It was quite salutary that on the day the Cambridge Primary Review was published, the Government was already rubbishing it on BBC News, describing it, astonishingly, as “disappointing” and “out of date”.

Robin Alexander’s review may hark back to Plowden in some respects, but many of us would consider that no bad thing. What I suspect sticks in the craw of government is that the review has children at its centre. It stands up against the systems-obsessed, test-laden, target-driven and punitive mechanics of our education system, in which children and those who strive to educate them are increasingly subservient to the process and the need for votes.

Having worked for 35 years in the public education sector, I was saddened and ashamed on Friday that the political party I have supported for 50 years cannot even acknowledge that this review has real merit.

Tony Roberts, Lancashire NAHT admin and membership secretary, Preston.