'A levels' - Political posturing and tosh!

So here we are then, the results have been read and the celebration (and tears) are beginning to abate and all that is left is to look at the tosh that has been spoken by the Schools Minister, Nick Gibbs and sigh at the political posturing from the opposition's Nick Twwigg.

Here we are applauding, as always, an increase in the pass rate. It's what we do at this time of year isn't it? Well we have since 1982 so we can take it as read - more people passing and so our children are getting smarter and the teechers are betterer at their jobs than they were when I was a skolar! Blimey, believe that and you can come and join our church whenever you want (please bring cash as well as a simple mind and the ability to clap!).

The reality is that when you speak to science teachers about Snell's Law and the like, they tellyou that that's no longer on the menu! Discuss mathematics or Chemistry with the teaching staff and you'll find the same story. Science and maths have been watered (should that be dumbed?) down. Nick Gibbs celebrates the increase in those doing maths and physics (an increase of 3.3% and 5% respectively) by telling us that "The number of students pursuing rigorous subjects such as maths and physics continues to rise".

Rigorous? Oh yes, we are looking down the barrel of the moronoscope and seeing at the other end someone who is helping to fuel the 'soft subject' fallacy. That idiotic position that sees our decline in science and engineering laid at the feet of English, Music, Art and all the other 'softies'. Actually the decline in science and engineering (and I speak as someone who has been at some time engaged in both) is due to the crass mismanagement of both by Conservative and Labour governments (alphabetical not listed by error or lack of ability).

This 'soft' subject rubbish is beginning to yield fruit as the fall in those doing modern languages falls (French - 5.2%, Spanish - 3.4% and German - 7.6%). So not only can't we do engineering and science but we aren't even able to understand the way that other European nations must be laughing at us :-)

Still, there is a lighter side to this tale - enter Labour (remember them? Academies, collapse of the state education system, cronies and a bankrupt nation [financially and morally])Stephen Twigg:

"These impressive results are thanks to better teaching, better school leadership and Labour's relentless focus on literacy and numeracy and record investment in schools."

So English might be a 'soft' subject but there's still a place for fiction it seems!

Art, Music, English and all the other 'soft' subjects aren't soft at all. In fact rather than learning formulae and doing experiments (I loved that stuff) it seems to me that learning instruments and compiling portfolios of artwork and all that stuff is a much tougher gig. Horses for courses and whilst there might well be some easy options on the path to collecting UCAS points if the course is relevant to the intended career then it's not soft - it's relevant.

Oh yeah a final thought - why not teach rather than train monkeys to pass exams? Teach first principles and develop things from there? As a nation we are still THE scientific and engineering centre of things so let's recover our industrial, technological and scientific heritage. And then applaud the arts, media, fashion and musical aspects that give us so much credibility in those areas too?