percussion. This all happened against tremendous protests by the parents and pupils, and the music profession. The buyer was a bedfellow of a certain ex-PM of course. Corruption knows no bounds.

And the local authority and taxpayer had to fund the almost total rebuilding of the school.

[teamsaint]

I went to a very "substandard" Grammar school
nothing wrong with comprehensive education if it really is comprehensive, but that's become more or less impossible now..........

oh, I have no problem with comprehensive education in principle ... just the substandard bit. And there are good and bad in all sectors..its just that more people get to go to a "bog standard" comp than any other type.

and certainly,just because you select pupils by "ability" and get high exam results doesn't necessarily make you a good school.

[amateur51]

Is Michael Gove as dangerous as he sounds?

Apparently, in the view of Mr Justice Holman, he is!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12429152

[Bryn]

Indeed, he's a very naughty boy,and the Tory spokesman (and it was a man, not his mum) put up to support him on BBC News was decidedly fidgety during his lame attempts at his role.

[Chris Newman]

Not a good day for the Government. First Gove then a U-turn on forests.

[Bryn]

Not so much a u-turn on the forestry selloff. More a Mubarak style delaying tactic.

[Paul Sherratt]

Capture competition

http://outofafrica2010.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/michael-gove-s-stewardship-7045094300.jpg

Reward offered

[BetweenTheStaves]

doesn't really matter to the folks in charge of the tory (and liberal) party, though.

Their kids will still go to the best schools and universities, which is the main thing.

Just like the Shadow Cabinet then.

[teamsaint]

Just like the Shadow Cabinet then.

thats true.

Glad you pointed that out.

No one decent left to vote for.

[Bryn]

Brighton Pavilion leads the way.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Not a good day for the Government. First Gove then a U-turn on forests.

But Gove is still there. He has to go, before he completely destroys the state education system. The havoc could take many decades to repair if he carries on for much longer.

[BetweenTheStaves]

......The havoc could take many decades to repair if he carries on for much longer.

Ah but he's starting from a firm foundation of havoc and mayhem created by the last Labour Govt..so he can hardly make things any worse.