Secular blemish at Easter

The Easter Conferences of the Teaching Unions are the best advertisement for home schooling there is. Who would willingly give their children into the hands of these activists? Every year I hope the Conference attendees are a self selecting barmy fringe, as General Secretaries Ms Keate and Ms Blowers marshal their army of malcontents to oppose every change, refuse every improvement, and deny every criticism. As Britain falls lower down the international tables, speaker after speaker blames everyone but themselves for all those children who leave school scarcely able to read and write, leave alone have any understanding of  maths, history, geography, or religion. Spurning every reform of Ministers, Labour or Conservative, these are the spokesmen for a profession that is supposed to be preparing children for a world that is changing faster than ever before. Yet they see no reason for change despite the evidence of widespread failure. Nothing can spoil Easter but if anything could it would be this sad spectacle.