Invest in children - Published 26/10/04
IT IS WITH great sadness, although not unexpectedly, that I read (News, October 22) of another closure threat faced by Coleridge Community College.
The staff, pupils, Ridgefield Primary and the community facilities all stand to lose because of Blair's commitment to furthering the Tory Party policies of tests, targets, finance initiatives and performancerelated pay.
Ofsted, the body that inspects schools at a cost to us of £200 million a year, inspires little confidence amongst education professionals, but its tests and targets are linked to the funding of schools and teachers' pay. As a result, Coleridge is not eligible for the same kind of funding or status as a school like Parkside.
Respect believes that the Government should not be funding our children and teachers in this way as it is once again creating a tiered education system.
In an authority with a growing population and two to three new secondary schools predicted to be needed in the near future, and with all of the nearest schools bursting to the brim, does it make sense to close such an undervalued community resource?
I think we should spend the Ofsted money investing in staff and resources for schools like Coleridge, invest it in children and not on inspecting.
Good luck, Coleridge!
IT IS WITH great sadness, although not unexpectedly, that I read (News, October 22) of another closure threat faced by Coleridge Community College.
The staff, pupils, Ridgefield Primary and the community facilities all stand to lose because of Blair's commitment to furthering the Tory Party policies of tests, targets, finance initiatives and performancerelated pay.
Ofsted, the body that inspects schools at a cost to us of £200 million a year, inspires little confidence amongst education professionals, but its tests and targets are linked to the funding of schools and teachers' pay. As a result, Coleridge is not eligible for the same kind of funding or status as a school like Parkside.
Respect believes that the Government should not be funding our children and teachers in this way as it is once again creating a tiered education system.
In an authority with a growing population and two to three new secondary schools predicted to be needed in the near future, and with all of the nearest schools bursting to the brim, does it make sense to close such an undervalued community resource?
I think we should spend the Ofsted money investing in staff and resources for schools like Coleridge, invest it in children and not on inspecting.
Good luck, Coleridge!
Hook, line, sinker - published 25/10/04
THE British media has bought the Government's disgraceful line on the Iraq war hook, line and sinker.
The rhetoric adopted by the newspaper, television and radio news is totally accepting of the atrocities on innocent Iraqis being committed in our name.
The news media has a responsibility to keep the pressure on the new Labour government.
Tony Blair has not said sorry for his mistakes over the invasion of Iraq because he does not feel he has committed any.
He is in total support of the Bush regime's neo-conservative crusade and the news continues to treat this as acceptable and an aside to the "war on terror"!
I feel that the bombing of Fallujah by F-16s and helicopter gunships is a most calculated and brutal terrorist attack. The US has already killed hundreds of civilians in a developed city four times the size of Cambridge.
The people of Fallujah were some of the most outspoken against Sadham Hussein's government.
Do we not need to look at why these people reject the outside involvement of the UK and US so much? The next few weeks will see us endorse the killing of hundreds more civilians in the most upsetting piece of republican election campaigning.
Can the news please report the continuing war!
THE British media has bought the Government's disgraceful line on the Iraq war hook, line and sinker.
The rhetoric adopted by the newspaper, television and radio news is totally accepting of the atrocities on innocent Iraqis being committed in our name.
The news media has a responsibility to keep the pressure on the new Labour government.
Tony Blair has not said sorry for his mistakes over the invasion of Iraq because he does not feel he has committed any.
He is in total support of the Bush regime's neo-conservative crusade and the news continues to treat this as acceptable and an aside to the "war on terror"!
I feel that the bombing of Fallujah by F-16s and helicopter gunships is a most calculated and brutal terrorist attack. The US has already killed hundreds of civilians in a developed city four times the size of Cambridge.
The people of Fallujah were some of the most outspoken against Sadham Hussein's government.
Do we not need to look at why these people reject the outside involvement of the UK and US so much? The next few weeks will see us endorse the killing of hundreds more civilians in the most upsetting piece of republican election campaigning.
Can the news please report the continuing war!
Labels: Stop the War
