When Tony Blair famously stated his priorities as ‘education, education, education’, no one could have foreseen the extent to which this subject would come to dominate the news, on an almost daily basis. Pronouncements from the Secretary of State, speeches by the Inspector of Schools, reports by OfSTED, seem to pour forth in an unending stream, outlining failures and promising success.
The frankness with which which those charged with running the state education system describe the problems which beset it is something new. The old idea of all pulling together and not rocking the boat seems to have been abandoned. This is a good thing, because it helps if the public discourse bears some relation to reality, and the reality is that for many children in Britain today, the education they receive is simply appalling.
Rich parents can opt out, of course, either by sending their children to independent schools, or by moving to areas where the state schools are good. But many thousands of parents are simply stuck, having to watch while their children’s futures are blighted by their schools’ failure to impart knowledge or control bad behaviour.
It would help if the government could make up its mind which line it wants to pursue. For years, the buzz-word has been ‘inclusion’, meaning that disruptive pupils have to be kept in the classroom. Now, according to Ruth Kelly, the policy is to be ‘zero tolerance’. This sounds more sensible, although throwing a system into reverse can damage the gears. The teachers’ unions are (unsurprisingly) supportive of the new line, although in some cases they are claiming that it must be accompanied by special facilities to teach and train the disruptive pupils. But why? Educational resources are scarce, and should be concentrated on those who want to learn. You cannot educate children against their will, and it is almost as true to say that you cannot educate children without the support of their parents. Education is a privilege, not a right. Young hoodlums who disrupt the classroom should be expelled until such time as they realise that, without education, their lives will go nowhere. It might take a long time, and indeed, in some cases the moment of revelation may never arrive, but it is better to be realistic about a grim situation than to live in a world of fantasy policy initiatives that are supposedly going to make children sit still and learn, against their will.