[St Charles Owl]

Can't agree with what Labour are proposing there if I read it right!! I cannot fathom why governments think that to fix a general problem you tear down or reduce the effectiveness of the part that is working to bring it down to the level of the rest, therefore levelling the playing field!!! More cricketers and rugby players come from private schools for the simple reason that private schools still teach these sports and still have the sports fields to do it as well.

If the government wants to correct this inequality, then it needs to spend more money on the public school system, not "asset strip" those schools that are succeeding. From a sport perspective how about providing sports fields where public schools can play cricket or rugby, provide the budget so that PE and competitive sports have some importance and not just an unpaid pastime for the teachers that do it. How about they get the professional sports involved with the school systems to help provide instruction?

Schools of all types should be palaces, places where learning is focused and encouraged along with kids having some fun. Teachers should be paid properly just like you see in private schools. If we continue to try to save money and cut costs in the public school system then guess what we get - a less educated average school kid and a very undereducated or demotivated above average kid. We need to produce more engineers, plumbers, entrepreneurs, business professionals etc etc, dumbing down private schools and still not spending properly on public schools will not achieve that.