Education, Education, Education: The Best Bits Of Ted Wragg

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION ‘His humour is a tonic and an inspiration: the sort that has you gnashing your teeth with rage one minute and clutching your sides with laughter the next.’ Rory Bremner When New Labour came to office in 1997, its commitment to ‘Education, Education, Education’ captured the imagination of the public.This collection of articles from 1998 to the present day exposes the real state of education during this period, when education policy has never been far from the headlines. No-one escapes Ted Wragg’s sharp-shooting wit: from the ‘blamers and shamers’ who try to turn teacher-bashing into a national pastime to the ‘pale policy wonks’ in the Department of Education, who issue regular hare-brained initiatives from the mysterious ‘Tony Zoffis’. Split into seven issue-focused chapters, this hilarious collection will be a tonic for anyone finding themselves unsure whether to laugh or cry about the latest developments in the world of education. Ted Wragg is Professor of Education at the School of Education, Exeter University and writes regularly in the Times Educational Supplement. ‘Ted Wragg is the patron saint of teachers. Only much funnier. He’s what teachers read under the desk when the kids aren’t looking.’ Rory Bremner ‘Ted Wragg writes about education (and a lot of other things) with a combination of wit, passion and knowledge that is not equalled by anyone else.’ Neil Kinnock ‘Ted Wragg has achieved more for real improvement in the classroom than all the effort of twenty pieces of legislation, eight Secretaries of State and thousands of circulars . . .’ Professor Tim Brighouse, Commissioner for London Schools ‘Ted Wragg’s column has been essential reading for those who think education is too important to be left in the hands of the politicians.’ Professor Richard Pring, Oxford University EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION The best bits of Ted Wragg Ted Wragg First published 2004 by RoutledgeFalmer 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by RoutledgeFalmer 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004. RoutledgeFalmer is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2004 Ted Wragg The views expressed in this book are those of the author and are not necessarily the same as those of The Times Educational Supplement. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Wragg, E. C. (Edward Conrad) Education, education, education : the best bits of Ted Wragg / Ted Wragg. p. cm. ISBN 0–415–33550–7 (Hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 0–415–33551–5 (Paperback :