Tearing down the big state

David Cameron, writing in the Daily Telegraph today, says that "Brick by brick, we're tearing down the big state'. In education, and children's services, this seems to be being driven by the opening of free schools and academies (which open up choice), and the extension of parent choice of school.

There is an obvious mistake - he says that parents 'can now' express a preference for any state-funded school with a vacancy, wherever located, and that local authorities have a duty to grant such requests; in fact, that has been the case for very many years.

And the reality is that popular schools will always be over-subscribed and some children will be turned away. David Cameron says 'if you are not happy, then you will have a way to get your complaint listened to and resolved.'. But giving parents more rights to complain, and the expectation that complaints can be 'resolved'  - above the existing appeals process - just won't help anyone as not every child will be able to be admitted.

And this is on the day that research has been published pointing out, from published data, the relatively poor correlation between school results last year (which is all parents applying for a place have) and the results in five years time (which is what they really want to know). The truth is that school results vary up and down, and that Ofsted outcomes vary up and down, and, as the FSA says, 'past performance is no guide to future success'.

 Soimetimes I despair. Perhaps I should buy a jerry-can and follow Franis Maude's advice ... or perhaps not.