Saturday's Letters: Back to basics would help improve pupils' skills

The results of recent Sats tests have shown that, in some areas, as many as one in three pupils cannot meet the required standards.

Over the years, these deficiencies have become increasingly apparent, and especially so to those people who tend to pay attention

to detail.

I am no expert regarding the content of the primary curriculum as I do not teach in primary environments. I have, however, observed that many secondary school pupils and students in higher education struggle, for example, when writing English essays and with mental arithmetic exercises.

Perhaps the content of the curriculum needs to be examined because there are certainly some areas of learning which require more emphasis and time allocated to them, such as pupils' basic skills lessons. This would, in turn, help to reduce the number of innumerate and illiterate school-leavers generally.

The Editorial correctly pointed out that those pupils who progress to secondary school without having mastered the basics, become disheartened very quickly.

Having had the experience of teaching young students in further education and listening to their personal tales of woe, I can readily agree.

The primary environment should provide solid foundation stones for the walls of solid learning to be built in later life, and when cracks appear and fundamental stones are missing, such walls will inevitably collapse.

It is very easy for those who do not work in the educational field to blame and criticise teachers. Very sadly, however, today's teachers have to observe numerous strict rules and regulations, undergo Ofsted inspections and observations by their superiors and peers, as well as complete mountains of paperwork.

Teachers are placed under severe and continuous pressure regarding their own performance as well as meeting government targets regarding pupils' overall success.

As we now have a new Government which intends to improve educational standards and introduce academies, may I suggest that the new

educational authorities initially examine the content of the curriculum and the teaching method.

My second suggestion is to eliminate unnecessary paperwork which would give teachers more time to research new material to use with their classes.

Finally, I advocate that teachers be allowed to be more individualistic and express themselves without being stifled by endless behavioural rules and regulations.

From: Mrs Jennifer Hunter, Farfield Avenue, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

Dilemmas over work and pensions

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

THERE has, to my mind, been some recent cynical manipulation by the coalition Government.

The state age for drawing your pension is being increased, albeit by instalments, while workers will soon be able to elect to work beyond the age of 65.

I have always felt that this latter should be the case if desired, though coupled with the provision to, in future, work on a part-time basis.

This gives the opportunity to impart knowledge to a future generation while still being on hand with knotty problems. It also taps into the labour market.

The effect of these measures over a period of time will inevitably find a greater number of the population never drawing their state pension.

This, coupled, with the general health of the nation, will raise a further dilemma, the funding through the NHS of ailments I rarely saw as a lad – obesity, addiction to drugs and alcoholism.

Bring our troops home

From: Roger M Dobson, Ash Street, Cross Hills, Keighley.

WHEN is our Prime Minister, David Cameron, going to realise and

understand what the majority of the people in this country are thinking

about the war in Afghanistan and bring all our troops home now?

It may sound good to him when he tells the world that we shall be out of there by 2014 with the first troop withdrawals to begin next year but to the relatives of those troops who have already perished out

there, it is too late – we should never have been there in the first place.

I am sure that I am not the only one who is getting fed up of watching the long corteges through Wootton Bassett on the television.

If we have to wait until 2014 to see all our troops back home, how many more widows, distraught girlfriends and orphans are there going to be?

Had David Cameron announced a full, immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan a week before the General Election, he would have had a landslide victory and would now be enjoying a full working majority.

Trouble in store

From: Mrs JM Andrews, Back Lane, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

I, LIKE several of your letter writers, get very annoyed by bad

behaviour in supermarkets.

Young children, not always accompanied by adults, use the space between the shelves as a playground, particularly on a rainy day.

However, it is not only the children who are a nuisance, many

shoppers "park" their trolley in the aisle and wander up and down deciding what to buy, while the trolley sits there, getting in the way.

Then there are the couples, with their loaded trollies, who meet other couples and have a long chat in, or at the end of an aisle.

There is nothing more mind-numbing than having to shop in a supermarket and I pity the people who have no alternative.

