To hear Ed Balls, the schools secretary, tell it, the saga of British education since the Labour Party came to power in 1997 is a rousing one of derring-do. The government set targets for literacy and numeracy-and lo, literacy and numeracy rocketed. It prescribed teaching methods in these basics (and much else)-and teaching standards soared too.rnThe next chapter in this absorbing drama was foretold on June 30th, in the latest education white paper. Parents will be able to demand catch-up tuition for their darling dullards, or challenging lessons for their gifted lads and lasses. They will be enlightened by new school "report cards" that set out matters academic (exam and inspection results), social (sport and healthy eating) and sundry ("partnership working" with other schools), both separately and in an overall grade. Naughty children will finally be tamed by forcing parents to sign agreements to make them behave. Teaching will be transformed (again) by re-licensing teachers every five years.
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