| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Education Guardian today - Feb 15th | |
| Posted by: | Iain Muir | |
| Date/Time: | 16/02/11 00:59:00 |
| Reading the Guardian article I fear that under pressure from all sides Toby has lost his Boris like veneer of innocent, bumbling, well meaning and is now displaying the true side of his elitist conservatism. Not surprising when you read his contributions to both The Spectator and Telegraph. Earlier in this thread I raised his attacks on both Christine Blower and Den Charman as examples of how he had lost the plot. Instead of recognising genuine concerns from local educational practitioners with decades of experience Toby plays the ‘political activist’ card and states ‘Trot and SWP’ influence within unions. No doubt there are far left members but I doubt that their contribution has much sway with the majority of members and their leaders who continue to raise difficult questions for Michael Gove as to the rationale for free schools, their funding, the funding of the Free Schools Network and the incredible rush towards this ill thought project. Toby’s link with the Tory madmen of LBHF through the acquisition of Palingswick House and ‘temporary’ use of the Bryony Centre confirms that WLFS is not part of the big society, more a small section, grabbing what it can from the whole community for the benefit of a few. As for the 400+ applications I am not surprised. LBHF is a very small LEA and parents have had little choice unless they met the criteria for a faith school (or were Tony Blair!) Many children went out of borough for secondary education, to Holland Park, Acton High and Sheen for example. WLFS marketing will have attracted many parents who rightly or wrongly felt existing schools could not match their claims. ‘Dotheboys Hall’ might have done as well........Shame about the new borough sponsored Academy due to open on the Stamford House site though which has had little publicity. Toby said above that he would no longer respond to debate on this site, hopefully he will change his mind. Iain Muir, not a Trot or SWP member, happy parent of two ex pupils from Acton High |