But where is it going? The debate over the future of British Education seems to have derailed and is on it's way over the horizon as both parties abandon their traditional positions in an attempt to design a system capable of meeting the demands of a knowledge-based economy. The Tories recently announced that they would halt the spread of grammar schools, and suggested that they would instead be expanding on Labour's own schemes, as they put it "taking seriously some of Tony Blair's own rhetoric".
However recently David Cameron has seen some serious opposition from both his own party and UKIP, many of whom are disaffected Tories. Nigel Farage, UKIP's somewhat peculiar leader has already condemned Cameron for withdrawing his support of selection. The Tories have responded, with their education spokesman, David Willets claiming that
"A return to the 11+ is not the way of increasing social mobility today."
Well I for one am glad the Tories have finally realised that one. However YouGov begs to differ, showing that more than two thirds of Tory voters support selection. The question is, does this mean another Tory split? Cameron is doing everything he can to make the Tories into a modern party, but he is facing much more difficulty in creating the New Conservatives than Blair did in creating New Labour. UKIP's vocal support for selection is no doubt an attempt to entice more Tories to the break-away party. City Academies appear to be the order of the day, as both parties come out in support of the initiative. Brown commented last week, saying
"For those 14 to 16-year-olds most at risk of dropping out, for whom conventional schooling is a turn-off, we need a system of special support that motivates them through work-related training and raises their aspirations through intensive one-to-one mentoring in order to prepare them for further learning and the world of work,"
But perhaps the biggest question, is 'will David Cameron be successful in ditching his own image of upper class Toffery to become a modern leader, or will he once again be out-manoeuvred by the free-thinking left'.
However recently David Cameron has seen some serious opposition from both his own party and UKIP, many of whom are disaffected Tories. Nigel Farage, UKIP's somewhat peculiar leader has already condemned Cameron for withdrawing his support of selection. The Tories have responded, with their education spokesman, David Willets claiming that
"A return to the 11+ is not the way of increasing social mobility today."
Well I for one am glad the Tories have finally realised that one. However YouGov begs to differ, showing that more than two thirds of Tory voters support selection. The question is, does this mean another Tory split? Cameron is doing everything he can to make the Tories into a modern party, but he is facing much more difficulty in creating the New Conservatives than Blair did in creating New Labour. UKIP's vocal support for selection is no doubt an attempt to entice more Tories to the break-away party. City Academies appear to be the order of the day, as both parties come out in support of the initiative. Brown commented last week, saying
"For those 14 to 16-year-olds most at risk of dropping out, for whom conventional schooling is a turn-off, we need a system of special support that motivates them through work-related training and raises their aspirations through intensive one-to-one mentoring in order to prepare them for further learning and the world of work,"
But perhaps the biggest question, is 'will David Cameron be successful in ditching his own image of upper class Toffery to become a modern leader, or will he once again be out-manoeuvred by the free-thinking left'.
