• ES comment: Labour's class war

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They could give the poor their old clothes at least.

As a pensioner; I know how hard it is to get clothes these days.

When I went to School just after the war; we were happy with having half a roof on our school; and one teacher to two classes.

- Mickyinlondon, london

No Nigel - they haven't forgotten an income source. They just want everyone else to forget it.

- Rogan, Irving

Keith - Balls and his like are supporting the education system they always have, true. The trouble is, it still doesn't work.

- Rogan, Irving

Just one little point that Balls and his NuLabour pals forget is that those who send their children to fee paying schools have already paid for their childrens education in the government run schools in their taxes.So they are already subsidising schooling others.Could they ask for their money back as they are paying for a service they never use?

- Nigel, wimbledon

All your crazy experiments have failed so far, and you have ruined our schools, so why don't you stop meddling?


- Margy, London

Why are there bad schools - since Labour came into power we have been paying for "Education, Educatio, Education" and what has happened. The danger is that when Labour politicians start talking like this - it always results in dumbing down. This country is in serious trouble and we need our education system to produce men and women to compete with the rest of the world and win.

- Jeremy E, London

The Labour Party know that their time is nearly up. At best they are likely to be out of power for a generation - 12-15 years. The aim is to cause as much damage as they can ("trash the joint") before they are given the boot.

I wonder if they will EVER get back into power though?
The removal of 60 constituencies will hit them hard. And is it possible that Scotland will soon have independence or much more devolution, thereby depriving Labour of another heartland?

- Adam R, Newcastle, UK

Labour has dumbed down all the exams and yet their beloved comprehensive schools still cannot deliver the results. We need to get rid of all the trendy teaching and get down to the disciplines of learning. We are failing the less fortunate now more than ever before. The last ten years has been the worst time ever in education. So much for education,education,education. What we have had is failure,failure failure!

- Roger Parkes, T Wells

O boy, Labour attacking the middle class again. The reason why middle class schools are good is because these parents take an interest in their childrens eduaction and these kids are nurtured by their parents. If Labour want to change things they will have to bring the lower class up a notch, not bring the middle class to down them; this will not work, only affect middle class children. Families should not be penalized for doing well and paying higher taxes.

- Brandon Thomas, SW7, London, UK

At the local school in our town, my 12 year old son did not have a maths teacher for a year .. when i approached the headmaster many times i was told they couldn't get one... they had informed the authorities.. but the budget wasn't available. Whats that all about?, some schools seem to be allowed to fail because of the area they are in??The Government seems to do less and talk more. ...I had to pay for my child to have private lessons in the end, now in 3 key subjects, because the level of education is so bad.... I have tried 2 other local schools , but they seem to have problems with other subjects.All children in the UK should have the opportunity to be educated well.Not just in areas of central London.The level of education is also very poor in some rural areas.I think the education system is failing our children a lot more than we realize, and this will become evident in the future.

- Pj, Norfolk

"Ministers have been trying for years to break the grip of middle-class families on the best state schools."

They just don't get it, do they? Those schools are good BECAUSE they have the highest percentage of children with committed, supportive parents, and fewer domestic handicaps. The point of attack should be to raise the ambitions of parents for their children, to make sure that schools know the domestic problems and can try to counter-balance them at school.Unless Mr Balls wants to start bussing middleclass children to failing schools, he has to start thinking a bit less superficially.
But, as he seems to realise himself, it's a poverty problem, not an educational problem.

- Mdj E10, london uk

Obviously will not work, and may also be damaging to those who do wish to learn. Why does labour not understand that it is as much about the parents as anything else? These efforts will drag down those schools that are a success. Until poor kids are motivated by their parents the status quo will remain.

- Naomi Sajeri, Manchester

How about the poor put their hands back in their pockets and do something for themselves. People aspire to move up not down, tell the guy on the bottom to get a job.

- Rich, Dallas, USA

Yes, we should berate the headmasters to improve schools so that they teach everybody how to claim benefits properly. For the high flyers, they can learn how to emulate the eminent minister and his good wife, and claim double helpings of expenses.

- Isabella, london

The Labour party destroyed British state education years ago and now continue with their policy to lower the education level of everyone to that of future Labour voters. I guess it's the only way they can ensure they will win a future elections.

- Charles T. Edmondson, Cincinnati Ohio USA

The reason that *most* poor people don't do well at school is because they are not academically-inclined. They are labourers and artisans.

The govenment is trying to fit square pegs into round holes in its effort to create a level playing field that caters for the lowest common denominator and is screwing the whole system up.

Labour has to go out and stay out for a very long time and the Tories have to start channeling resources effectively.

Academic education for the academically-inclined and trade schools for the artisans. And the rampant grade-inflation that has been encouraged under Labour to make the statistics look good has to be reversed.

If a poor child shows academic ability it should then be given an academic education.

It is as simple as that, but impossible to achieve as long as so-called socialist idealists are at the helm.

- Eric Legge, Ongar, Essex

Labour have still learnt nothing. Take from those who have, out of pure spite.

- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, Hants

Most of you are missing the point. Balls is positioning himself for the future leadership of NuLab and this is about getting the left of the party behind him and nothing to do with education. Cameron and co are in a win win situation. If Broon stays - landslide if we ever are allowed an election. If Balls and/or HarPerson - NuLab out for a generation. Bring it on.

- Andrew E, Leaving the sinking ship England

Why the words DECLARE WAR in the headline, when laboutr are simply putting their faith in the system of education that they have always supported? I find this baffling

- Keith Price, Luton, England

Meanwhile, Labour ministers send their children to private schools.

