December 2: Schools and why second best is unacceptable

Yet, while most schools now boast state-of-the-art facilities, the Government’s number one objective should be building upon this legacy and transforming the quality of teaching that takes place within these classrooms so even more students achieve grades that will enable them to pursue successful careers and make a positive contribution to society.

However, while the progress has been significant, the annual report by Ofsted identifies a disturbing North-South divide in which levels of attainment in Yorkshire have not kept pace with the progress achieved elsewhere. It beggars belief that 40,000 pupils in Bradford alone are attending below-average schools, according to the organisation’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw in his hard-hitting critique.

This is 40,000 young people in one city who will not be able to take advantage of the much-vaunted Northern Powerhouse, and its supposed employment opportunities, because they’re not receiving the world-class education to which every student should be entitled. Bradford isn’t alone; this problem applies to all those areas where exam results lag below the national average. Two things must now happen as a matter of urgency. The Government, LEAs and schools must come up with innovative new ways to recruit the best teachers in Yorkshire – second best is not good enough – and best practice needs to be shared. There should be no exclusivity when it comes to those ideas that will raise standards across the board.

No special favours: Yorkshire Ripper’s prison fate

THE evil wickedness of Peter Sutcliffe can be measured by his continuing notoriety more than 30 years after being found guilty of murdering 13 women, and attempting to kill many others. This follows the level of intrigue which greeted the latest reports into the mass murderer’s wellbeing and whether he is fit to be transferred back to mainstream prison from Broadmoor psychiatric hospital where he has been confined for three decades after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia three years into his life sentence.

The dilemma facing the Ministry of Justice is an invidious one. Though some will argue that the so-called Yorkshire Ripper has been over-indulged for too long, his presence in a major prison like Wakefield would inevitably necessitate a major – and expensive – security operation to ensure his safety and protection from fellow inmates.

Yet it would be a betrayal of Sutcliffe’s victims if the serial killer was treated as a special case. If the authorities are satisfied that he is no longer mentally ill, he should be transferred back to a Category A prison at the penal system’s earliest convenience – Sutcliffe’s case should be handled no differently to that of any other convicted criminal.

In the meantime, the public can be comforted by the Court of Appeal’s ruling in 2011 that life means life because of the savagery of these crimes. This remains as pertinent now as it was on May 22, 1981, when he was led from the Old Bailey dock after being found guilty of a terrifying series of brutal and depraved attacks across Yorkshire and the North which shocked the nation, and which still haunt so many to this day.

Farming’s future

EVEN though the continuing plight of Yorkshire’s dairy farmers creates the impression of an industry in perpetual decline, it is heartening to report that agriculture’s contribution to the national economy is 10.3 per cent greater today than it was in 2008.

Though this has, to an extent, been achieved by farmers embracing new technology, hence the contraction in the number of jobs, today’s state-of-the-nation report by Lloyds Bank highlights the resilience of all those who still earn their living from the land, but the continuing importance of the rural economy to the future prosperity of Great Britain plc.

Given the unrivalled quality of British farm produce, and the need for both food sustainability and self-sufficiency, perhaps the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will recognise the potential which exists and provide the policies that will enable farmers to sew the seeds of future success.