THE Government must enforce traditional family values if it is to achieve its literacy and numeracy targets, according to the Association of Christian Teachers.
Girls and Asian children perform well in national tests so ministers must foster girls’ attitudes to learning, and the stability and expectations of Asian families, in the rest of the population, says ACT’s new pamphlet on raising standards.
Secular schools should try to mimic the success of religious schools, which perform well in league tables and enjoy high levels of commitment from teachers and families, says Levelling Up: The National Task to Improve School Standards.
ACT general secretary Richard Wilkins said: “National standards would probably be higher if most English schoolchildren had parents born in India, China, Japan or Vietnam. Three Christian values are involved in the issue of raising standards. First, it is an act of Christian love to provide children with the education they need. Second, Christian beliefs about the Kingdom of God suggest that it will be represented by distinct community institutions, such as schools. Third, children are more likely to honour their fathers and mothers if they do not grow up blaming their parents for giving them a poor education.”
Levelling Up: The National Task to Improve School Standards. 50p including postage from ACT, 94A London Road, St Albans AL1 1NX.
