Even the government’s ‘greatest achievement’ is a failure

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There has been too little vision, purpose and direction at the heart of government (AP)

Andrew Grice’s report of a government minister claiming the educational reforms of a decade ago as the stand-out achievement of their time in office, confirms how little vision, purpose and direction there has been at the heart of government. However, before this singular “achievement” is taken as read it is worth taking time to evaluate its actual legacy.

The reforms that were hastily put in place by Michael Gove may appear to have been admirably committed to “driving up standards”, but failed to address the areas in real need of reform. Gove ran roughshod over the profession, demonised those who had opinions different to his own and imposed a curriculum model that was based on his past rather than one that would equip young people for the future.

Successive secretaries of state, who know little about education and stay in post for too short a time to understand the issues at stake, rely on simplistic performance measures to gauge success. As a consequence, schools feel obliged to “teach to the test” rather than providing a relevant and engaging curriculum that enables young people to love learning.