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‘THE Tories unveiled their latest ground-breaking policy at Blackpool yesterday, as fun-loving conference delegates and morbid onlookers heard the news that “parents will be given the right to set up their own schools”.

Tory Boy grows up

And next to the headline in today’s Times, there’s a curious photo of the back of IDS’s head, as he sketches at an easel while Blackpool student Lizzie Stokes poses obligingly.

Unfortunately, we fear that the opportunity to set up schools may be a bit of an irrelevance by the time the Conservatives return to office.

It seems that they are in danger of being overtaken by events, because, as the paper reports two pages earlier, parents are already playing a major role in their children’s education.

They don’t just pay exorbitant fees or move house to get into the right catchment area (and bore other people rigid talking about it).

They don’t just drive their little darlings to and from school, dance classes and piano lessons. They don’t just…oh, you know the rest.

Anyway, it transpires that a large number of them also do their children’s homework too.

Critics say that this is bad, because this work counts towards exam marks. Nonsense, say the authorities, it is always possible to spot assisted work by comparing it to course work.

We concur. One will feature untidy handwriting, with poor grammar and numerous spelling mistakes.

By contrast, the children’s own efforts will be immaculately printed by computer in perfect 21st cntry txt englsh.’

Posted: 7th, October 2003 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink