Create a National Commission for education governance.

I have long believed education should be taken out of the hands of political parties and control given to an independent commission of professionals who understand how children learn. Too many children have been let down by the political parties bouncing different initiatives around on the political playing field and it needs to stop now.

I do hope this petition is heard and acted upon1

#3: -

Thank you for your support. I have thought long and hard about this seemingly intractible problem at the heart of our education system and believe it is time to change the governance of our national education system in favour of our young people's futures. Please help to spread the word.

Sincerely

John

My youngest daughter was let down by the education system in this country specifically from a series of initiatives introduced by different governments (eg Literacy hour then numeracy hour that was only 45 minutes long!!!) and I do not want to see my grandchildren's education being affected in the same way.

#5: -

Dear Guest,

Your view is one often expressed. Maybe it isn't obvious how damaging it can be to a young person to be subjected to a system in constant flux. That is, until a family member or friend is affected by the short-term changes that are an inevitable consequence of the present system of education governance. It will not be an easy task to raise awareness of the exact nature of the problem in the general population but, it has to happen.

Thank you for your support. Please spread the word.

John

I agree educational provision should not be in the hands of politicians and needs longer term planning based on research findings in the interests of children and young people and the economy generally.

#7: -

Dear Guest

I appreciate you taking the time to comment on the campaign. It means a great deal for the future of our young people that education is in safe hands and that the people who make strategic decisions are fully competent to do so. Unfortunately, over the last few decades, successive political parties have made poor decisions that are now threatening to change the shape of education in ways that will not secure lasting benefits for our children and may even damage the state system of education.

Thank you for supporting this campaign. You may be assured that the people working to promote the changes called for, will do all they can to introduce transparency and accountability into education governance.

John Mountford

Education is a long-term investment, far longer than political parties are in office. Therefore education policy and management should have long-term goals and ambitions, far greater ones than those pasting until the next parliament. An education commission would ensure research-based education policy, governed by people who know what education and teaching actually is, not by those who think they know because they've been to school. It would ensure the professionalism of teachers is upheld. Education is a basic tenant of a just, well-functioning society. It should not be turned into a for-profit business nor a political football.

#9: -  

 Thanks for taking the time to reply to the petition, Guest. Your comment about the need for long-term goals is key to whether this kind of fundamental change should happen. Sadly, so few realise that ambition can never be measured in the lifetime of a parliament and the present system can offer nothing beyond that.

Much appreciate your support.

John

A National Commission on Education to support and offer direction to schools is desperately needed in place of the edict and control exercised by national governments since the Education Act of 1988. Kenneth Baker, its instigator, called it the Great Education Reform Bill and it became known as the GERBIL. I see that archaeologists have recently found that the Black Death and subsequent plagues were due not to black rats (as previously believed) but to gerbils. Yes, Baker's GERBIL and its successors haven been a plague on schools! Time to eradicate them!

#11: -  Thanks for this, Michael. Your support is greatly appreciated and my fervent hope is that sooner raher than later we will get to tame the GERBIL, once and for all.

 

 

Hello Friends,

I'm recently though the UK's School/Uni system. I aced it: A, A, A, 1st Class Science Degree, prizes, extra-curricular, internships, masters sponsorship offers... So, why have I signed this petition? 

Our system is a load of hoops that I learnt to jump. The whole time I felt the pain of my friends who didn't want to or couldn't learn to jump like I did. The system couldn't see what I saw in them and took away their confidence.

While being showered with praised for jumping those hoops, I couldn't help but feel the emptiness- I'm only doing what I'm told, I'm only allowed to do what I'm told! Following this path lead to a technically excellent and lucrative career; a career that is so not me or where my heart is. Stepping away from it was one of the hardest and best things I've done for myself. Though the world seems to think that because I can do that work, I should do that work. I don't understand this assumption. 

Ultimately, as I reflect on what happened, it seems to me that my teachers were trapped. So much of what my wonderful teachers did were things they were made to do with us by someone I'll never meet. These mandated practices and pervasive requirements for evidence of adherence mean that teachers must find a superhuman amount of willpower to simply be human and present for their students.

Students see glimpses of who their teachers really are, especially when the syllabus and exam prep are done. That's when teachers really teach, but Governments bent on control of education don't seem to understand this simple fact. 

Yours, 

Leah 

P.S. I'm blogging from leahkstewart.com if you'd like to follow my current work. 

Education should not be driven by political agenda's or be at the mercy of successive ministers who ignore the opinions of parents. children and leading education specialists and base their 'reforms' on no evidence whatsoever.

#14: -  Guest, Thank you for your valuable support. Progress towards the stated outcome for my petition is slow, but it will ultimately succeed. Please spread the word to help hasten the day. John.

 

 

As a teacher I don't like what we have to put children through and am very worried about the direction this government plan to take education. They need to ask ,and listen to, those I involved in education and anybody who truly cares about children and their welfare. Or how about actually getting some views from children...they really are very passionate about their education if anybody were to take the time to ask them.

#16: -  Guest,

Thank you for your support and your valued comment. Education is about children and young people or it fails them and our greater future.  John.