Your views on election promises

"Changes will be accelerated"

BBC News education correspondent Mike Baker asked for your views on the promises on education made in the main parties' election manifestoes.

Here is a selection from the many responses we received.

Your article is an excellent summary of a series of poorly thought out, socially divisive and retrograde school management policies, from a government that purports to see the need for equality of opportunity for every child, while pursuing policies based on the hobby horses of urban (mainly London-based) middle class parents, maverick head teachers and political theorists from the UK and overseas (often the US, where there is a substantial education underclass).

Who will take responsibility for consistency and quality of delivery throughout the UK, with weakened local education authorities and a ragbag of private companies and assorted faith groups setting up schools with taxpayers' cash?

As the parent of two children in a local school (where I am also a governor) and married to a teacher, I know that substantial numbers of parents are ill-informed about what takes place in their children's schools, let alone education provision more widely.

It is incredibly hard to get parents generally to engage with schools for any purpose other than to make complaints. There is not a loud call from the public for more parent power - this is a political myth.

Instead of investing trust in the teaching profession and in parents who do support their local schools to be inclusive, strong professional institutions, this government is playing a dangerous game based on a series of fixations with "choice" which in the end will depend (yet again) on where you live and your ability to pay.
Ros Patching, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire.

It does seem strange that this government has followed Tory policies on so many education and health issues: Specialist schools, increased independent and faith schools, increased private healthcare, foundation hospitals.

I only hope that if they continue in this vein, they also introduce education vouchers and allow them to be used by home educators before I have children as, despite being a teaching student, I will have no desire to send any of the results-driven, imagination-destroying institutions this government is creating.

It's hard enough watching other people's kids lose all their enjoyment in learning through yet another round of unnecessary, school-funding-linked exams.
Kate, Derby

Of course Labour are stealing The Conservatives' manifesto pledges. They have given up their ideology and are just pursuing votes.

First they moved to the centre and now they continue to move to the right with their pledges.

That said, the parties are still quite different: Labour pledge Conservative policies but do nothing, especially in education where they have failed spectacularly.
Andrew Bow, Hull

I am taking early retirement at the earliest opportunity, 55, because those who know least about education, namely politicians and parents, are taking decision-making power from those who know most: experienced teachers, the local education authorities and school inspectors.

The Archbishop was right recently when he pointed out that central control of education is promoting the creation of economic units before people. The pursuit of wealth before the pursuit of happiness. If we pursue these goals then we are likely in time to become a society whose values make us as unpopular as the Americans seems to be at present.

For the first 15 years of my career I had a vocation; for the last ten it has just been a job and an unnecessarily pressured and complicated one at that.
Tim Johns, Awliscombe, Devon.

I think the idea of parents being given more power is an awful idea. The fact that labour want it just proves they talk big and in reality do nothing. Parents have the most power and force themselves upon head teachers.

There have been hundreds of cases where teachers and head teachers alike have been threatened, pestered and bullied by parents: parents who do not have any idea of the way the education system is run and instead of finding out, moan and blame it on the teacher.

The increasing blame culture which is infesting Britain is one of the reasons we have such a lack of respect culture.

If parents don't give professionals respect, then how can we expect children to learn respect? Teachers have fewer and fewer powers to deal with this.
Amanda Freeston, Farnborough

Parent power is non-existent. Ofsted should have more teeth and be more accountable to parents. School teachers should be more transparent about their problems. The local authority should have more than an advisory roll in monitoring Ofsted complaints in schools who have been given the independent authority within the state system.

The LEA should be made up of elected parents and educationalists - not just appointees - and should have teeth.

All head teachers should be elected by their staff on a five-year term and by staff parents and pupils in 10-year terms.
Giles Wynne, Lincoln