“During the last week of May, (her teacher Michael Sanderson) brought a TV into class so that everyone could see the ceremony marking the completion of the Ground Zero clean-up. Hilary wore her brave face and watched along with everyone else. Afterward, Sanderson asked if he could see her in the hallway.‘You’re my hero,’ he said.‘You’ve just been so outstanding in front of your peers all year. I want to cry right now.’ So did she out of utter embarrassment.”
Time magazine article on 12-year-old Hilary Strauch’s attempts to rebuild her life after losing her father in the Twin Towers attack “As of this week no one has admitted to a single case of suspected paedophilia from this monumental inquisition. It is a farce, a classic example of why managerial discretion should never be taken away from responsible employers, let alone given to Whitehall.”
Simon Jenkins, Evening Standard, September 5, on the teacher vetting crisis “The condition of inner-city education has deteriorated from crisis to imploding despair. The gap between the achievements of inner-city schools and their suburban and rural counterparts has not only failed to close during Labour’s period in office, it has actually widened. Blairite initiatives ... undermine the morale of teaching staff and the autonomy of individual schools.”
The Daily Telegraph editorial, September 5
“Edison is struggling mightily, and it’s hard not to conclude that its public status is partially responsible. Edison’s experience calls into question whether a publicly-held company can operate public schools and be a viable business. Despite winning several contracts to run schools ...
the company has reported mixed educational results and dismal financial ones.”
Daniel Gross, Slate magazine, on Edison, the US company which runs state schools
“Sport is one of the key ways in which children learn about justice, the nature of authority and how to lose gracefully, which unlike the urge to win, doesn’t come naturally. They also learn the stewardship of time, for in many sports, teams are playing not just against their opponents but also against the clock.”
The Rev Dr Colin Morris, Thought for the Day, BBCRadio 4‘s Today Programme, September 5
