Schools chief goes to the bottom of the class

I will try to do my best to convey the fury I feel at Professor David Woods staggering comments quoted in today's Guardian, about so-called 'prejudiced' middle class parents insisting on privately educating their children in the face of excellent state provided education, without expletives.

In the first instance secondary education in some parts of London is in a state of crisis. I am amazed parents haven't taken to the streets. As an example, our local comprehensive has GCSE results below National average, they have been threatened with special measures, there were two knife related instances in 2009 and they run through head teachers like 'Have I Got News for You' rotates Quizmasters.

Call me 'prejudiced', as indeed the Government's key education advisor David Woods just has, but I think my children deserve better. When we first looked over the school we went with friends whose son was also then in Year 6. We were equally disquietened by the lack of discipline, organisation and ambition for the children, but my friend, a Governor of a local primary school, felt that if local parents didn't make a commitment to the school it would never improve.  Six weeks into his first term their studious and delightful son left that school for the last time in an ambulance, having been kicked in the head. He too is now being educated privately.

So who is to blame? The parents who have re-mortaged their houses to enable their children to be educated in schools where fear is replaced by learning? Or the Goverment, who seem unable to offer us decent education?  According to Woods the disproportionate number of parents in London who choose private education do so because they have, and I quote 'innate and uninformed' prejudices enflamed by attendance at 'dinner parties in Islington'. If this is the informed view of Government advisors no wonder education is in such a mess.

The infuriating truth is that we are not pretentious elitists wanting to buy our children advantage, indeed the majority of us are not even dinner party goers; we just want a good local state education and for many of us that is simply not an option without moving to the right postcode. Woods also dismisses as 'prejudiced' the higher level of parents who send their children to state primary schools and then turn to private schools post year 6. What about the poor woman the Goverment tried to pillory in October because she claimed a bogus postcode to get her child into a decent school? Or the ludicrous number of parents applying to top state schools like Tiffin? Or the growing number of parents driven to educate their children at home rather than send them into schools where results are poor and bulllying rife?

The bald truth is the system is a mess and people are so worried about it they are willing to sacrifice a great deal to give their children hope.

Our children are endlesssly appreciative of the opportunity to go to a good school. At the end of last term Joe got the highest effort grade in his senior school, repaying our decision as best he can.

This is all very serious. A Government that thinks it can dismiss the agonising decisions parents have to make, with ill considered remarks, is in danger of being out of touch. In the light of Woods comments you would think that local parents like those who are working with the newly formed social enterprise, the Parent Promoted Foundation, that aims to set up parent run schools. would be welcomed with open arms. Yet their extraordinary commitment is currently being met by a wall of beaurocracy. It is a shambles that needs sorting out. Calling concerned parents names seems a hopeless place to start.

Getting Festive

I think it all went well, although you'd have to ask one of the small army who have been to our house over the last few days, if that was the case. I do love Christmas, but I think I like it best when its over, and fun was been had by all.

Highlights include the reaction of our boys when they realised we had got them a pool table. It was wonderful, they fell into each others arms whilst screaming, a parents dream. Thanks to Matt at SEL who told me that he and his brother got a pool table when they were 13 and 11 and it was the best present ever. He was right, they have been playing ever since, practically sleeping with their cue's.

Chris did a fantastic job at getting the Christmas dinner to the table without a drama which was quite something given that the nine we fed on Christmas Day followed the twenty we had on Christmas Eve which followed the forty we had two nights before.  Explaining why we are enjoying the peace and quiet.

We took the kids out to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie this evening, which is not great by the way, and afterwards they talked about who would host the festivities when they were grown up, assuming that they would always be together for Christmas.

Final highlights; Chris's excellent non-pork Turkey stuffings (my lovely sister-in-law is Muslim, we think she's fab for throwing herself into Christmas so the least we can do is make it a pork free zone), my groovy purple wellies which will cut quite a dash at the allotment, my Mum's Christmas Pudding , and finally, and without doubt top banana, little Oliver, our newest nephew/cousin, born on Christmas Day.