Blunkett: Coalition's Education Bill is "downright old-fashioned Conservatism"

For immediate release

Former Education Secretary, Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, has strongly criticised the Lib Dem/Tory coalition government’s education reforms in a speech in the House of Commons.

Speaking during the Second Reading of the Education Bill on Monday evening, Mr Blunkett described the Bill as “a mixture of incrementalism, with which I agree; contradiction, with which I do not; historical misinterpretation; downright, old-fashioned Conservatism; and ... complete humiliation for the Liberal Democrats, who have been against most of the things in the Bill, but who now have to vote for it”.

Mr Blunkett highlighted the contradictions in the coalition’s approach, mocking Michael Gove’s insistence that schools teach a specific body of facts. “I thought at one stage that the Secretary of State was going to lay down a menu for all school meals that would have sweet and sour from Hong Kong, a little tortilla from Mexico and rolled herrings from Sweden and would be dictated by the Secretary of State, so that nobody missed out on the five portions of fruit and veg required every day – because that is how he is coming across,” Mr Blunkett said.

Mr Gove had used the Hong Kong, Mexican and Swedish education systems as examples in his speech, in which he said that schools should teach about certain rivers and musical composers.

Mr Blunkett again highlighted the contradiction of the Prime Minister seeking to boost a sense of national identity while Gove was “seeking to abolish citizenship from the curriculum”. Mr Blunkett said: “If we really want to ensure that we have a sense of belonging and that we understand our history, we need more than simply the teaching of historical figures, so that we can understand how our world works and how people find their place in it”.

Mr Blunkett said that his greatest fear about the Bill was the “politicisation” of the education system that it represented. “The parade is of freedom and localism, while the measures are about centralisation and diktat”, he said. “I fear that as the Government preach freedom, they take away the rights of those who should be driving the system – namely, the parents of the children concerned.”

ENDS

Comments

[ann sanderson]

I totally agree with the last sentence ie, taking away the parents powers. I totally agree with Mr Blunkett the parents ought to be in the driving seat, as they know best about their child. I am fed up of the rights of parents being taken away. Children over 7 losing their mum's to go to work, they need their mums at home (if mums wish this. It is like parents dont count now.

All schools care about is high attendance rates and high gcses.

Indeed yesterday I was told that fair access rejected my child a school as it was PREJUDICIAL TO THEM, ie, as on her FOUR WEEK ATTENDANCE AT HER LAST SCHOOL where she was bullied physicall and verbally almost daily, she took a week or so off out of fear and I allowed this, this gave her the label of a 'persistent low attender' and also as the school had low attendance issues IT IS NOT IN THEIR best interest to take her.

ARe children now marketing tools???

I just detest the whole education system and more so the new education bill eating away at parents rights, and protecting their children from darkened out isolation rooms for nearly 7 hrs at a time, at even 11 year of age - disgraceful. I would not want my child to go in here, especially not for forgetting their planner, which is what they do at some schools. So in the future parents will have their hands tied with how much they can do for their child, ie, a school will kick you and your child out if you do not allow the to do isolation - some chldren could not do it, I could not.

However, this greater anonymity to teachers who have misconduct issues with pupils. I have heard of kids being punched and pushed by teachers, but schools do a great job of lying and covering up, and now this new bill even encourages this more.

School have shown us edited highlights, fall papers, so who trusts schools when investigating pupils versus teachers re misconduct. I would not, in my last few years experience of lies, ignoring you, trying to stop you reporting bullying incidents, false papers, etc

Today I was also told, as my daughter has been bullied out of two high schools, that she was not offered a school last week at fair access as she has been to two and a third is not in her best interest, and yet they proceed to say she is going into another fair access meeting to get her a school. When I read this I thought how ridiculous.

I cannot understand education anymore, it is like bootcamp mentality. Kids are not allowed to be ill, or parents are not allowed to keep children off in really bad snow, as it ALL AFFECTS ATTENDANCE RATES. This is all they care about now.

It is like good results, high attendance rates, are more important than a child. AFter all my child being prejudicial to a school, versus every child matters, to me is a real joke.

I hope Mr Blunkett you can keep on speaking out about this, as some parents are unaware that even an education bill is being done.

[Aftedeermek]

gracias a Dios por intiresny

[Timberland Boots UK]

He is a good friend that speaks well of us behind our backs.