Report to the People
Testing Times
OK, to sharpen your minds in preparation for the new school term, have a go at this: How is it that, when exam pass rates increase slightly, self-appointed experts wail in the media about dumbing-down and the erosion of standards, but, when pass rates decrease slightly, they wail in the media about dumbing-down and the erosion of standards?
They must have been off the day they were supposed to learn reason, logic and consistency at school.
Like Scottish football clubs playing sides you’ve never heard of in UEFA Cup pre-pre-qualifiers, slagging off the achievements of pupils and their teachers is something of a late summer ritual.
Another end of school holidays ritual which those of you aged between about 12 and 18 will have recently endured is the "this is the most important school year ever, so make sure you work hard" speech from one or other parent. While you might well feel this attitude doesn’t truly recognise your achievements to date, mum and dad are right. It is almost always true that every year of your school career is more important than the last.
But, in Inverclyde, this year could be the most important of the lot.
As you know, plans are being drawn up to radically change the face of local education. As our population patterns have shifted, some of our schools are in the wrong place. And they’re not in particularly good condition. Indeed, the recent glowing HMI report, which praised the other aspects of education in Inverclyde, says that the current situation simply cannot continue.
The council, then, wants to replace these old, dilapidated school buildings with warm, safe, state of the art classrooms, designed for 21st Century teaching.
There will doubtless be much debate between politicians on the funding mechanism for the new schools, with seemingly endless talk of Public Private Partnerships, Treasury rules and the like. This, though, should not be the sum total of the debate. In fact, an independent survey found that the vast majority of people in Inverclyde are less concerned about where the money comes from and are more interested in getting first class schools and getting them as quickly as possible.
Students, therefore, are not the only ones facing a stern test this term. Our whole community is charged with deciding how we want to move forward. It is a test we cannot fail.
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