The whole thing seems bizarre.Huge increases in population are happening and this is being imposed on places like Brentford with developments being approved with no serious addressing of the consequences. Health, Education and social quality at the fore of the list.It is within the councils ability to withhold, stall, delay and insist on these problems being resolved in a satisfactory manner that benefits the existing and future community which will reside here. Before green lighting any project.At the very least, this can bring the issue of schools and what the format may be, right to the fore.We have failing schools in both the Free School and Academy set up, but also in the authority/state sector as well.Hounslow has had consistently good schools for the last 40 years, better than some of the neighbouring boroughs.But it's the questions that don't get asked or answered that bother me.Declining education standards and choices have rumbled on now, decade after decade. The only answer to cover the cracks, is to dumb down exams - (Try doing a 1960 O -level in maths and a 1980 O -level maths and then a 2009 GCSE Maths. No comparison. I might add I really struggled to do the 1960 one !. Really hard, but managed a C at 1980 version and an A at the 2009 one! )But unquestioned, The private/ Public school system simply goes from strength to strength.Why does it do so much better?It's pupils (even those who do not go to the top universities) are in all the top jobs across the whole gamut of quality occupations and careers. It may not be the landed gentry class system anymore, but is certainly is still for those fortunate enough to have plenty of money backing them.It does not help that many who are on good salaries are not taxed in PAYE but by self certification. My brother in law does this. He earns 3 times my salary but pays the same tax. All legal but he can afford to send his 2 daughters to public school and it's all offset against tax as are a lot of other things that he has and gets tax relief and allowances for. Something that a lesser earner or even an equivalent earner in PAYE cannot do. It's all legal but until things are made a level playing field, we won't ever be able to drag our state school system onwards and upwardsIt would be very interesting to see just how well a failing school would do if it's staff and regime were replaced by those from a public school.Sure, there needs to be a body overseeing Free Schools and that the children are getting a good education to the highest possible standard. But can a local authority be trusted properly? Does the welfare of our children really get considered?I'm not so sure nowadays. One example being the imposition of Halal meat in all school meals. After 70 years of this country leading the way in trying to bring the most humane slaughter of meat for human consumption, we now feed our children meat slaughtered in a truly mediaeval manner. A huge fuss about horsemeat but not a word about a backward inhumane means foisted on unwitting youngsters. It is as offensive as FGM. No sign of that being imposed on our schoolchildren...yet. But both from the same ideaology.So much for choice. This is what shows the true vulnerability of the British education system in the hands of politicians and politically motivated careerists. It's the ideaology of all political parties in this country and their smudges and bodges that has put our children's education so far down the world standards.If they have to meddle with it, it should be an all party concensus along with clear facts and policies, properly presented and explained and not the sort of soundbite guff that gets fed to us all the timeIn the mean time, the Private school system cruises along navigating it's way clear of all the self created icebergs of the state and free school systems.
Anthony Waller ● 4461d