I've just watched a horrendous TV programme entitled
Admission Impossible

The programme charts the progress of families who are attampting to ensure their child gets into the school of their choice – although it appeared to me to be more about not going to their local school.

In a small way this linked well with what I've been exploring in my last few posts – is this the future of education in Scotland if we devolve everything – good schools will get better but the lack of coherent improvement mechanisms mean that poorer schools get poorer. It also seems to set one school against another – as opposed to a professional partnership between schools where we share best practice.

Perhaps we have a real opportunity in Scotland to create something different and not necessarily follow the English model which seems to be route that some might see us take.

Last point – I respect the right of parents to send their children to an independent school but it would be my hope and ambition that no East Lothian parent would send their child to a private school because they were disatisfied with the local provision. In this sense I was impressed withe recent statistic from East Renfrewshire where hardly any children leave the authority to go to private schools.