| Teacher applauded for scathing attack on education system Katharine Birbalsingh earned standing ovation at Conservative party conference for criticising the 'culture of excuses' in schoolsA state school teacher earned a standing ovation at the Conservative party conference today for a scathing and eloquent attack on a "culture of excuses" in education, which she said had driven her from being a Marxist to voting Tory for the first time this year.In a speech that appeared to update the adage that a conservative is "a liberal who has been mugged," Katharine Birbalsingh said that teaching in the state sector had led her to embrace "right-wing thinking".Speaking ahead of education secretary Michael Gove, she was applauded for claiming that black underachievement was due partly to "the chaos of our classrooms, and, in part, to the accusation of racism"."If you keep telling teachers that they're racist for trying to discipline black boys and if you keep telling heads that they're racist for trying to exclude black boys, in the end, the schools stop reprimanding these children."Birbalsingh, 37, a deputy head at an academy school in south London, has mixed heritage. Her father is Indian and her mother Jamaican; she grew up in Canada until her family moved to the UK when she was 15.She said standards had been so dumbed down that even pupils knew recent exam papers were easier."When I give them past exam papers to do from 1998, they groan and beg for a 2005 or 6 paper, because they know it'll be easier. The idea of benchmarking children and letting them know how they compare to their peers is considered so poisonous by us teachers that we don't ever do it."She said many of the changes necessary in schools required "right-wing thinking."In a passage that referred to Gove's desire to emphasise the final-year exams in A-levels, and to encourage the expansion of academies, she said: "In schools and in society, we need high expectations, of everyone, even if you're black, or live on a council estate – Why can't they sit exams at the end of the year?"We need to rid the classrooms of chaos by unshackling heads and setting our schools free."Birbalsingh, who teaches French, earned right-wing plaudits after she wrote about her experiences anonymously – in a blog that will now be turned into a book, To Miss with Love.Her editor at Penguin put her in touch with Steve Hilton, director of strategy for the Tories, who arranged a meeting with Gove.Afterwards, as she was congratulated by party members, she said: "It's teaching that has changed my political outlook. It's taken me many years to come to terms with that. I voted Conservative and I didn't tell a soul."Her blog was not based on her current school, where she has only taught for three weeks, but on her experiences in four previous schools.Conservative conferenceConservativesTeachingSchoolsJeevan Vasagarguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Students to face unlimited fees Universities in England should be able to charge any level of tuition fees, a major review of university funding recommends. bbc.co.uk |
Cameron unveils armed forces cuts Harrier jump jets, the HMS Ark Royal and planned Nimrod spy planes have been axed in the defence review and 42,000 jobs will go by 2015. bbc.co.uk |
Freed submarine heads back to base Nuclear-powered HMS Astute will undergo more checks after running aground off Isle of Skye, says MoDA nuclear-powered submarine that ran aground off the coast of Skye is making its way back to base for further checks today.HMS Astute became stuck during sea trials on Friday in a channel between the island and the Scottish mainland. The vessel remained there from 8am until around 6pm, when the tide turned and it was freed by a tug.The Ministry of Defence said checks on the sub's rudder, which is thought to have become stuck on a shingle bank, were carried out in deeper water. Astute – which is the UK's most powerful attack submarine – will now return to base at Faslane on the Clyde for further checks.An MoD spokesman said: "Surveys of Astute have now been completed and she will proceed to Faslane under her own power. She is being escorted by tugs and HMS Shoreham."The Royal Navy launched a service inquiry into why the 100-metre-long submarine ran aground in the channel between Skye and the Kyle of Lochalsh. The vessel is understood to have strayed several hundred yards outside the safe sea lane marked on admiralty charts.The MoD said the investigation into the incident would be "full and thorough" and would consider whether any crew were negligent. The submarine's skipper, Commander Andy Coles, could find himself facing a court martial.An MoD spokesman said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the possibility of disciplinary action until the investigation was complete.It is believed a crew transfer from the shore to the submarine was being carried out when the incident happened. There were no reports of any injuries and the MoD said it was not a "nuclear incident".MilitaryScotlandguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Police want 'spy' cameras removed All surveillance cameras put up in largely Muslim areas of Birmingham should be removed, the chief constable of West Midlands Police says. bbc.co.uk |