I was quite upbeat (given that the alarm didn’t go off) but reading the paper makes you fel dirty and depressed!

They had a good dig at the Olympic Torch trogging through London yesterday. The situation in Tibet is unacceptable, but probably far less severe than in Zimbabwe or Darfur. I don’t see anyone pressing for those areas of human rights abuses in quite such a public way?

I’m sure that trade links and the success of the 2012 Olympics have some part to play in the reception of the flame for the 2008 games. And the torch in itself hardly counts as a ringing endorsement of China’s human rights record – it’s an Olympic Torch not a Human Rights Abuse Competition.

The other thing that they were fretting about (frothing at the mouth by the reading of the articles) was the issue of Faith Schools.

Aparently Faith Schools raise funds for ‘religious education’ or ‘security measures’ so Ed Balls (described as a Stalinist for some reason I can’t quite work out) was unjustified for calling into question the admissions policies of the schools that bend or break the rules.

I know there are faith schools that apply the rules appropriately. It also doesn’t surprise me that there are schools out there that bend the rules. The pressure to pass the 11+ tests forces some schools to make cramming a way of life in Year 6. The fact that most schools srick to the rules is good. The ones who don’t make the education system suffer so take action.

The stupid thing is that the pressure cooker of expectation that kids live in these days isn’t any fun. Schools should do their best to give kids a decent education but why do we measure success in exams and University places? Why not judge schools by the quality of input and the added value given?

There are lots of schools out there doing a great job. There are some that are failing. There are some that ‘cheat’.

Let’s sort the wheat from the chaff and address the cheats. Then, maybe, kids can get the education they need rather than another pointless set of SATS, GCSEs or unwanted Uni-time.

Most folk need to talk in a foreign language. Not many need to read books or write letters.

And if they drop these tests then the memorable rehearsed sentences like ‘Mein Buertelmaus hat Verstopfung’ serve no further purpose!

Kids attain things and do things at different times. The only way you see this progress is by watching over time – otherwise it’s possibly a shock or a one-off.

So why waste billions on SATS tests that mean sod all to the kids and not a damn deal else to schools that are being inspected with the ferocity not seen since the Nit Nurse did her rounds?

If we scrapped SATS and relied on effective teacher assessments, there’d be more funds for better resources, more staff and even to cover PPA time with teachers. Now there’s a thought …