Saturday, 1 December 2007

QUESTION: - How does the government plan to address falling reading standards?

As today is the 1st December & therefore only 113 days to Easter, no doubt schools around the country will be starting to rehearse appropriate festivities.


However, given recent events and the fear of upsetting anyone on grounds of race, religion, sex, sexuality, colour, fashion sense, intelligence etc, these "festivities" may be even more difficult than in previous years.

It is not as if life in schools is not difficult enough; A recent survey identified that Britain has tumbled down another world league table for education - this time in science.

In six years, the UK has slumped from fourth to 14th place in a table of 15-year-olds' performance in science tests.

British schools now trail major European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands as well as smaller nations such as Estonia and Liechtenstein.

It is the second slide down an international league table in as many days and piles further pressure on Gordon Brown over Labour's multi-billion pound education reforms.

A separate report on 10-year-olds' reading standards - published yesterday - saw England fall from third to 19th place.

However, Gordon Brown has at least identified a solution to the latest problem to beset his party. Apparently - and this is reported as being true - (No really it is!!) Dolly Parton will fly into Rotherham this week to launch a scheme to improve children's literacy. The American country singer set up the Imagination Library in east Tennessee and council chiefs want to introduce the scheme to South Yorkshire.

Now I may be wrong but, in 10 years time will the government of the day be trying to fight high levels of marriage breakdowns with a new government initiative?

The ONLY song that I can remember Dolly Parton being famous for is: -

D-I-V-O-R-C-E!

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