The moment that I more or less gave up on state system is etched in my mind with a thick, indelible Berol marker. It had been a catastrophic day (dinner hall fight between some of the Year 5 boys surrounded a braying pack of girls with 'Bratz attitude' encouraging the impromptu midday entertainment), laced with wet playtime, rounded off by a staff meeting with an agenda that would challenge Goliath and finally, Ms Murphy (traveller mother to cocky but smart Seamus O'Reilly, Year 6, embracing a bottle of Jack Daniels in the playground at around 6pm. That'll be a call to our friends and colleagues at Social Services ...AGAIN! I was becoming distinctly weary of the hallowed corridors at Peckland Primary.....
Once I finally got home, kissed my sleeping angels and ate the dried up meal lovingly prepared by my other half, I decided to cheer myself up by reading up on London's problems in the Evening Standard and learnt that '10 per cent of London pupils are taught at private school'. Hmm, really?
The article flashed trends and statistics, borough by borough, of the percentage of families going private citing the difficulties many parents had finding a place for their children in the good schools which are over-subscribed or the fact that several London boroughs had state schools with bad reputations.
However, there was the obligatory 'fight-back' statement from the leader of the National Union of Teachers..."State schools offer high-quality education (has he ever heard of Peckland?). Sadly, too many people think that if you pay for it, it's bound to be better. This is just not true." Sorry Steve, not sure when you were last in an inner city primary classroom but I'm off to buy the Times Ed. There's bound to be a suitable post in one of those prestigious Dulwich schools for a despairing dedicated professional.
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1 comment:
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