There are certain moments in life that stay with you forever. Two of the most obvious must be the day we get our A-Level results and then the day you walk into the building to see what degree you and your friends have achieved on the speadsheet pinned to the wall. (Although perhaps its done by email now.) I well remember the sensation I felt walking into the Headmaster's office to collect my results that allowed me to take up my place at my first choice University. My delight was shared by the Brothers and the lay-staff of the school. Then there was the pride of my parents, my brothers, Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins not to mention family friends. In short there are a lot of people all over Britain who are celebrating the success of young people they know tonight. And that is also true every year.
There is something else that has always happened on results day and that started about 8 years ago. That is the tradition of a shadow Education Minister popping up to tell is that the increased number of passes and the higher proportion of students getting top marks was because under Labour the exams were getting easier. I well remember shouting at radios and TVs over the years that I was a candidate and wishing they would shut up. Not, I hasten to add, because their argument did not have some validity as the excellent piece by Martin Parsons demonstrates so well. Martin's arguments should be made and should be debated. And they should be made and debated by Shadow Ministers. But not on the day of the results.
I frequently wondered what the young men and women, their parents, grandparents, siblings, family friends and indeed their teachers though as they prepared a celebratory meal, or prepared to go out when they heard the Tory spokesperson on TV telling them that their success was solely due to grade inflation. It was good standard opposition but bloody bad politics.
This year Michael Gove followed David Cameron's example when he held the brief and opened his comments by saying, "These results reflect the hard work of students and teachers. The individual achievements of the thousands who have done so well should be celebrated. We wish all those that have applied for university the best of luck with finding a suitable place." He then went on to make a substantive argument about the worrying north/south gap.
Michael Gove's comments this year are the right comments for results day. He is not playing opposition for oppositions sake but sounding like a Secretary of State-in-waiting. So can we now have what I have long wanted to see: a proper debate about standards, grading etc in an Opposition Day Debate when it will not be offensive to students, teachers and parents?
How about a day in between November and March? Then Michael Gove can reinforce what he showed today. That we are ready.
