A date with Nicky Morgan!

I cannot believe my luck! I have been accosted which is most flattering, given my age and my looks! This time by the education secretary herself, albeit via an unsolicited email! Already we are on first-name terms!

The poor woman, of course, does not even know me (or my wife), which is just as well! She ought to be thankful! Mind you, for the record, she is not after me, which is a relief! But after my vote, which is not a relief!

I have no issues with the raising of educational standards (whatever that might mean – I need to have a word with uncle Charlie!), but how does one go about it? By keeping politics out of education, and letting teachers get on with it! My natural instincts tell me that teachers should be trusted more than politicians to get the job done! Now that would be a rather exciting, new and revolutionary initiative!

I do not understand why the education secretary seeks to blame the Labour Party for failing schools, whilst at the same time claiming that government policy explains educational success! Never mind the teachers, then, or parents, or auxiliary staff, or hard working pupils! My gut feeling tells me that there must a general election on the horizon!

Now whilst I am at … Teachers are generally overworked (because imposed upon like slaves expecting to make bricks without straw), greatly undervalued (more so than politicians), poorly paid, wrongly blamed for a general lack of discipline among young people (never mind the turbulence in the house of Commons!), and worst of all, living in fear of unerring, uninspectable Ofsted inspectors now endued from on high with plenipotentiary power which must fill any infallible pope with envy! Never in the field of human education was so much owed by so many teachers to so few inspectors, to coin an Ofsted slogan! Ask any failing school! Then thank our education secretary – who has invited all teachers for a date: May 7^th, 2015!

My verdict: Nicky Morgan must do better to get my vote!