Education is also failing the brightest children

I reported recently that our educational system is failing to produce SATS qualification for children from poorest families on a par with those from the rest of society.

Recently (22nd May) The Daily Telegraph also revealed that our brightest children are also being failed. The problem is that "coasting schools" by virtue of able intakes have been able to avoid scrutiny because they produced average or better than average examination results. Projecting the results of answers given by a sample of Education authorities to all schools leads the Telegraph to conclude that there could be as many as 130 coasting schools in England.

These (secondary) schools suggest a lack of progress among their students who early on (in SATS) show considerable promise but who achieve GCSE results which are very ordinary. Results through the schools show a static level of achievement, and the schools themselves receive disappointing Ofsted results and reveal unsatisfactory pupil tracking records or a lack of attempt to pick up problems and try to correct them.

This is an indictment of the system, especially in view of the huge sums pumped into Education by G.Brown.

It is possible to speculate on the reasons, - the ethos which frowns on superior performance and competition and excellence, the huge demands on teachers in meeting targets and enduring frequent changes, the time and resources devoted to dealing with disruptive and underperforming students and inadequate leadership and staff deficiencies, etc. These are dangers facing all schools, but there may be concentrations of problems in particular areas and schools.