Fortunately, I am able to purchase everything we need in this beautiful little town where we live. The goods are fresh, often cheaper and the whole experience is a pleasant, sociable task.

Police officers in firing line

From: Robert Bottamley, Thorn Road, Hedon, East Yorkshire.

YOU reported ACPO President Sir Hugh Orde's statement that "police

forces accept that they will have to lose officers as part of the Government's austerity drive" (Yorkshire Post, August 2).

In which case, austerity has presented police authorities with an opportunity to restore some of the public confidence lost to them in recent years.

If they must lose officers, begin by losing any convicted of serious criminal offences, followed by those whose disciplinary record is

repeatedly poor.

Of course, not all of the damage done to the relationship between

police and public could be repaired by this (or any other) single action: nevertheless, it would represent a significant beginning.

Seeking some common sense from our politicians

From: Geoff Sweeting, Station Road, Wressle, Selby.

IS it impossible for our politicians to use common sense?

I know that, in many areas, sense is not very common, but in the House of Commons, it seems to be endangered.

Here we are in an age of austerity, where everyone is going to be affected by government cuts, and the Government is investing millions, if not billions of pounds, in subsidising inefficient and unreliable wind farms.

This is done in the full knowledge of most people outside Parliament that we shall still need full cover of conventional power stations for the days when the wind doesn't blow, or blows too strong.

Surely the common sense, "greenest" and least-cost approach is to build sufficient nuclear power stations for the capacity that the country needs, and drop the subsidies for wind farms. It is not beyond the capability of our scientists to keep nuclear waste safe.

Another area that could do with a common sense approach is that of deporting foreign criminals.

Currently, the authorities are supposed to deport them after they have served their sentences for the crimes they have committed.

So, the British taxpayer pays to keep them in comfortable jails, at a cost of approximately 25,000 per year each. Why?

Once they have been found guilty of a crime, why don't we just deport them, thus saving the taxpayer millions.

Why should we care whether or not they serve their sentences? They are out of our country, which is where they belong.

Finally, I know that looking after primary school children can be an arduous task, but is the London headmaster who was paid it really worth twice the salary of our Prime Minister, as recently reported in the national press?

Surely the PM's job is the most important and toughest job in the country and, as such, no public sector worker should earn more than the Prime Minister does.

Landlord who listens to tenants

From: Alex Brown, chairman, Braithwaite People's Association, Keighley.

IN response to your article, "Lowest of the low" fear on estates (Yorkshire Post, August 5), you did not include my first statement that "I know of one agency that takes people's ideas on board and acts

on them".

The "agency" I refer to is Bradford-based social housing landlord, Incommunities, who have carried out a thorough consultation process with their customers with regards to local plans designed to improve life on the estate for everyone.

This same landlord has invested more than 11m on improving homes on the Braithwaite/Guard House estate since a stock transfer from Bradford Council seven years ago.

A shocking episode

From: Edward Liddell, Swanland Road, Hessle, East Yorkshire.

YOUR main story (Yorkshire Post, August 4) about Dr Eva Michalak being forced out of her job as a consultant at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, because of her sex and race, was shocking.

The trust should tell the public how much this episode has cost and what they have done about it. Otherwise the word "trust" is a misnomer.

Actions that put us all at risk

From: Trev Bromby, Sculcoates Lane, Hull.

THE banning of cluster bombs has come too late for thousands of Iraqis, killed or maimed, many inquisitive children, simple farmers.

These vicious devices were sanctioned for use in the illegal invasion by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

I think the above should be broached at the Chilcot Inquiry and be added to Blair's long list of alleged war crimes.

Though irreligious, I pray daily for his trial and conviction. His action has put us all at risk.

Why do we put up with this?

From: Dave Asher, Pickard Crescent, Sheffield.

OUR country has had to find 3.85bn in fines over the last seven years from the EU? Ridiculous!

How this wretched body retains any supporters in the UK, I will never know.