- guardian.co.uk, Sunday 8 June 2003 23.42 BST
Professor Colin Richards
Spark Bridge
Cumbria
Congratulations to Miliband on discovering 'tailormade learning'. Many teachers were trying to do this years ago. Then came a Conservative government followed by the present 'Labour' set-up. I am sure teachers will be delighted, but I shall be happier when schools are being properly funded, class sizes reduced, more teachers are being employed rather than made redundant, and teachers are being rewarded adequately.
Eric Silletto
Brenchley
Kent
I don't quite understand how Miliband can assume one teacher can prepare individual lessons for each pupil; then, individually with classes of 25 plus, teach them roughly six times a day, five days a week. Last time I checked there were still only 24 hours in a day.
David Warden
Chiswick
London W4
As Miliband made clear, the good times are over for so-called 'good schools': from next autumn, the 'misery stick' is to be applied to 'schools in the leafy suburbs' with the same messianic fervour as it has been applied, over the years, to schools in deprived inner city areas. Apparently, the Minister can detect 'underachieving' and 'coasting' schools, even when, as he acknowledges, such schools have results that are 'reassuring' and teachers that 'are working hard'.
Instead of showing that these hard-working teachers are, in fact, short-changing their pupils, Mr Miliband makes the one assumption, that pupils who are alike in terms of prior attainment, gender and background should get the same results. If not, their schools have been 'coasting'.
James Murphy
Department of Educational Research
University of Lancaster
