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Tesco boss and Gordon Brown adviser slams Labour's education record
Jonathan Prynn and Tim Ross13.10.09
The boss of Tesco today launched a devastating attack on the “woefully low” standards of Britain's schools.
Sir Terry Leahy, who is responsible for hiring more school-leavers than any other business leader in the country, said the supermarket chain
was often left to “pick up the pieces” because of
their failed education.
The chief executive, a former key education adviser to Gordon Brown, accused the Government of excessive meddling in schools, leaving teachers “distracted” from their main job of passing on knowledge to children.
He urged ministers to scrap many of the “back office” bureaucrats responsible for issuing a stream of instructions to schools.
His speech at a London conference of grocery bosses will be seen as a damning indictment of New Labour's failure to deliver on Tony Blair's famous 1997 commitment to make “education, education, education” his top priority in office.
Sir Terry, whose chain employs 280,000 people in Britain — 41,000 aged under 20 —said: “One area that Tesco is particularly concerned about is education.
As the largest private employer in the country, we depend on high standards in our schools, as today's school children are tomorrow's team.
“Sadly, despite all the money that has been spent standards are still woefully low in too many schools.
“Employers like us are often left to pick up the pieces. One thing the Government could do is to simplify the structure of our education system.
From my perspective, there are often too many agencies and bodies, often issuing reams of instructions to teachers, who often then get distracted from the task at hand: teaching children.”
Sir Terry, educated at a direct grant grammar school in Liverpool, added: “At Tesco we try to
keep paperwork to a minimum; instructions simple, structures flat and — above all — we trust the people on the ground.”
Sir Terry was appointed to the Prime Minister's National Council for Educational Excellence when Gordon Brown entered No 10 in 2007 but left earlier this year. He remains an adviser to the Prime Minister after being appointed to the Gordon Brown business council also in 2007.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said at the time that council members would act as “advocates and champions” for improving state education.
A DCSF spokesperson said: "Standards have never been higher in our secondary schools. The vast majority of people working in education are on the front line, teaching in our schools.
"We are working to lift the burden of administration tasks from teachers, freeing them up so they can concentrate on what they do best – teaching and preparing lessons.
"There are several non-departmental bodies, but it's clearly right and proper that issues such as exam standards are regulated by an independent body.”
Reader views (8)
What is astounding is that the governmental representatives continue to swear black is white, and expect us all to believe them. The schools are failing, badly, and the government seems to want to make them still worse. Back in the 11 plus days things were far better. There was grammar school education for any kid who could benefit by it, for free! 11 plus selection may not have been perfect of course, but it was much better having it than scrapping the grammars. Now, to go to grammar a kid has still to be talented, AND his parents either well off, or prepared to sacrifice all those new cars and holidays in the sun.
But today we don't need grammars...because every kid and his cat goes to university. In order to achieve that, many courses have had to be dumbed down, and another consequence has been the introduction of student fees and loans. How many of those who get these degrees with fries, will ever be able to pay back those loans?
Nao
- Naomi Sajeri, Manchester
What is the point moaning about this? It seems that the leaders of this country continuously make mistakes, it is hard to believe that the Tories would be any better! Mr bad policy vs Mr wouldn't-know-a-policy-if-it-bit-him-on-the-face. Then god did not we get lib dem who don't even know what they are. No doubt if they were elected they would be in a state of shock until ousted for being catatonic.
At the end of the day the elite would not be leaving school to work in Tesco. So I think his perspective is skewed, even thought I know he is talking about base standards.
- Anthony, london
A lot of OUR tax money has been wasted, for ten years! It was not Nu Labors money.
- Georgie, Islington, London
For those of you who remember the Eastern Bloc. How familiar does it seem when government proclamations sound nothing like the reality you see with your own eyes?
- Mark, London
Well one thing is for sure. None of their MP's is capable of learning a lesson, let alone correctly adding up their mostly non-existent expsnses.
- Poor Pensioner, London/England
Frank, well said! Bring on the general election and kick out these hypocrites!
- Mark, London
That'll be Labour's 'Midas' touch.
Education, the economy, society, public finances, democracy, you name it - it all turns to Pyrite (fools gold, for those who suffered a Labour education).
It is a direct result of their failed social engineering project. A policy built on the flawed principle, that we are all equal and everyone in society should be equal, is a fatally flawed policy.
It sickens me even more when most of these people have come from privileged backgrounds and have had good educations. Being preached to by rich socialists, brings a little lump of sick to the back of my throat.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
What has this Government done with all our tax payments? It seems apart from feathering their own nests they have failed on everything, put us in an illegal war, sold our gold, failed our children,promoted an incompetant police force!
- Tojo, Hythe, Kent
