State junior education in this country has been in the news again this week, highlighting the ever-increasing return towards less competition in junior schools. It was this very sentiment that strangled the state system in this country during the late sixties and seventies leaving millions of illiterate and innumerate men and women in its catastrophic wake. Around us are examples of poorly written and inaccurate prose and thousands for whom the calculator is a lifeline in the face of the most basic mental arithmetic.
It has begun all over again. The government is about to cave in over SATS (Strategic Attainment Tests) at seven and eleven because it is suggested that school tests give children too much stress! Now, we hear that a school in the Midlands is to ban parents from school sports days and cut out the inherent competitiveness of races in favour of having "fun days" where everyone succeeds. This is nonsense, and like so many of these airy fairy politically-correct inspired conspiracies they fly in the face of what the average parent expects and that is (a) that they are informed about the attainments of their children in juniors schools through external national tests and (b) that their children learn from an early age that competitive sport can offer a measured taste of things to come in the real world.
I have to say that, notwithstanding the fact that I was a headmaster in the independent school system for twenty years and therefore an advocate of it, this levelling down of expectation will increase the intake in independent schools throughout the country.
I favour tests and school sports day and only once in my career did I allow myself to fall into the trap of rewarding every child at Speechday. I had invited ex-Arsenal goalkeeper and television personality, Bob Wilson, to present the prizes. A lovely chap and very good with the pupils. I thought it would be a fine idea for every boy to meet him on stage so we gave everyone a certificate that year.