In a much under-reported speech headteacher Martin Dunsford, addressing the Association of Schools and College Leaders annual conference, described schools as often the one moral framework in children's lives.
I think Mr Dunsford is on to something. At a time when communities have atomised and there is real and severe family breakdown, schools often serve as the last bastion of communities. When small shops have closed and when local faith institutions are poorly attended, the school remains the one institution in a community that brings people together - not just children, but parents too. If a child comes from a broken home then it is the school that will give that child order and structure, as well as a decent meal too. That is why the Government's surplus places rule is so wrong as it forces schools to close. We need more schools not less, however small, and particularly in our poorer communities.
I know that some will argue that it is the job of parents to provide a moral force for the children and not the state. But family breakdown will take years - if not generations to deal with - both through fundamental welfare reform and significant changes to how we deal with crime and disorder. Schools by contrast provide an immediate response to community breakdown which few other public policies can match.
More details of Mr Dunsford's speech can be found here.
