Priti 4 Witham

I’m back on the subject of education but not that ‘pointless’ debate, which I’ll leave you to judge whether it should or should not have taken place… The Times today  reports that the Conservative education policy review is expected to recommend that schools have ‘fewer, but tougher’ exams, as we are an ‘over examined and over tested nation’. I couldn’t agree more, as school children in England are the most tested in the world. However, testing is only one area of educational reform the Conservative party desperately needs to address. Pupil behaviour is a major problem in our schools, yes it is the result of many ’societal’ factors, but it still needs to be addressed.

Yesterday the Education Secretary Alan Johnson said protecting teachers from web bullies (an ever-growing area), is a top priority. Easier said than done, as our teachers who are under ever increasing pressure to meet targets don’t have the powers to tackle the wide range of behavioural problems that turn up in our schools every day. Let’s hope that the Party’s education policy review gets to the point and gives teachers and schools the powers they need to address the range of behavioural problems that seem to have become the norm in our schools.