A challenge to Michael Gove

MICHAEL Steer became one of the unexpected heroes of 2013 following the captivating Educating Yorkshire fly-on-the-wall television series in which the inspirational deputy head of Dewsbury’s Thornhill Community Academy risked his own health in order to give his pupils the best possible chance of passing their GCSE exams.

Only later did his students realise, and appreciate, the sacrifices that he had made.

He is not alone. His commitment is emblematic of all those teachers who go to extraordinary lengths to help their pupils, and especially those from unsupportive family backgrounds, to have the best possible start in life.

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Try telling this, however, to an increasingly pompous Michael Gove, who continues to undermine the morale of stoic individuals like Mr Steer by refusing to listen to their expertise about the suitability of his weekly changes to the curriculum.

As Mr Steer says with the magnanimity that endeared him to followers of the Channel Four series, he actually agrees with the senior Tory about the need to raise standards, even more so in those regions – like Yorkshire – which prop up the national league tables.

It is here that the approaches of the two men diverge. Mr Gove prefers to make his point by antagonising teachers before introducing curriculum changes which reflect his own upbringing, and his Oxford University background, rather than the challenging social backgrounds of those youngsters who attend Thornhill Academy, and other comparable schools.

In contrast, the acclaimed Mr Steer wants the politics taken out of the policy process so that schools become more effective in equipping their pupils with skills relevant to a global economy rather than a bygone age.

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His sentiment will chime with many. For it does seem perverse that policy is driven by an ambitious and, at times, arrogant Education Secretary with no experience of working in a classroom – Mr Gove is a former journalist – rather than those able teachers who know how to get the most out of their pupils.

Perhaps Mr Gove can begin his response to the open letter written by Michael Steer by agreeing to spend a month at Thornhill Academy so that he can learn, at first hand, about the practicality of his reforms before he makes any further pronouncements. If he does so, there is a possibility that policy-making will become more productive in the future – but this will require some humility on the part of the Education Secretary.

A political storm

IT is a bit rich of Ministers to lecture local councils about the need to beef up their flood response plans over the New Year when it is this Government which has failed to provide adequate financial assistance to those areas where homes and businesses have been washed away.

If the compensation arrangements under the Bellwin scheme were fit for purpose, an issue highlighted by this newspaper on Saturday, then more councils might have the means to put in place extra contingencies before the next deluge.

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The direct challenge to town halls also needs placing in context. David Cameron is keen to deflect attention away from the inadequate response of the Government, and energy firms, to those homes that were left without power over Christmas.

The householders concerned have shown remarkable restraint. They do understand that it is impossible to legislate against occurrences of extreme weather. What 
they do not accept, however, is the continuing failure to protect areas particularly prone to flooding – or the inability of the electricity firms to provide up-to-date information about the resumption of power.

It is this dereliction of 
duty which has been made even more inexcusable by the fact that it took Ministers at least four days to wake up to the seriousness of the situation. And, even then, the likes of Mr Cameron and Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, chose to put the onus on town halls rather than acknowledging their own lack of leadership and concern over the festive period.

Health warning

A HEALTH warning needs to be attached to the announcement that overseas visitors and migrants are to finally be charged for A&E treatment.

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Though Ministers have talked about this approach for years, details of the new policy are still being finalised and the implementation plan is not due to be published until March at the earliest.

This detail is, in fact, critical. Ministers need to devise a scheme that does not see A&E doctors, already stretched to the limit by rising workloads, wasting time on form-filling and ensuring that patients have the financial means to pay for their treatment.

Equally, this approach will only work if the Government can find an effective way of making beneficiaries pay for their care. If not, the scheme will be open to abuse and become counter-productive.

As such, the timing of this announcement suggests that the Tories are, once again, concerned with the electoral threat posed by Ukip as Britain prepares to open its borders to migrants from Romania and Bulgaria on January 1 rather than policy practicalities.