CAST a shuddering glance at our education system and I wonder whether we will ever get it right.
A report in The Bolton News tells of more than 500 primary school children missing on their first choice school.
Nothing changes. We’ve been here before — a repeating pattern of school closures followed by school shortages.
Apparently, if a school isn’t at bursting point, it’s close to it. Heaven forbid that a school should have “empty rooms”.
In reality, spare capacity in a school is a Godsend.
Schools are not short of imagination and empty space is quickly utilised.
That is, until the powers that be deem it to be wasted capacity. Shut the school, squeeze the children into another school. A bit of disruption never hurt anybody — apart from those youngsters involved. No doubt the present Cabinet have first hand experience in their prep schools!
No doubt Bolton’s educations chiefs smile at a job well done, books balanced. The trouble is the birth rate increased hit in the blink of an eye, whereas planning new capacity, finding cash (if any) and building schools takes years.
Pay to go private, with smaller classes? That’s another story.
David Sharples Tarbet Drive Breightmet
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