All that we can really ask of politicians is that they govern with moral purpose, whether we happen to agree with their line or not. Sadly this is not often appearing to be the case. To choose just two of the latest emanations from the Department of Education that send shivers down my spine –
Rather than being threatened with fines families need a coherent and deliverable vision of an educational New Deal benefitting from the positive lessons of lockdown as well as recognising the damage which needs repairing. Nothing less than an exciting new curriculum fit for the post-COVID world is needed, not one reduced to “bread rations”.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health believe that the current interruption to schooling risks “scarring the life chances of a generation” as schools are “the difference between surviving and thriving”. The reaction from unions and professional associations ranges from lefty obstructionism to attempts to preserve status quo.
At least there are helpful interventions from OFSTED and ISC. And very little from the parties in Westminster. But right now we need nothing short of a Royal Commission to belatedly get education right for the twenty-first century. And running through this must be moral purpose, and then parents will want their children to return to school!
As for whom is going to lead the Royal Commission AMC’s recruitment team is ready to start its search!
Anthony Millard
