[hatedbythemail]

well orangebird a big issue is how league tables etc have created a market for secondary education and schools competing for pupils - this year here many state schools have spent money marketing themselves because funding follows the pupil. add into that the middle classes who can afford to move into areas with "good" schools, the failure of lea's to enforce catchments and the un-level playing field created by the funding of voluntary aided schools and you have a right royal mess. instead of creating division within education which the government is doing, it should be ensuring every child has access to a good local school. they laughingly said "every child matters" but ive see first hand how that is not the case, that politicians will treat kids in existing schools as collateral damage in their pursuit of shiny new "super schools.". Capital funding structures are a stitch up, ringfenced for those new build super-schools at the expense of established, smaller local schools, and dependent upon matched funding from private sponsors, often religious ones. it stinks.

on the other point, i see where you are coming from but the issue of allowing religious expression within a secular state school, and dress codes within a faith school are different. if we didn't have faith schools the problem wouldnt arise - if pupils are alllowed freedom of religious expression within state schools. its a debate which will i'm sure rage on ;-)

---------- Post added at 10:00 ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 ----------

ps my kids go to the nearest primary and secondary schools. the primary does not do well in league tables but my child is doing brilliantly, as his brother befoee him did. its what schools do with the raw materials that counts and i really dont think even value added tables reflect that.