Comments on: 100,000 pupils’ education overseen by a handful of rich men

By: Gary Brooke

Gary Brooke — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 17:16:21 +0000

The so-called ‘state school system’ has never been a centrally controlled system. Firstly, each constituent part of the UK has its own education system. Secondly, schools in England were supported by local authorities and not run from Whitehall. I use the word ‘supported’ advisedly. Since the demise of LEAs and the introduction of what was known as Local Management of Schools (LMS) in the late 80s, responsibility for running schools was given to head teachers and governors. Local authorities provided services (such as legal services or SEND services) but did not run schools. A degree of democratic accountability was also present with the involvement of local councillors who could adjudicate in issues relating to parents, their children and local schools. Schools were autonomous, which is something that they can’t be said of many schools in the academies sector, run as they are by unaccountable centralised managements at the top of a pyramid of power. These managements cannot be inspected, too, only audited unlike LAs (Local Authorities) which can be inspected by Ofsted. Your comment that academies are getting better results is not born out by the evidence, as provided by the DFE – and certainly not in the primary sector.

By: Chester Draws

Chester Draws — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 04:37:32 +0000

Academies are controlled, in the end, by rich men. But rich men who are in competition with each other. Rich men who have a stake in what they control.

LFF’s solution would be to put the schools under the control of the state. So fewer people would be in charge. And without any form of competition, and no-one really being held responsible for failure.

Today’s research shows that the altruism and vocation of teachers is rarely reflected at the top of academy trusts.

The board of the Department of Education isn’t all male, but it’s every bit as divorced from teachers as any academy — more so, since there’s a horde of bureaucrats in between the board and teachers.

LFF needs to own up that academies are getting better results than traditional system schools. Parents want to send their children to them, as a result. But what the people of the country want ranks rather low down the list of priorities for the modern Left.

By: John Pearson

John Pearson — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 22:07:53 +0000

The problem has always been the Israeli government and its hard right attitude to the Palestinian people. One can hate the policies of Right wing politicians – but that’s clearly not the same as hating the people or nation that they claim to represent.
Admittedly, some find that distinction difficult to grasp – and sadly that does include some on the Left. But to suggest that Corbyn is himself antisemitic is foolish and dishonest. He – like so many of us – is simply arguing in favour of a fair settlement for the Palestinians.

By: Eric Walker

Eric Walker — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 21:21:28 +0000

I am not a member of the Labour Party but I wonder who Dave Robert is? I think it quite likely that he is a ‘sleeper’ put into the L.P. by Shai Masot, one time Senior Political Officer at the Israeli Embassy in London about5 or so years ago. He was exposed in a 4 part TV series shown on Aljazeera T.V. and was recalled to Israel when the scandal about him became public. The programme is called THE LOBBY and can be seen on You Tube
I belonged to the Yellow Star Movement in London which older readers may remember was set up to counter Oswald Mosley’s attacks on the Jewish population in Ridley Road Hackney in the 1950s.

By: Mike Stallard

Mike Stallard — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:53:18 +0000

Free Schools when Michael Gove was in charge. I wanted one! So I went to the meeting in London. I couldn’t; understand why there were so few teachers and so many middle aged men in pin stripes! I asked the man sitting next to me…
Now I know.

By: Mike Stallard

Mike Stallard — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:52:54 +0000

Free Schools when Michael Gove was in charge. I wanted one! So I went to the meeting in London. I couldn’t;.t understand why there were so few teachers and so many middle aged men in pin stripes! I asked the man sitting next to me…
Now I know.

By: Alasdair MacVarish

Alasdair MacVarish — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:38:39 +0000

Chris Williamson is not at all a Jew hater. He was quite correct in stating that Labour has leant over backwards to accommodate the mostly false accusations of the Jewish Labour Movement. Berger did not need a police escort to attend conference. The men threatening her were all right wing nasties and 3 have been jailed. Ian Austin, John Mann and others have also been lying and are now Tories

By: Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 14:55:47 +0000

Jew hater Chris Williamson resigns fro Labour.