Ted Wragg once said it was impossible to satirise educational officialdom because real events were more bizarre than anything he could dream up.
Today I received from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority a letter promoting yet more tests for Years 7 and 8 in English. With it came a “puzzle” to provide “entertainment value” for the teacher. A bright yellow rectangle catchily inscribed “Puzzle out your pupils’ progress with QCA optional tests”. You couldn’t make it up. The QCA has given me a kindergarten toy.
These are the people who asked teachers whether they wanted to scrap coursework at GCSE, and when we said “No” ignored us and went right ahead.
Malcolm Litten Somerset
