Then find out!

Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering, today revealed an amazing written exchange between him and the schools minister.

Philip had asked, "....how many pupils dropped out of school before the age of 16 in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England in the last 12 months?"

The reply came, "Information on pupils dropping out of schools is not collected, nor can it be accurately derived from the data currently collected on pupils."

Leaving aside the possibility that this was a answer which effectively means, "We're not telling you", it raises two very big questions:

1) When you are collecting so much how much more would it cost to answer these important questions? Are they not at all concerned, which they should be, or do they think that it will give a lie to their claim that everything is rosy in education?

2) At a time when they are preparing to raise the school leaving age to 18, did it not occur to them that the past experience at under 16 might just have been relevant?

It would be very difficult to answer Philip's question without looking failures or incompetents. Perhaps this was why they claim to have no idea or interest?