A few more bricks in the wall

Another day another dozen Government pronouncements. I have always been of the opinion that a Government is rather like a referee at a football match. Once you notice them they have lost control and are not doing a particularly good job.

Whenever anyone dares criticise our A star for everyone exams and target driven education system they are accused of being some sort of 'ist' exhibiting the worse sort of some 'ism' or other and we are told we are lucky to have a world class education system to go with our world class transport system, world class health system, world class . . . you get the picture.

Now the unfortunately named Ed Balls tells us that some 638 schools in England in our world class system are failing and is chucking £400 million at the problem with a threat they will be closed and replaced by academies, a pet project, or whatever happens to be education flavour of the month in 50 days time.

Meanwhile Lord Adonis, the schools minister, is planning schools that take kids if not from cradle to grave at least from nursery to when they gain their 48 A levels and are shipped off to university for remedial classes.

Our politicians seem to suffer from some sort of legislative deficiency syndrome almost as if it is in their contracts to produce half a dozen polices a day each.

Our kids get just one chance at education. What they are, who they become and how they earn a living - or not - will be moulded by their time at school and we are entrusting their futures to people you would have reservations about putting in charge of a paper round.

Perhaps the first lesson that everyone should learn when it comes to education is keep politicians out of it.