 | By Miriam Shaviv
April 16, 2010 | Share |
My column this week:
Over the past couple of weeks, countless families have experienced heartache and stress as the rejection letters from Jewish primaries dropped through their letterboxes. As usual, there are simply not enough places in our faith schools to accommodate all our children. And while some will doubtless find a school place over the coming weeks or months - often after much trauma - many others will be locked out of a Jewish education forever, to the detriment of our entire community.
Each year, rejected parents cry out in anguish (not an exaggeration) at the situation, begging the community's leadership to help establish new primary schools in areas of need; local authorities to approve them; and philanthropists to fund them. Little happens, and the pressure on places is as acute as ever.
This is why the Conservative Party's plans for education deserve our support. More than any other policy in any party manifesto, they could potentially revolutionise our community, changing our Jewish school system for the better almost immediately.
Read the rest here but come back to comment....
DLeigh-Ellis
16 April, 2010 - 17:38
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Unfortunately the Tories education policy isn't totally solid.
My partner's sister is a head of department at a North London comprehensive. She brought to my attention Cameron's plan to cut the practice of Value Added Scores in determining the progression of teachers. To cut this, she argues would be hugely demoralising to those who work in the teaching profession. In their quest to slash burocracy (sic) the Tory party will slash a number of hugely beneficial programmes.
I went to a Jewish secondary school myself, but a multi-faith primary school. Im incredibly grateful for the fact that it was that way round, as it enabled me to have a far more pluralistic and engaged approach to other religions and cultures compared with my average secondary school classmate.
Personally, I was far more impressed by the Lib Dem plan to cut state school classes to 16 pupils, (there were 32 in my secondary form)... In this case, less would certainly allow more.