Steve Sinnott Quotations

The government's ... obsession with choice ignores the fact that parents operate on a far from level playing field,

There is a view that the promotion of greater influence of faith groups in running our schools could be detrimental to community cohesion and social cohesion.

Sadly, there is a small group of parents who do not respect education and they come not just from deprived circumstances but from among the better-off as well. This attitude seriously damages children's future prospects and leaves them vulnerable to the temptations and dangers of the streets.

Sadly there is a small group of parents who do not respect education.

The idea of allowing youngsters to stay in a school that is just withering on the vine is just terrible.

There are dangers that social difficulties can arise when you mix 11-year-olds with 15-year-olds. For example, if a 15-year-old was sent down to work with 11-year-olds that could lead to a serious loss of self-esteem and would be seen by peers as a sign of failure.

Parents taking children out of school to go shopping or on holiday is very irresponsible and can have a destructive impact on their education.

It is pandering to the pushy middle classes at the expense of children in less advantaged circumstances. A period of calm would be more welcome in our schools than yet another period of change.

Despite the government's crude mechanism for measuring primary children's achievement, the underlying message is that primary teachers have sustained and secured further improvements in pupil performance. This is a very real cause for celebration. The government is now, rightly, distancing itself from the targets it had previously plucked out of the air.