Author Archives: Michael Bassey

The Independent View: Beware! A two tier state education system is being created

By Michael Bassey | Fri 17th September 2010 - 2:25 pm

Lib Dem MPs need to take a vital role restraining the exuberance of the Coalition’s secretary of state for education. His enthusiastic promotion of academy status for top ranking schools (as opposed to the previous government giving this to struggling schools) and his determination to get parents and others to set up state-funded free schools answerable only to himself, is in danger of creating a two-tier system of state education.

These innovations are driven by political ideology rather than by educational evidence and professional advice. They will undermine the erstwhile democratic attempts by local authorities, once supported by …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged education | 17 Comments

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Recent Comments

Tim
So glad you are a councillor again. Still miss you here....
Chris Webb
Excellent piece. I really like the "I'm a Liberal because..." idea, and will prod my local association along just those lines....
Mick Taylor
Hi Chris. A brave man to take on a seat on Lambeth. I suspect that the great increase in casework is at least partly caused by the huge cutbacks in Local Govern...
David Raw
@ William Wallace William, what's happened to the party's old policy of partnership and co-ownership ? If I remember correctly, our mutual friend Donald Wad...
William Wallace
Roz: This is exactly what we need to get us all thinking. I would add that we need to rethink our approach to political economy. Liberal democracy is easiest t...