NOT the least of the follies of New Labour is its belief in a children’s crusade. Youngsters were asked for their views on the Bill to improve school standards. Their answers were the sort of stuff that teachers have to read in endless pieces of “written work” and listen to in classroom “discussions”.
As a contribution to intelligent discussion on the first major piece of legislation for our devolved Parliament the consultation exercise undertaken by Save the Children and portentously recounted in last week’s Executive paper accompanying the Bill was nonsense.
Even worse, however, is the pledge to involve pupils. What on earth do they know about the curriculum or methods of learning? The New Testament got it right: “When I became a man, I put away childish things.”
Harry Clark
Dennistoun, Glasgow