- Ted, London

Could it be that Mr Balls is delibarately being controversial to distract attention from the many areas outside education where the Government are also failing? His proposals have more to do with clas-bashing than education, in which I fear he truly has little interest. He would rather be beggaring our economy in place of Alastair darling.

- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK

Rather than fix the bad schools, they seek to break the good ones... now that is labour in a nutshell well done Balls

- Mary, london

Paul, I completely agree. The government should spare a thought for those from working class backgrounds who HAVE TO to send their children to private schools and scrimp and save to pay the fees. Do we get any help?

- Maria, London

Britain-hating NuLiebour declared war on the middle classes in 1997. These vacuous announcements are trotted out routinely in order to keep the fire of class hatred well stoked. This is done in the vain hope that the working classes will be fooled into believing that Gormless Clown and his chums are the chamions of the working man.
One has to ask why, after 12 years of so-called labour government, there are still "pupils living poverty" for Mr Ballsup to worry about.

- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster

Political correctness gone totally mad again. Get real.

- John, Edgware MIDDLESEX

Yes, Thomas Hayes, why not work to the lowest common denominator? That's called communism, and in case you didn't notice that didn't work! For your guide, a large proportion at 'toffee nosed' public schools are pupils whose working class parents work their nuts off and make massive sacrifices to give their kids a chance.

- Paul, London

The underclass was created by Labour and they want it to drag down everyone else so they do n't feel quite so inferior.

Emigrate.

- Anglo, Sussex England

Why not scrap all the toffee nosed public schools and then all children will have the same opportunities which others are given the chance to pay for.

- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK

That's right Balls - bring everyone down rather than lift them up. Invoke envy instead of enterprise and effort. In short, practice socialism instead of reality.

- Rogan, Irving

I suspect that a better answer might involve streaming - separate schools and classes for those who with academic potential and the attitude to go with it. There would have to be separate arrangements for kids with problems, so as not to hold the better performers back.

But that would go against Labour's egalitarian principles, so I can see the current mess continuing. Keep up the slogans, Minister, you can at least blame others for your failure.

- Brian, London

Who got rid of the Assisted Places Scheme Mr. Balls?

- Sarahn, London, UK

Wolfie,London says it all.The unruly children from the low life parents, destroy all the other children's chances.This is of of course only in the state schools. In the private system they're out pronto.

- Martin, London

There is a solution that has not really taken off in the UK but is huge here in the USA. Its called home schooling. My brother was so disillusioned with poor schools when he lived Texas [rednecks] that he and his wife [Engineering & Arts graduates] started home schooling their kids. Due to my sister in laws dedication to her children they are now at least 2 years ahead of their peers. Their eldest at 17 has been offered scholarships at prestigious US universities. It is time parents in the UK took ownership of their kids education. Co-operation between like minded parents will allow them to take back control of their children'ds future from this pathetic State system. I think Asian families will lead this as they are smart enough to value education and appreciate its real value. It starts and ends with the parents.

- James Macleod Ritchie, Oyster Bay Cove

This is mad. This will drive up the cost of private schools, drive pupils back into the state sector and increase the governments bill for providing education. Yet another badly thought out Labour idea

- Rob, London

Wait a minute!...is it not the government who should be helping the poor schools, using efficient allocation of the country's tax receipts........?

- Dc, London

Put VAT on public and private school fees, that should help.

- Paulb, London

The Government can't have it both ways. It's no use their preaching we have to have a skilled workforce to meet the economic challenges of today if they opt out of ensuring a good education for all schoolchildren as they do. It's not the job of rich schools to do the Government's job for them: it is the job of Government to ensure that all pupils have as good an edcation as it exists in some of the private schools. Then we wouldn't need to have a two-class system. It's an attitude of mind that is at the root cause of this problem as it is with most things relating to the Government. They have no vision nor imagination.

- Janet, London, UK

But what happened to "education, education, education?" Surely after 11 years of New Labour and its massive investment of our money in education there can be no poor schools?

- Paul, London

People in so-called 'rich areas' already pay considerably through their taxes to support poorer areas. Schools should be there to educate people, not act as a social bank.

- Jools, London

Workfare is the solution!

Insist people do community work for their JSA benefit. Genuine claimants won't have an issue with it. Why work 40 hours for £55 quid when you can work 40 hours on minimum wage? The incentive will clearly be there to get a proper job ASAP.

People claiming incapacity should have perioditc check-ups to see what level of work they are capable of (if any).

There must be ahow lotd of jobs that people can do from home with suitable technology i.e. call handling, advice lines, debt advice, etc..

All we need is a Government with some vision!!

- Ian Gilbertson, Newcastle

Neither Mr Balls or Raminder above seem to understand the problem. The problem is not the standard to teaching it’s the behaviour of the pupils at the under-achieving schools. Teachers have been leaving education for years because they no longer have the power to discipline unruly pupils and neither do they have the support of parents and the state. Thus pupils who do want to learn find classes disrupted and face bullying and fear - this is why good parents [who can afford it] choose private schools.

- Wolfie, London

Hasn't Nulab done enough damage already?

- Alan Hill, Oxford UK

The sole reason for poorer children doing so badly at school is because they look at their parents as an example, many of which are idol and live of benefits, and the only thing that they make an effort of doing every day is pressing the on/off button their remote controls.
Also for those that genuinely struggle, maybe its because of the poor teaching standards in our schools.

- Raminder Bhalla, Northolt

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