Crikey!

So once more the country rejoices to the news of record 'A' and 'O' level results, OK I know they are called GCSEs, but they are 'O' levels to me. So what is really happening on our education system that every year results seem to get better and better. Are the examinations easier? Is the pass mark being artificially lowered so that 45% correct now means you get an A? Do teachers coach rather than teach these days, and is internet plagiarism and assignment co-operation leading to learning by rote.

Teaching is a peculiar profession. Many times I have been involved in discussions about the difficulty of teaching children, and I would be the first to admit that more and more parents acquiesce all moral and disciplinary responsibility to teachers. Teachers in turn are restricted in the disciplinary measures they can use, and hence the education system turns out, or fails more and more 'latchkey' kids as I would call them. The tragic incident in Croxteth yesterday being the extreme result of such a breakdown.

Going back to basic education though, worryingly the latest figures show that the number of children with adequate English and maths qualifications is dropping and is approaching a level of less than 50%. Now if we are producing that level of numeracy and grammar after 11 years of teaching a child, then the system really does need looking at.

I have referred before to the levelling of the educational playing field under the Blair administration, maybe the old adage that a teacher with 15 years experience really only has one years experience duplicated 15 times, is coming back to haunt us. I don't know the answer, but parental control, discipline at school, and respect for other people, have to be drilled into our kids at an early age, and re-enforced as they grow up. Only then will educational standards be judged as having improved and such improvements will be universally welcomed and applauded.