Local Schools. Let's hope there are some left. Part One.

Well, just spent a week or so up to my ears [!] in steelpan workshops [Girl Guides at Harewood, then Suzuki cellists at Bury St Edmunds], come back to 8 days worth of local papers, wood-pulp and online.

I was struck by several articles. This one from the YEP 3 August has education chiefs asking parents to think local when choosing schools for their children, adding, "Leeds is fortunate to have so many great local schools . . ".

You could have knocked me down with a feather! Good local schools, send your child to the nearest school, what a good idea.

This is not what one of them said on Radio Leeds last February, not what several of them said at the consultation meetings when they were trying to close us. Why the change of heart? And actually, without an explanation, what parent will take any notice?

This article goes on to say that Education Leeds has the "Choice Advice Service which provides impartial advice, guidance and information to families applying for secondary places for their children" including " Ofsted reports, league tables, transport . . uniform . . admission policies."

Where do you start!

I'll start with: What a waste of tax-payers' money. What's wrong with the traditional method of rumour, innuendo, media scares and exchanging urban myths with other parents? Plus, then sending your children to the same school with whoever is their present best friend.

And "impartial"? I don't think Eddie Leo does impartial.

Next: League tables. How many schools' reputuations have they ruined; how many good school have they wrongly closed? How many towns across this country have watched League Tables oversee the fragmentation and dismantling of perfectly reasonable/ordinary/good education systems because some League Table had spotted that Pavel and Tanya had got rubbish grades at GCSE, but not recognised that these twins, only 14 months out of Poland weren't likely to the school any favours.

[as in you teach us some English and we'll get you 4 As between us, for your league tables, in Science.]