On the Decision to Move to Two Tier
Posted by Richard | Filed under Education
So the Mayor, Executive and now the Council have made the decision to move, now, to a two-tier education system. We will embark on an expensive overhaul of our soon to be “Upper” schools and an expansion of the size of our Primary schools.
Putting on one-side the educational merits of two-tier vs three-tier – and on balance, I believe the arguments were in favour of two tier – the decision for a change is a very risky one at this time. The current government has so severely undermined the economy that there is very little faith that it has the money needed to meet its public funding promises. When the current period of artificial stimulus is over, and whichever party is in government, there will be a strain on the public finances more severe than any in living memory. Yet, despite this backdrop, the Mayor has led the decision to ask the Government for more money and foolishly taken them at their word that they have the wherewithal to pay. I have my doubts.
I say the Mayor has led this decision because his election was pivotal. Once the Liberal Democrats won the recent mayoral by-election, the middle schools gooses had been well and truly cooked. Although all parties split on the decision, Mayor Hodgson came out aggressively pro-two tier in the election, in marked contrast to the Conservative candidate, Parvez Akhtar, who favoured the status quo.
All the assurances about the availability of finances that have been made by the Labour government are now inherited by the Mayor. It his upon his assurances that this major upheaval in education is based. I, for one, would not have taken such a risk with our children’s education, but for all our children’s sake, I wish him luck.
