“SCANDAL” That is what it is.

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Schools and colleges are responsible for their own budgets, so any prudent headmistress will shove some away for a rainy day, especially in anticipation of the government cuts which WILL be made to education in the future by whichever government is in control.

Although Labour doesn’t cut spending, they merely “invest” negatively, you can see it happening already – capital projects for school refurbishment or building put on hold after the contract has been signed, leaving principals to pick up the pieces.

The money’s not there folks, we’re at the end of the era of government largesse.

ALL schools should be privatised and allowed to compete for pupils. All parents should be given a voucher for each child, entitling them to free education. Schools would charge according to their competence, ability and popularity. By definition, the higher-achieving schools could charge top-up fees. It would weed out the hopeless teachers because they wouldn’t be employed while the better ones could command a better salary.

After primary level, the state should not be involved in education at all. It’s tossed backwards and forwards with each now government and becomes a political football.

Continuous changes to curriculum, methods of teaching, the political need to make sure that all children have high GCSE passes, the keeping back of the brightest to allow all pupils to drift downwards to a common level, in fact all aspects of educational life, mean that general education policy is a mess and does not give the best to children.

Private schools, (where they are left alone by the government), do better. The answer is to allow all schools to become private and let the market decide what it wants.

If your kiddie and you don’t like stats, you send them to a private school that doesn’t do stats. If your kiddie and you like the pressure of daily exams, send your kiddie to a school that offers daily exams. If you and your kiddie prefer vocational training, you send them to a vocational school.

Where education is totally private and paid for, it is valued and pupils work hard and respect their teachers. Parents support teachers because they want a return on their investment.

Where education is free and seen as a “right”, it creates an under-class who don’t really want to be there and have nothing to lose by doing nothing but disturb the class.

The government pontificates a lot about “parental choice”, but pontification is as far as it gets. In all honesty, do you, as a parent or pupil, have any real choice about your education?

Let’s get real – kick the state out of secondary education and stop handing these taxpayers’ millions to individual schools to sit on and “invest”, (as you can see, to no educational benefit).

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Rodney, I agree with much of what you write though I wouldn’t call the schools private as they still receive taxpayer funding, but instead – charter schools. New Zealand has run a charter system for several decades now and it has proven worthwhile. Costs are much less than in the UK or here in Canada yet student achievement has improved.
Per pupil spending is highest in the US followed by Canada which suggests that throwing lots of money at the system may not be in a student’s best interest.
Here in BC it is the school district which handles the cash and as usual there is a deficit this year in our district. We cannot blame the school district administration entirely as they are at the mercy of the teachers’ and other unions involved with the school system. Over 93% of education funding is for salaries and benefits of employees. Compared to other public services and especially the private sector the contracts are rich indeed, with almost 90% of BC’s workforce earning less than teachers.
Because of a ‘lack of funding’ some school districts have gone to a 4 day week and or a shortened year. Adding 5 or 6 minutes to the end of each day, school districts have reduced the school year by a week and even more. In this way they have been able to lay off janitors, bus drivers etc., thus saving money. Teachers and administration have, of course, continued to earn the same salary.
The idea of private, charter or a voucher system is unlikely here because of the power of the unions. They are, in fact, large corporations with huge financial power. It is very hard to find an answer but I was interested to read your views from the other side of the pond.

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its hardly a scandal that they have money in the bank is it – typical socialist thinking from this labour communist – its a scandal what labour have done to education abolishing grammer schools, upping private school fees, hiking my taxes and wasting all this money on PFI school buildlings and making kids all carry knives and such, they are sinful in their wicked socialist ways, they waste money like and need to be kicked out now

when i was a lad we were taught in an old victorian grammer, the roof leaked a bit and the head master would wack you if you were cheeky but we got on allrite and learned stuff ok. we didnt give lip to the older guys either or you’d end up fagging and thats a tough life for the little ones

We need urgent tax cuts now and i would take this money off the schools and give it back to the tax payer as a rebate off their council tax but you must ignore wat that labour guy thinks and get cameroon and ozzie in now to cut taxes or we are all doomed to years of debt

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I am wondering how schools in England and Wales are governed, and does funding arrive on a per pupil basis directly to a school’s principal? Does the principal have a support system through parents, councillors and staff as to how and where funds are spent?

In Northe America school governance is directed by a school board which is made up of elected trustees who confer with the administration of a school district. A school district may be anything from 6,000 to 50,000 students.

The system finds its beginings in the New England states a century ago… trustees being publicly elected. A democratic system which I think is peculiar to this continent.

Unfortunately this system, which has served very well in the past, has its flaws as unions and other self interest groups, have managed to infiltrate boards making the system less democratic. Very low turnout in school elections does not help matters either.

Depending on the state or province schools also have school councils as well as parent advisory committees (PACs) who do a lot of fund raising for such things as playgrounds etc.

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