Leader: Collaboration to celebrate
Published 25 Mar 2011 09:30
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IT HAS long been obvious that Reading, since the closure of Alfred Sutton by Berkshire County Council in the 80s, has been short of at least one secondary school.
The situation hardly eased in the 90s when Meadway was merged with Prospect in West Reading, and the baffling determination of Wokingham to do away with Ryeish Green last year only served to aggravate bitter conflicts over changes to Maiden Erlegh's catchment area.
Thus there can be few occasions when the chronic national skills shortage and the dearth of secondary school places in East Reading might be said to dovetail handsomely.
For education experts of a zealously egalitarian bent there is something profoundly wrong about teenagers studying technical subjects which might lead to life in a blue collar.
But the reality is that the skills required by 21st century industry are simply not being supplied by our schools, and it is high time someone devised a joined-up system. Rob Wilson is to be congratulated and we urge any politically-driven Luddites to stand aside.
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