Letter: No time for the basics in school

No time for the basics in school

Sir: David Blunkett ("Labour goes back to basics on teaching", 30 May) appears to be saying the right words at the moment. However, for too long primary education has suffered from well-meaning cries of back (I prefer forward) to basics and no changes in legislation to follow that up.

We still suffer from a National Curriculum - despite the Dearing review - that insists that we teach 10 subjects, albeit giving English, maths and science emphasis, and are inspected on that basis. I can imagine the outcry from Ofsted if a school said: "Sorry, we do not have time to teach music because we are concentrating on the basics." We need a dialogue between politicians, Ofsted, head teachers and teachers to balance what is important and what can be left to individual teachers. I suspect that there would be far more agreement than we think.

PETER BRINTON

Head Teacher,

Redruth, Cornwall