Answering the 'What do we do about Education?' Question

Following on from, and regarding, the OECD education survey I have already found myself being asked what we should do about the literacy and numeracy results issue and so, because I'm a helpful sort, here's my thinking:

First thing to do: Get churches to encourage their members to become parent or community governors in their local schools and get them to start making a difference to their local education community in a positive and supportive way.

Next Step:  Encourage our church members to get involved in supporting the teaching staff and engaging with the pupils. There are many primary schools out there who are crying out for volunteers to come in and help then every day with reading with children and many other support roles. We are crying our for them and the money is just not there, especially in UPA, Estate Churches and other 'needy' areas - but this is generally true for most schools regardless of where they are.

And Then:  We get involved with the politics of the piece and this is where we make our faith something real because at the end of the day being Christian means nothing if it isn't out there and getting down and dirty with the world and it's needs. Faith without works (there's that James again) is hollow and empty and unless we're active and engaged and 'being the difference' (and that means reconciling creation to God through the Son) then we might as well go shopping on a Sunday.

Join a political party (there's not enough Christians in them) and go to public meetings (Tamworth residents - 16th October - get your tickets for 'Question Time' event now!) and take every opportunity to be engaged with the things that make your town tick.

The Kingdom of God, especially as envisaged by Paul is very much like the Roman Empire. If you were a citizen of Rome then it was your first duty to ensure that Rome prospered and when the Empire was under threat, there you were supporting it, defending it, revising and refining it. This is what we are called to do - to be citizens of the Christian Empire and from this comes a people who will seek to serve those around it, even when they are not full citizens (ask me about the Cives Romani and 'being fully Christian' some time).

But that'll do for now. Please go and read the OECD report here and start your journey of engaging with our children's education and the future of our nation.

Edukation - By Gove we're in trubble!

On a day when an OECD* study puts our sixteen to twenty-four year olds somewhere very near to the bottom when it comes to literacy and numeracy. Now before we deal with the claims that it isn't a legacy from Labour and some sloping shoulders from Gove, the man who has done little to help education since he took over from another equally woeful incumbent, lets celebrate the fact that we are placed :

22/24 for Litteracy and a much betterer 21/24 for maffematics!

For a nation that gave the world some of its greatest literature and brightest stars in mathematics and science this is nothing but a disgrace and a national shame.

What worries me more is the reality that once other factors are taken into account the reality is that the wrinklies are better than the you - an indicator that the old standards where Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (the three 'Rs') took the front row, might just be the telling issue here. Perhaps we need to buy books rather than show the video (and I kid you not - one of our children watched a film in class rather than read a classic because it meant they didn't need the books - 'God help us all.' cried Tiny Ted).

So tonight we find something like 9 million adult with the numeracy skills of a ten year old and that's apparently a year older than the majority's reading ability.

Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock had this to say:

'This shocking report shows England has some of the least literate and numerate young adults in the developed world!'

 Of course Hancock then went on to try and pass the blame onto Labour - no surprise there then :-) - just as their chap stood up and pointed to the better grades and pass marks under labour (what's that Sooty, they lowered them? Surely not ;-)  )

Let's have a look at where we are on the better of the two tables (Numeracy) and see if there are any surprises or things to celebrate:

Netherlands
Finland
Japan
Flanders (Belgium)
South Korea
Austria
Estonia
Sweden
Czech Republic
Slovak Republic
Germany
Denmark
Norway
Australia
Poland
Canada
Cyprus
Northern Ireland
France
Ireland
England
Spain
Italy
United States

Source: OECD* Survey of Adult Skills 2013

Well we're above the Americans but then again anything less would be the end of the world as I know it - but of course, only just!

The time has come for those of us with children to engage with their education and redress the woeful experiences that so many of our children are having. Labour might forget Lord Adonis' Academies and look to the ConDemn Coalition - but the reality is that none have clean hands here and whilst grades are tinkered with and teachers are taken from teaching to grade manipulation exercises (and modular education is not all bad by the way - the manipulation of grades by clever selection and re-sit is the problem that needs resolving) and a dumbing down of what they're teaching (Snell's law, Kirchhoff and the like - remember them anyone?). Perhaps we all need to watch that prophetic film 'Idiocracy'

Can I encourage people to take a look at the report (not just the spinning reports from whatever press source or bloke on the train is available) and then press for change - do it as parents, citizen's and as Church - for we need to stand to make education something that maximises the abilities and potential of our children - it's about that, not potential earnings, isn't it?

Come on people - make a noise and make a stand for our children's sakes.

*Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 

The report can be found here