What all teachers say they want is a period of calm so that they can get on with educating the children. What the government is providing is a Maoist-style 'continuous revolution'.

The latest revolutionary dictat (fiat? ukase?) is for a local 'market' in education. Do I hear murmurs of 'Look what is did to the NHS'? "Companies and top head teachers will form rival education “brands” to run groups of secondary schools," the Times tells us.

I can see the posters now:

Sainsbury Comprehensive for remanants of traditional values.

Tesco Community School: we do your child's homework for them - every little helps.

Lidl School: Learn German by immersion; never mind the quality, look at the price.

Walmart/Asda Academy: We screw our staff and suppliers to give your child a cheap education.

But, more seriously, it looks as though the national curriculum is taking a bashing:

Schools will be allowed to write their own curriculum to create greater choice and tailor education to the needs of different pupils.

Does this mean the possibility of getting a 'traditional' brand that includes Classics for all? Is this the moment to pull out all the stops and empty our coffers to get such a brand on the education market?

We already have schools that specialise in languages, not all of them including Latin. Can't we get a brand of school that does this? Parents pay through the nose to send their children to independent schools that provide the Classics. Can't we harness parent power to demand such education for free? Can independent schools help?

Private schools will be encouraged to protect their charitable status by establishing their brands in the state sector. They will be given funding to run state schools, which would use the power of the private school’s image to attract parents.

Read the article.