Bright Kids: "Lack of manure, Holmes" - Watson.

The Daily Telegraph reports (hat tip) that bright kids are dragged down - 120,000 going backwards.

How long does it take for Educationalists to wake up to basic common sense? 20 years? What is with these people? I know what - it is dogma. The dogma of "equality", of "mixed ability", of "lowest common denominator". The dogma of "Comprehensive Education" - a newspeak inversion if ever there was one. This is not a dogma of education, but of politics, and it has been bankrupt for generations.

Even before we get around to Grammar vs Comp, we need streaming in the forms and sets in the subjects so kids can be stretched to the correct degree. I think "houses" should also be used to bind years together and create healthy competition within the school. Gasp! The C word! The houses can be mixed ability and used to promote social mixing between the various aptitudes and abilities. Sportsmen, artists, thinkers, debaters can all represent the house in their best light as a champion for all, not be seen as exposing others' weaknesses or delaying progress within a class.

It is to the advantage of the Government we now have to breed a generation of dimwits who are incapable of critical reasoning, discipline or concentrating on one topic for any length of time. I do not trust Sociofascists who desire a "lumpen illitariat", a clay for their molding.