In response to Jane Kelly: Teachers are talentless drones. I know, I tried to be one, Cynical wrote:
Excellent article, which I fear explains much about our failed state education system.
By coincidence I read Lucy Kellaway’s article and thought “Why not?” Well educated, A level maths physics and chemistry, background mentoring stroppy young males (which is what army officers actually do) and even a trained instructor – what is not to like? Visited website, got to the box saying identify degree. For various reasons which are not relevant I did not complete my engineering degree course at UCL.
So I popped a note to the charity (NowTeach). Within an hour Rebecca Mond, the operations director, had got back to me saying that unfortunately with no degree I could not join the programme. She pointed out that I could, of course, work in the private sector or as unqualified in the state sector. She went on to add that they were hoping to get this restriction overturned by the government. Fat chance.
I still do not understand what the purpose of the Department for Education is. Nor do I understand why Cameron sacked Gove just as he was making progress against “The Blob” – as I believe the whole seething morass of LEA, DfE and other educationalists is known.
I don’t know enough to comment further and suspect that had I managed to go down this avenue it would have needed in tears in the staff room. I am thankful that I and my children were privately educated. The inability of the State to achieve this simple task is without one of the greatest under-achievements of government. “Education.
Education. Education”. Blair may have got the NUT votes, but he did squat for the children in classrooms and Cameron (son of Blair) failed to support Gove.
Once again, Westminster lets the country down. It is not good enough. Not by a very long chalk…
