Oh dear, we are back to our favourite subject: the problem of having a minister who has eaten a meal, ridden on a train, seen a bus (or certainly something that looked like one), or been to school (allegedly) and therefore knows how they should be run without having to ask for advice. Here are links to two recent pieces from the Independent.
The first reminds one that while some people may be motivated by financial reward, this is rarely the case with good teachers. And, while we are on the subject of judging teachers ... we all agree that 'bad' teachers should be brought up to scratch or 'moved on' but one mighty powerful reason this has not happened in the past is that it is enormously difficult to define what 'bad' means when faced with the sort of measurable criteria that are needed when disciplining someone. Oh, MG would say, you can tell from the exam results. This is the same MG who says that more learning needs to take place as there has been too much measurement.
This last is something on which we can, at last agree and which leads neatly to the second article in which Paul Vallely says everything that needs to be said about the state of education. '... parents need to tell Mr Gove that the real enemy of education is unnecessary political tinkering by people like him.' Good stuff, eh?
